was the 44th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Her reign spanned the years 715 through 724.
Genshà  was the fifth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant, and the only one in the history of Japan to have inherited her title from another empress regnant rather than from a male predecessor. The four female monarchs before Genshà  were Suiko, Kà Âgyoku, Jità  and Genmei; the three reigning after her were Kà Âken, Meishà Â, and Go-Sakuramachi.
Before her ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, her personal name (imina) was Hidaka-hime.
Genshà  was an elder sister of Emperor Monmu and daughter of Prince Kusakabe and his wife who later became Empress Genmei. Therefore, she was a granddaughter of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jità  by her father and a granddaughter of Emperor Tenji through her mother.
Empress Genshà Â's succession to the throne was intended as a regency until Prince Obito, the son of her deceased younger brother Monmu, was mature enough to ascend the throne. Obito would later become the Emperor Shà Âmu.
Obito was appointed Crown Prince in 714 by Empress Genmei. In the next year, 715, Empress Genmei, then in her fifties, abdicated in favor of her daughter Genshà Â. Obito was then 14 years old.
Obito remained the crown prince, heir to the new empress. Fujiwara no Fuhito, the most powerful courtier in Genmei's court, remained at his post until his death in 720. After his death, Prince Nagaya, a grandson of Tenmu and the Empress Genshà Â's cousin, seized power. This power shift served as a backdrop for later conflicts between Nagaya and Fuhito's four sons during the reign of Emperor Shà Âmu (formerly Prince Obito).
Under Genshà Â's reign, the Nihon Shoki was finished in 720. The organization of the law system known as the Ritsuryà  was continued under Fuhito's initiatives until his death. These laws and codes were edited and enacted by Fujiwara no Nakamaro, a grandson of Fuhito, and published as Yà Ârà  Code under Fuhito's name. The taxation system introduced by Empress Jità  in the late 7th century began to malfunction. To compensate for the decreased tax revenue, the "Act of possession in three generations", an initiative of Prince Nagaya, was enacted in 723. Under this act, people were allowed to possess a newly cultivated field once every three generations. In the fourth generation, the right of possession would revert to the national government. This act was intended to encourage new cultivation, but it remained in effect for only about 20 years.
Empress Genshà  reigned for nine years. Although there were seven other reigning empresses, their successors were most often selected from the patriline of the Imperial bloodline, which is why some conservative scholars argue that the women's reigns were temporary and that the male-only succession tradition must be maintained in the 21st century. Empress Genmei, who was succeeded by her daughter, remains the sole exception to this conventional argument.
In 724, Genshà  abdicated in favor of her nephew, who would be known as Emperor Shà Âmu. Genshà  lived for 25 years after she stepped down from the throne. She never married and had no children. She died at age 65.
Empress Genshà Â's grave is located in Nara. This empress is traditionally venerated at a , also in Nara. The Imperial Household Agency has designated this location as Monmu's mausoleum, and has been formally named Nahoyama no nishi no misasagi. The Imperial tomb can be visited today in Narazaka-chà Â, Nara City.
is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras.
In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Genshà Â's reign, this apex of the Daijà Â-kan included:
The years of Genshà Â's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengà Â.
Empress Genshà Â, born Princess Hidaka (æ°·é«ÂçÂÂ女), was the eldest child of Empress Genmei (å ÂæÂÂ天çÂÂ) and her husband, Crown Prince Kusakabe (èÂÂå£ÂçÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ). She had one younger brother, Prince Karu (çÂÂç çÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ), later known as Emperor Monmu (æÂÂæ¦天çÂÂ), and one younger sister, Imperial Princess Kibi (Ã¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂå 親çÂÂ).
Empress Genshà  never married or had children. The throne was inherited by her younger brother's son, Emperor Shà Âmu.