Emperor Shōmu (聖武天皇 Shōmu Tennō) (701 - May 2, 756^{[citation needed]}) was the 45th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He was the son of Emperor Mommu and Fujiwara no Miyako, a daughter of Fujiwara no Fuhito. Shōmu's aunt and predecessor, Empress Genshō, gave him the throne when she abdicated in 724. In, 749, Shōmu himself abdicated in favor of his daughter, Empress Kōken, but continued to control the government. Events September 30 - John VI succeeds Sergius I as Pope. ... His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Akihito. ... Emperor Mommu (文武天皇 Mommu Tennō) (683-707) was the 42nd imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. ... Fujiwara no Fuhito (藤原不比等: 659–720) was a powerful member of the imperial court of Japan during the Asuka and Nara periods. ... Empress Genshō (元正天皇 Genshō Tennō) (680 – April 21, 748) was the 44th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. ... Events End of the reign of Empress Gensho of Japan Emperor Shomu succeeds to the throne of Japan. ... Events June - Aistulf succeeds his brother Ratchis as king of the Lombards End of the reign of Emperor Shomu of Japan Empress Koken ascends to the throne of Japan Abu al-Abbas as-Saffah becomes caliph Births Deaths Saint John of Damascus (or Damascene), theologian Ratchis, king of the Lombards... Empress Kōken (孝謙天皇 Kōken Tennō) also Empress Shōtoku (称徳天皇 Shōtoku Tennō) (718 – August 4, 7701) was both the 46th and 48th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. ...

Shōmu is mainly remembered for commissioning the sixteen-meter high statue of the Vairocana Buddha in the Tōdaiji Temple of Nara. At the time, this was such a massive undertaking that later chroniclers accuse him of having completely exhausted the country's reserves of bronze and precious metals. The former emperor personally painted in the statue's eyes at the opening ceremony in 752 and declared himself a servant of the three treasures: the Buddha, Buddhist teachings and the Buddhist community, making this the closest anyone ever came to declaring Japan a Buddhist nation. He likewise established the system of provincial temples. Categories: Stub | Buddhist philosophical concepts ... Main hall of Tōdaiji Tōdai-ji (東大寺), the Eastern Great Temple, is a Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan. ... , Nara ) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan, near Kyoto. ... Assorted ancient bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... A gold nugget A precious metal is a rare metallic chemical element of high economic value. ... Events Pope Stephen II, pope for 3 days in March. ... The Triratna or Three Jewels symbol, on a Buddha footprint. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... Dharma (Sanskrit धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli) means Natural Law or Reality, and with respect to its significance for spirituality and religion might be considered the Way of the Higher Truths. ... It has been suggested that bhikkhu be merged into this article or section. ... Emperor Shōmu established provincial temples (国分寺: kokubunji for monks; 国分尼寺:kokubun niji for nuns)in each province of Japan. ...

Shōmu is also known as the first emperor whose consort was not born into the imperial household. His consort Kōmyō was a Fujiwara woman. The two had a son who died in childhood. Fujiwara (藤原) can refer to: The Fujiwara clan and its members Kamatari Fujiwara Keiji Fujiwara Fujiwara-no-Sai, character of Hikaru no Go Takumi Tak Fujiwara, character of Initial D Zakuro Fujiwara, character of Tokyo Mew Mew (Known as Renee Roberts in the Mew Mew Power English anime) This...

Notes

1. Japanese dates correspond to the traditional lunisolar calendar used in Japan until 1873. May 2, 756 of the Japanese calendar corresponds to June 4, 756 of the Julian calendar.

A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... Events Abd-ar-rahman I conquers Iberia and establishes a new Umayyad dynasty. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and took force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ...

External links

• Vairocana Buddha at the temple of Todaiji