, also known as , was the 35th and 37th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both her reigns were within the Asuka period.
Kà Âgyoku was born on 7 August 594 as Princess Takara (å®Â). Her father, , was a minor prince of which little is recorded. Her mother, was similarly a minor princess of which little is written. Paternally Kà Âgyoku was a great-granddaughter of Emperor Bidatsu and his first wife Hirohime. Maternally she is a great-granddaughter of Emperor Kinmei (Bidatsu's father) and his concubine Soga-no-Kitashihime.
She would marry Prince Takamuku, a grandson of Emperor YÃ Âmei. This marriage produced one child, a son, however the two separated. After separating she married Prince Tamura (later Emperor Jomei).
Tamura and another Prince, Prince Yamashiro, were political rivals. Both claimed that before the then monarch, Empress Suiko, died, she declared the respective Prince her heir. What ensued was a civil war, ultimately ending with Tamura winning. Upon this, Princess Takara would become the empress consort.
The Man'yà Âshà « records correspondents the two sent to eachother. Once while the emperor was away, a messenger gave this letter that Takara sent him:
In 641 Jomei would die. Jomei did not seek to name an heir, and Prince Yamashiro was still alive. In order to ensure a stable succession, and avoid conflict between Prince Yamashiro, and Jomei's own children, his wife, Princess Takara, succeeded to the throne.
Princess Takara came to the throne in 642 as Empress KÃ Âgyoku to avoid dynastic conflict. A year into her reign, Prince Yamashiro, his wife Princess Tsukishine and their children would commit suicide after coming into conflict with the Soga clan.
Her first reign as Kà Âgyoku was mainly marked with the domination of the Soga clan, who had been growing in power. The beginning of her reign was also marked with a drought. Supposedly many clouds could be seen but no rain fell from them. The Nihon Shoki records however that eventually the drought came to an end after the empress prayed to the heavens: Before her death, the wife of Prince Yamashiro (Princess Tsukishine) argued against the Soga clan saying "There cannot be two suns in the heavens, nor two sovereigns upon the earth." This argument was also being used by many other people against the Soga clan. Prince Naka no à Âe (her son, and later Emperor Tenji), Nakatomi no Kamatari (later Fujiwara no Kamatari), and other prominent court nobles began arguing against the growing influence of the Soga clan. This growing anger and political unrest would culminate in an event known as the Isshi incident, ending in the assassination of the heir to the Soga clan, Soga no Iruka. Due to Japanese customs about blood impurity and death, and given the fact that Iurka was assassinated Infront of her, Kà Âgyoku had to abdicate becoming the first Japanese monarch to do so. She would pass the throne to her brother, who would become Emperor Kà Âtoku.
After abdicating, KÃ Âgyoku received the name Sumemioya. During her time in retirement, she was a respected figure at court. The previous female emperor, Suiko, also saw newfound respect, despite having died over two decades prior, due to her adoption of Buddhism (it was said of the new emperor, KÃ Âtoku that he "honoured the religion of Buddha").
Sumemioya and the crown prince, Naka no à Âe, visited the emperor as his health worsened. Due to the Isshi incident, as well as the fact that Kà Âgyoku had abdicated, Naka no à Âe was anxious about succeeding to the throne. In order to ensure stable succession, so that the princes legitimacy wasn't called into question, Sumemioya would succeed to the throne again. This was so Naka no à Âe would be directly succeeding one of his parents, thus ensuring stable parent child succession.
Sumemioya came to the throne a second time as Saimei. Her son, Prince Naka no à Âe, would continue implementing the Taika Reform.
On the continent, one Three Kingdoms of Korea, Paekche was destroyed. Paekche was an ally of Japan and so requested Japan's help. She and her army left Yamato Province for Paekche, where many temporary residences were built. However, she would become ill and have to halt her expedition. Many of those with her also died (something which the Nihon Shoki says was due to an angry god) and the empress's illness rapidly accelerated and she died.
After becoming ill, the empress died in 661. Her body was returned to the capital for the funeral. Her son became Emperor Tenji. After her death he was supposedly overcome with emotion and said:
She was buried at Kengoshizuka Kofun.
According to the Zenkoji Engi, she was damned to hell. However, on her way to hell, the son of along with the Amida Buddha saved her and she appointed Honda Yoshimitsu and his son as governors before finally dying. This is not mentioned in any other texts.
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 Kà Âgyoku's reign, this apex of the Daijà Â-kan included:
The kugyà  during Saimei's reign included:
Empress Saimei, born Princess Takara, was the daughter of Prince Chinu, a grandson of Emperor Bidatsu, and his princess consort.
Firstly, she married Prince Takamuku and had a son. Secondly, the princess married Prince Tamura who also was Emperor Bidatsu's grandson. The marriage produced one daughter and two sons who both ascended the throne in the future.