Emperor Kōgen
| Kōgen | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Japan | |
 |
|
| Reign | 214 BC – 158 BC (traditional) |
| Predecessor | Kōrei |
| Successor | Kaika |
| Born | 273 BC |
| Died | 158 BC (aged 115) |
| Burial | Tsurugi no ike no shima no e no misasagi (Nara) |
Emperor Kōgen (孝元天皇 Kōgen-tennō?), also known as Ooyamatonekohikokunikuru no Mikoto, was the eighth emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 214 BC to 158 BC.
Modern scholars have come to question the existence of at least the first nine emperors; Kōgen's descendant, Emperor Sujin is the first that many agree might have actually existed. The name Kōgen-tennō was assigned to him posthumously by later generations.
Kōgen is regarded by historians as a "legendary emperor". There is insufficient material available for further verification and study. The reign of Emperor Kinmei (c. 509 – 571 AD), the 29th emperor, is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates; However, the conventionally accepted names and dates of the early emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of Emperor Kanmu (737–806), the 50th sovereign of the Yamato dynasty.
In the Kojiki and Nihonshoki only his name and genealogy were recorded. The Japanese have traditionally accepted this sovereign's historical existence, and an Imperial misasagi or tomb for Kōgen is currently maintained; however, no extant contemporary records have been discovered that confirm a view that this historical figure actually reigned. He is considered to have been the seventh of eight emperors without specific legends associated with them, also known as the "eight undocumented monarchs" (欠史八代, Kesshi-hachidai?).
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