Emperor Shomu
Emperor Shōmu (聖武天皇
Shōmu Tennō) (
701 - May 2, 756) was the 45th
imperial ruler of
Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He was the son of
Emperor Mommu and Fujiwara no Miyako, a daughter of
Fujiwara no Fuhito. Shōmu's aunt and predecessor,
Empress Genshō, gave him the throne when she abdicated in
724. In,
749, Shōmu himself abdicated in favor of his daughter,
Empress Kōken, but continued to control the government.
Shōmu is mainly remembered for commissioning the sixteen-meter high statue of the
Vairocana Buddha in the
Tōdaiji Temple of
Nara. At the time, this was such a massive undertaking that later chroniclers accuse him of having completely exhausted the country's reserves of
bronze and
precious metals. The former emperor personally painted in the statue's eyes at the opening ceremony in
752 and declared himself a servant of the
three treasures: the
Buddha,
Buddhist teachings and the
Buddhist community, making this the closest anyone ever came to declaring Japan a Buddhist nation. He likewise established the system of
provincial temples.
Shōmu is also known as the first emperor whose consort was not born into the imperial household. His consort Kōmyō was a
Fujiwara woman. The two had a son who died in childhood.
#Japanese dates correspond to the traditional
lunisolar calendar used in Japan until
1873. May 2, 756 of the Japanese calendar corresponds to
June 4,
756 of the
Julian calendar.
*
Vairocana Buddha at the temple of Todaiji
