Empress Jitō (持統天皇, Jitō-tennō, 645 – 13 January 703)[1] was the 41st monarch of Japan,[2] according to the traditional order of succession.

[5] In 689, Jitō prohibited Sugoroku,[7] 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.

[10] Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras.

[4] The Taika era innovation of naming time periods – nengō – languished until Mommu reasserted an imperial right by proclaiming the commencement of Taihō in 701.

However, Brown and Ishida's translation of Gukanshō offers an explanation which muddies a sense of easy clarity: Empress Jitō, known as Princess Uno-no-sarara (鸕野讃良皇女) in her early days, was born to Emperor Tenji and his concubine, who held of Beauty (Hin).She had two full siblings: Princess Ōta and Prince Takeru.

Empress Jitō and her younger sister, Princess Ōta, shared the same husband, Emperor Tenmu, with whom both would have children.

This one was composed after the death of the Emperor Tenmu:[11] やすみしし 我が大君の 夕されば 見したまふらし 明け来れば 問ひたまふらし 神岳の 山の黄葉を 今日もかも 問ひたまはまし 明日もかも 見したまはまし その山を 振り放け見つつ 夕されば あやに悲しみ 明け来れば うらさび暮らし 荒栲の 衣の袖は 干る時もなし Yasumishishi waga ōkimi no Yū sareba meshita furashi Akekureba toita furashi Kamuoka no yama no momichi to Kyō mo ka mo toita mawamashi Asu mo ka mo meshita mawamashi Sono yama o furisakemitsutsu Yū sareba aya ni kanashimi Akekureba Urasabikurashi Aratae no Koromo no sode wa Furu toki mo nashi Oh, the autumn foliage Of the hill of Kamioka!

One of the poems attributed to Empress Jitō was selected by Fujiwara no Teika for inclusion in the very popular anthology Hyakunin Isshu: 春過ぎて 夏来にけらし 白妙の 衣干すてふ 天の香具山 Haru sugite Natsu kinikerashi Shirotae no Koromo hosu chō Ama no Kaguyama The spring has passed And the summer come again For the silk-white robes So they say, are spread to dry On Mount Kaguyama Unless otherwise noted (as BC), years are in CE / AD  * Imperial Consort and Regent Empress Jingū is not traditionally listed.