Empress Kōgyoku (reigned 642 – 645 CE, reigned again as Saimei, 655 – 661 CE)
Kōgyoku wasn’t in the political arena before she became Empress; she was better known as a shaman and able to speak to deities Empress Kōgyoku took the throne when her husband, Emperor Jomei, died without a named heir. Her first reign is marked by clan warfare and political strife. That conflict led her to abdicate the throne in 645 in favor of her younger brother.
When her brother died, also without an heir, Kōgyoku assumed the name Saimei and for another six years. While she was more of a figurehead during her second reign, her position secured the throne for her son Prince Naka.
