Japan: Emperor Kanmu was the 50th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of...

Emperor Kanmu (Kanmu-tenno, 737-806) was the 50th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806. Kanmu's personal name was Yamabe. He was the eldest son of Prince Shirakabe (later known as Emperor Konin), and was born prior to Shirakabe's ascension to the throne. According to the Shoku Nihongi , Yamabe's mother, Yamato no Niigasa (later called Takano no Niigasa), was a 10th generation descendant of Muryeong of Baekje. Kanmu had 16 empresses and consorts, and 32 imperial sons and daughters. Among them, three sons would eventually ascend to the imperial throne: Emperor Heizei, Emperor Saga and Emperor Junna. Some of his descendants (known as the Kanmu Taira or Kanmu Heishi) took the Taira hereditary clan title, and in later generations became prominent warriors. Examples include Taira no Masakado, Taira no Kiyomori, and (with a further surname expansion) the Hojo clan. The waka poet Ariwara no Narihira was one of his grandsons. Kanmu is traditionally venerated at his tomb; the Imperial Household Agency designates Kashiwabara no Misasagi (柏原陵, Kashiwabara Imperial Mausoleum), in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, as the location of Kanmu's mausoleum.