The empress sends her regrets

Around 758 A.D., in Japan, the Empress Koken (孝謙天皇), abdicated the imperial throne to Junnin and became a Buddhist nun. Some six years later she took back the throne sending Junnin in to exile.

Much controversy surrounds her reigns, the histories abound with scandals in both her public and private life.

Once should, of course, remember histories are written by the winners and much of Japanese imperial history was written and re-written during the Meiji restoration.

During that era, Buddhism and it's associations with the imperial line were downplayed and Shinto was lauded in support of the imperial rule. Hence it may well have been politic to denigrate this lady who had very strong ( I must note that some say profane, questionable and, that term again, scandalous) Buddhists associations.

None the less, an interesting lady living in interesting times.

Mixed media; oil pastels, soft pastels and watercolor on 11 by 15 inch Canson sketch paper.