崇峻

Sushun (519?-592) was the 32nd Emperor of Japan, at least according to the official chronology, reigning from 587 to 592, before being assassinated and was succeeded by his half-sister, Empress Suiko.

Sushun was was the half-brother of Emperor Yômei, whom he succeeded. Yômei had been a big supporter of Buddhism, and when he died suddenly in 587, a power struggle arose between the Mononobe clan, which wished to restore the Shintô to preeminence in the Imperial court, and the Soga clan, who favored Buddhism. When Yômei died, the head of the Mononobe, Lord Mononobe no Moriya, banded together with Yômei's full brother Prince Anahobe in an attempt to have Anahobe become the next emperor and ensure that Shintô would remain the state religion. However, their armed insurrection was thwarted by the Soga under Soga no Umako, who had Sushun enthroned instead.

However, all did not go according to plan. It turned out that Sushun, rather than showing gratitude, chafed under Soga dominance and was actually not so big a fan of Buddhism either. The final straw came when he was on a boar hunt and was overheard to say "I wish I could kill Soga no Umako just like I kill this wild boar." When word of this got back to Soga no Umako, he promptly had Sushun assassinated, and passing over several possible male heirs, had Sushun's half sister Suiko installed as Empress, hoping that a woman would prove more docile and amenable to his continued dominanation over the Court.

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