SUIKO, THE GREAT EMPRESS

JAPAN’S FIRST QUEEN

REIGN: 592–628 CE

FATHER: Emperor Kinmei / MOTHER: Kitashi-hime / HUSBAND: Emperor Bidatsu

SUCCESSOR: Emperor Jomei

WHAT WAS SO GREAT ABOUT SUIKO?

Empress Suiko opened the door for more women to become rulers of Japan. During her reign, Buddhism expanded, bringing with it much of the culture that the country still embraces today. The idea of Japan as a nation (not just as a collection of separate kingdoms) solidified in her time.

GREAT BEGINNINGS

Suiko was the second daughter of Emperor Kinmei. Her mother was from the prominent Soga clan. Her uncle on the Soga side of the family was especially important in shaping her future. After Suiko’s father died, there was a power struggle over who should rule the empire. Suiko’s uncle tried to persuade her to take the throne. Suiko said no three times before finally agreeing.

While women had been powerful in Japan before (see here), Suiko was the first woman described by historical documents as being emperor, although later she became known as the empress.

NATURE’S PHARMACY

Suiko was concerned with developing medical help for her people. She sent several physicians to China to study their ways of medical treatment. She also brought a Korean doctor to Japan to teach the country’s first medical classes.

While the men of her court went hunting, Suiko would lead the women into the forest to search for medicinal plants. She declared that the fifth day of the fifth month would be kusurigari, or “medicine hunting” day, when people would collect wild irises and yomogi leaves—used in a tea to promote health and to ward off evil. Today, on May 5 of each year, people in Japan still use yomogi leaves in teas and treats, although the day is now celebrated as Children’s Day.

THE LADY EMPEROR

Suiko excelled in both foreign and domestic relations. Early in her reign, she began diplomatic contact with the Chinese empire. This helped the Chinese empire to see Japan as a nation in its own right (rather than just a confederation of separate kingdoms). It also meant that there could be trade between the two kingdoms. Suiko decreed that Japan would use the same lunar calendar that China used and that she would adopt other Chinese systems for use in Japan (see here).

Buddhism had been introduced to Japan while her father ruled, but Empress Suiko made it the formal state religion. She invited Buddhist monks and nuns from China and Korea to Japan and commissioned the country’s first temples. There were forty-six in all, one of which, Hōryū Temple, still stands today in Nara prefecture. She employed hundreds of monks and nuns to staff the temples and eventually became a Buddhist nun herself. The construction of the temples led to the development of uniquely Japanese forms of Buddhist art, including painting, wood carving, tile making, weaving, and architecture. Buddhist poetry and music developed during her time, too. Even though Buddhism grew in popularity, those who still practiced Shinto (an ancient Japanese religion) were protected and allowed to continue their beliefs, according to Suiko’s royal decrees.

Suiko also made important steps forward in governance (see below). She helped agriculture, too, encouraging the development of irrigation ponds for rice farming. Empress Suiko died after she had been empress for thirty-five years. She may have been the first woman to rule Japan, but thanks to her success, she certainly wasn’t the last (see here).

A FEATHER IN HER CAP

During Suiko’s reign, the Twelve-Level Cap and Rank system was introduced in Japan. Before this system was developed, a person’s job was based on the family they had been born into. If you were the son of a farmer, you’d be a farmer. If you were a noble, you could expect the best jobs to be available to you. But this new system meant people could be promoted due to job performance, and not just because of family connections or history.

The cap system was modeled after a system from China and the kingdom that would later be known as Korea. The system was based on six qualities, with two levels (lesser and greater) in each: knowledge, justice, sincerity, propriety, benevolence, and virtue. A person would start at the bottom (lesser knowledge) and work his way up through the system, getting promoted to the next level and working toward greater virtue, which was at the top.

For each level, the official was given a cap in a color that would indicate the level:

Knowledge, black

Justice, white

Sincerity, yellow

Propriety, red

Benevolence, blue

Virtue, purple

The caps were made of silk, with silver and gold embroidery, and embellished with a feather.

Empress Suiko’s ambassador to China started out with a deep red cap and then made it all the way up to deep purple. The cap system helped to show that Japanese society at the time placed high value on these virtues, and anyone—not just nobles—could achieve them.

LIVING IN HARMONY

Suiko might be best known for the Seventeen-Article Constitution, which was introduced during her reign. This was Japan’s first constitution. Unlike modern constitutions, though, it was more about ideals than laws. In Suiko’s time, the government was largely focused on trying to avoid conflicts before they happened rather than resolving them after they occurred.

Suiko’s constitution was based on principles developed by the Chinese philosopher Confucius. Translated, it goes something like this:

The constitution goes on to state that officials must put aside their personal feelings when making decisions that affect the public and that an important decision can’t be made by only one person. It was the beginning of a fairer and more honest way of governing.

THE WOMEN OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM THRONE

In Japan, the reigning monarch is said to hold the Chrysanthemum Throne. There is an actual throne in the Imperial Palace in Kyoto (used only for ceremonies), but “to hold the Chrysanthemum Throne” is more of an expression that means to be the head of state. In 2019, Emperor Naruhito became the 126th emperor to hold the throne.

Empress Suiko was the 33rd. While she is recognized as the first true empress, there are women of legend who may or may not have held the throne before her. Empress Himiko, for example, was said to have reigned from 189 to 248 CE. She was thought to have been a sorceress who lived in a palace guarded by a thousand female guards. It was said that she was descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu. However, because what’s known about her comes from China, and not Japan, she’s thought to be legendary rather than real.

Empress Jingu is also considered to be semi-legendary. She was a warrior queen who is said to have led an army on a three-year campaign in what’s now Korea around the year 200 CE.

There have been seven empresses in Japan since Empress Suiko. Empress Kogyoku was said to have magical powers. She performed a ritual that was reported to have brought rain when there was a drought. Empress Jitō was known to be a poet. Empress Genmei commissioned the first written history about Japan. Empress Genshō was the first woman to inherit the throne from her mother, while Empress Meishō was the first ruler of the Edo period, the time in Japanese history when the imperial family became very strong. Go-Sakuramachi was the last Japanese woman to serve as empress. She abdicated the throne in favor of her nephew in 1813. Sadly, in 1889, women in Japan lost the right to hold the throne, and they still haven’t gotten it back.

Suiko’S Legacy

Suiko established Buddhism as an official religion of Japan, which influenced every aspect of society, from the arts to food. Her reign also made it possible for other women to take the role of female emperor well into the nineteenth century.

WHEN SUIKO WAS EMPRESS…

the plague was raging all over the Roman Empire

construction began on The Temple of Inscriptions in the Mayan city of Palenque (see here)

the expression “God bless you” was decreed by Pope Gregory to be the official response to someone sneezing; this was believed to help prevent the spread of bubonic plague that was raging across Europe