Empress Jingū(神功皇后)

Empress Jingū (神功皇后, Jingū-kōgō) was a legendary Japanese empress who served as regent following her husband's death in 200 AD. Both the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki chronicles document events during her purported lifetime. According to legend, after avenging her husband's murder, she set her sights on a "promised land," making her a controversial figure among historians for her alleged Korean Peninsula invasion—a narrative possibly exploited to justify imperial expansion during the Meiji era. Records claim that Jingū gave birth to a son named Homutawake three years after conception by her deceased husband.

Traditionally, Jingū's reign is dated from 201 to 269 AD, and until the Meiji period, she was considered Japan's 15th imperial ruler. Modern historians believe "Jingū" was a name applied retrospectively by later generations to this legendary empress, and some suggest she may have ruled later than recorded. While her grave's location remains unknown, she is traditionally venerated at both a kofun tomb and a shrine. Contemporary scholars accept that Empress Jingū ruled as regent until her death, when her son became Emperor Ōjin. She is recognized as the final de facto ruler of the Yayoi period.