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Emperor Monmu

Emperor of Japan

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 9, 2026
Entity authorityQ357246
Source-derived summary

Emperor Monmu (文武天皇, Monmu-tennō; 683–707) was the 42nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.

Monmu's reign spanned the years from 697 through 707.

Traditional narrative

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (imina) was Karu-shinnō.

He was a grandson of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō. He was the second son of Prince Kusakabe. Monmu's mother was Princess Abe, a daughter of Emperor Tenji. Monmu's mother would later accede to the throne herself, and she would be known as Empress Genmei.

Events of Monmu's life

Karu-shinnō was only six years old when his father, Crown Prince Kusakabe, died.

697: In the 10th year of Jitō-tennō's reign (持統天皇十年), the empress abdicated; and the succession (senso) was received by a grandson of Emperor Tenmu. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Monmu is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui).

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Emperor Monmu” as emperor of Japan. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current 141-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 0683. The account is most persuasive where Emperor, Monmu and Japan can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as emperor of Japan. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q357246. VIAF identifies the subject as 40830216. The Library of Congress control number is n85292528. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Emperor Monmu”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Emperor Monmu primary sources, Emperor Monmu archive and Emperor research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Emperor Monmu”?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Emperor Monmu” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.