Temmu

Temmu (Japanese: 天武天皇, Temmu Tennō) is the posthumous name of Prince Ōama, traditionally regarded as the 40th emperor of Japan in the country’s classical chronology. His reign is conventionally dated to 673–686 CE. He is recognized as a central figure in the early development of a centralized imperial state following the Taika reforms.

During Temmu’s reign, the imperial government pursued the consolidation of centralized authority within the framework of the nascent ritsuryō system. He reorganized the court structure, codified administrative practices, and supported land and tax reforms aimed at standardizing governance across the provinces. A notable development was the relocation of the capital to Fujiwara-kyō in 694, a planned city intended to symbolize and facilitate centralized rule.

Temmu’s efforts helped lay the groundwork for later state reforms that would culminate in the Taihō and Yōrō codes and the further establishment of a formalized bureaucratic state. His reign is often viewed as a turning point in the establishment of enduring imperial institutions and the strengthening of the sovereign’s authority.

In historical chronicles such as the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki, Temmu is depicted as a decisive ruler whose policies advanced centralized government and administrative continuity. His legacy lies in the institutional foundations that supported the Japanese state in the subsequent Nara and Heian periods.