Prince Hozumi


Prince Hozumi was a Japanese prince, the fifth son of Emperor Tenmu, who lived from the Asuka to Nara periods. He was the first child of the emperor and Soga no Ōnu-no-iratsume, who later had two daughters together as well. After the death of his half-sister Princess Tajima in 708, with whom he had had a, he married the poet Ōtomo no Sakanoe no Iratsume. Four of his poems are included in the Man'yōshū, including a lament written after the death of the Princess. He had two sons.
Much of his early life is unknown. In 703 he was responsible for organising the funeral of Empress Jitō. He became Prime Minister in 705, taking over after the death of his half-brother Prince Osakabe. It has been speculated based on the Man'yōshū that he was banished to a mountain temple, Sūfukuji, in Ōmi, where he became a monk after the discovery of his affair with Princess Tajima, who was married to his older half-brother Prince Takechi.