Emperor Kinmei's father was Emperor Keitai and his mother was Emperor Ninken's daughter, Princess Tashiraka (手白香皇女, Tashiraka Ōjo). He was the third son; and his older brother was Emperor Senka.
Kinmei had six wives and 25 Imperial children (16 sons and 9 daughters).
Events of Kinmei's life
539: Emperor Senka died from old age in 539, and the succession was received by his younger brother, who would become known as Emperor Kinmei.
540: Kinmei accepted his role as monarch (sokui). This was confirmed in ceremonies.
572: In the 32nd year of Kinmei's reign, he died; and his second son became his successor.
Kinmei established his court at Shikishima no Kanazashi (磯城嶋金刺宮) in Yamato.
Kinmei's reign was marked by the introduction of Buddhism in Japan. The King of Kudara in Korea sent the emperor gifts of Buddhist scripture and a statue of the Buddha.
In this reign, the emperor's chief ministers were:
Soga no Iname, also known as Soga no Iname no Sukune. The Soga clan were supporters of Buddhism.
↑Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, pp. 34-36; Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, pp. 261-262; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki. pp. 123-124; Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric et al. (2002). "Traditional order of Tennō" in Japan encyclopedia, pp. 962-963.
