Emperor Jimmu

Who was Emperor Jimmu?

Emperor Jimmu was the first Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. He is also known as Kan'yamato Iware-biko no Sumeramikoto and personally as Wakamikenu no Mikoto or Sano no Mikoto.

The Imperial house of Japan traditionally based its claim to the throne on its descent from Jimmu. While his accession is traditionally dated to 660 BC, no historically firm dates can be assigned to this early emperor's life or reign, nor to the reigns of his early successors. Most modern historians dismiss this entire period as being beyond what history can know. The reign of Emperor Kimmei, the 29th emperor, is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates.