United States or Belarus ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
It is also related that during a banquet at the palace on the occasion of Tenchi's accession, Prince Oama thrust a spear through the floor from below, and the Emperor would have punished the outrage with death had not Kamatari interceded for the prince. These narratives are cited to prove that the Emperor Tenchi's purpose was to leave the throne to Otomo, not Oama.
Two years later that is to say, in the year after Tenchi's actual accession the census register, which had formed an important feature of the Daika reforms, became an accomplished fact.
It was customary, however, to preserve permanently the census of every thirtieth year* for purposes of record, and moreover the census taken in the ninth year of Tenchi's reign was also kept as a reference for personal names. *This was called gohi-seki; i.e., comparative record for a period of five times six years. It was designated the Kogoanen-seki, from the cyclical name of the year.
Immediately after Tenchi's death, which took place at the close of 671, and after the accession of Prince Otomo known in history as the Emperor Kobun the conspirators began to concert measures for the destruction of Prince Oama, whom they regarded as a fatal obstacle to the achievement of their purpose.
Thus, on Tenchi's younger brother, Oama, the dignity of Crown Prince was conferred, and he became the Emperor's locum tenens, in which position he won universal applause by sagacity and energy. But during these seven years of nominal interregnum, the fame of Prince Otomo also grew upon men's lips.
An ancient book speaks of him as "wise and intelligent; an able administrator alike of civil and of military affairs; commanding respect and esteem; sage of speech, and rich in learning." Thenceforth the question of Tenchi's successor began to be disquieting. The technical right was on Oama's side, but the paternal sympathy was with Otomo.
Word Of The Day