was the 41st monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
Jità Â's reign spanned the years from 686 through 697.
In the history of Japan, Jità  was the third of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The two female monarchs before Jità  were Suiko and Kà Âgyoku/Saimei. The five women sovereigns reigning after Jità  were Genmei, Genshà Â, Kà Âken/Shà Âtoku, Meishà Â, and Go-Sakuramachi.
Empress Jità  was the daughter of Emperor Tenji. Her mother was Ochi-no-Iratsume, the daughter of Minister à Â-omi Soga no Yamada-no Ishikawa Maro. She was the wife of Tenji's full brother Emperor Tenmu, whom she succeeded on the throne.
Empress Jità Â's given name was , or alternatively Uno.
Jità  took responsibility for court administration after the death of her husband, Emperor Tenmu, who was also her uncle. She acceded to the throne in 687 in order to ensure the eventual succession of her son, Kusakabe-shinnà Â. Throughout this period, Empress Jità  ruled from the Fujiwara Palace in Yamato. In 689, Jità  prohibited Sugoroku, in 690 at enthronement she performed special ritual then gave pardon and in 692 she travelled to Ise against the counsel of minister Miwa-no-Asono-Takechimaro.
Prince Kusakabe was named as crown prince to succeed Jità Â, but he died at a young age. Kusakabe's son, Karu-no-o, was then named as Jità Â's successor. He eventually would become known as Emperor Monmu.
Empress Jità  reigned for eleven years. Although there were seven other reigning empresses, their successors were most often selected from amongst the males of the paternal Imperial bloodline, which is why some conservative scholars argue that the women's reigns were temporary and that male-only succession tradition must be maintained in the 21st century. Empress Genmei, who was followed on the throne by her daughter, Empress Genshà Â, remains the sole exception to this conventional argument.
In 697, Jità  abdicated in Monmu's favor; and as a retired sovereign, she took the post-reign title daijà Â-tennà Â. After this, her imperial successors who retired took the same title after abdication.
Jità  continued to hold power as a cloistered ruler, which became a persistent trend in Japanese politics.
The actual site of Jità Â's grave is known. This empress is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (misasagi) at Nara.
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Jità Â's mausoleum. It is formally named Ochi-no-Okanoe no misasagi.
Kugyà  (å ¬å¿) 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 Jità Â's reign, this apex of the Daijà Â-kan included:
Jità Â's reign is not linked by scholars to any era or nengà Â. The Taika era innovation of naming time periods â nengà  â languished until Mommu reasserted an imperial right by proclaiming the commencement of Taihà  in 701.
However, Brown and Ishida's translation of Gukanshà  offers an explanation which muddies a sense of easy clarity:
Empress Jità Â, known as Princess Uno-no-sarara (é¸ÂéÂÂè®Âè¯çÂÂ女) in her early days, was born to Emperor Tenji and his concubine, who held of Beauty (Hin).She had two full siblings: Princess à Âta and Prince Takeru. Empress Jità  and her younger sister, Princess à Âta, shared the same husband, Emperor Tenmu, with whom both had children.
The Man'yà Âshà « includes poems said to have been composed by Jità Â. This one was composed after the death of the Emperor Tenmu:
One of the poems attributed to Empress Jità  was selected by Fujiwara no Teika for inclusion in the very popular anthology Hyakunin Isshu: