Empress Kōgyoku

Empress Kōgyoku / Empress Saimei
皇極天皇 / 斉明天皇
Great Queen of Yamato
Empress of Japan
(Kōgyoku, first reign)
Reign19 February 642 – 12 July 645
PredecessorJomei
SuccessorKōtoku
(Saimei, second reign)
Reign14 February 655 – 24 August 661
PredecessorKōtoku
SuccessorTenji
Empress consort of Japan
Tenure630 – 641
BornTakara ()
7 August 594
Japan
Died24 August 661 (aged 66–67)
Asakura no Miya
Burial
Ochi-no-Okanoe no misasagi (越智崗上陵) (Nara)
Spouses
Issue
Posthumous name
Chinese-style shigō:
Empress Kōgyoku (皇極天皇)
Empress Saimei (斉明天皇)

Japanese-style shigō:
Ametoyotakaraikashihitarashi-hime no Sumeramikoto (天豊財重日足姫天皇)
HouseImperial House of Japan
FatherPrince Chinu
MotherPrincess Kibitsu-hime

Empress Kōgyoku (皇極天皇, Kōgyoku-tennō; 7 August 594 – 24 August 661), also known as Empress Saimei (斉明天皇, Saimei-tennō), was the 35th and 37th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both her reigns were within the Asuka period.