历史与传说

根据记载，绥靖天皇为神武天皇与在大和国之妻——媛蹈鞁五十铃媛命所生之次子。在此之前，神武天皇与其在日向国之妻吾平津媛已生有一子（《古事记》则说生有两子），名为手研耳命（《古事记》作当艺志美美命），并随其东征而来。神武死后，手研耳命娶其后母，也就是神渟名川耳的母亲媛蹈鞁五十铃媛命为妻，并意图透过此婚姻取得皇位。

弑兄夺位

为了确保获得皇位，手研耳命打算杀掉两位皇子。于是皇后媛蹈鞁五十铃媛命作歌曰：「狭井河上云涌扩散，亩傍山中木叶剧响，是于此时劲风将吹！亩傍山周乌云昼浮，至于夕时劲风将起，木叶是以沙沙作响！」提醒两位皇子躲过危险。

为了保命，绥靖天皇与其同母兄神八井耳命打算先下手强。他们先找人做好弓箭，然后利用手研耳命在独自躺在地窖大床上时两人进行暗杀计画；绥靖天皇推开地窖大门，神八井耳命拿举弓瞄准。可是神八井耳命却手脚颤抖，迟迟不敢射箭。绥靖天皇见其不妙，连忙撞开其兄，将弓箭一把夺过，随之连发两箭，分别击中手研耳命胸前胸后，使其当场死亡。

这时神八井耳命为其不敢射箭感到惭愧，便将皇位让给绥靖天皇，专心侍奉神明。

绥靖天皇登基后并无留下治理纪录，只知其在位第二年春立母亲之妹五十铃依媛为皇后，并生有一子（安宁天皇），在位第四年其兄八井耳命去世。在位第25年立皇太子，在位第33年驾崩，享寿84岁。

其他逸事

另外有传说（记载在）说绥靖天皇每日要食七个人。由于担心天皇寿命过长，会把全部的人吃光，人们便骗说天将下火雨，而把天皇关入石洞中。关于此事，并未见诸于史籍上。

现代研究与怀疑

系图

参考

• 《古事记》——卷之二 第九章 大和朝廷成立

• 《日本书纪》——卷第四　绥靖天皇　安宁天皇　懿德天皇　孝昭天皇

分类:存在与否有争议的人物

Legendary narrative

While the Kojiki provides little information about Suizei, it does state his name, genealogy, and a record about his accession to the throne. He was born sometime in 632 BC, and was one of the sons of Emperor Jimmu and his chief wife Himetataraisuzu-hime. The account in the Kojiki states that Suizei's older brother Kamuyaimimi was originally the Crown-prince. When Jimmu died, another of his sons named Tagishimimi attempted to seize the throne by murdering those in his way. Tagishimimi was given birth to by a lesser wife named Ahiratsu-hime, and was older than Jimmu's legitimate heir. When Himetataraisuzu-hime learned of the plot she tried in vain to warn her sons by way of songs and poems. While Suizei encouraged Kamuyaimimi to slay Tagishimimi, he could not find it in him to murder his own half brother. Suizei pleaded with his older brother for the weapon he was going to use, and upon receiving it accomplished the deed for him. Kamuyawimimi ceded his rights as crown prince shortly after to Suizei as he believed his braver younger brother should be the new Emperor.

Emperor Suizei's pre-ascension name remains unknown, but the Kojiki records that he ruled from the palace of at Katsuragi in what would come to be known as Yamato Province. While another more expansive account exists in the Nihon Shoki, the section is more steeped in myth. Suizei is conventionally considered to have reigned from 581 to 549 BC. He wed at an unknown date, and the two had one son. Emperor Suizei allegedly died in 549 BC and his gravesite is formally named Tsukida no oka no e no misasagi. He was succeeded by his only son, Prince Shikitsuhikotamatemi who became Emperor Annei.

Known information

The existence of at least the first nine Emperors is disputed due to insufficient material available for further verification and study. Suizei is thus regarded by historians as a "legendary Emperor", and is ranked as the first of eight Emperors without specific legends associated with them. The name Suizei-tennō was assigned to him posthumously by later generations, and literally means "joyfully healthy peace". His name might have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to Suizei, possibly during the time in which legends about the origins of the Yamato dynasty were compiled as the chronicles known today as the Kojiki. While the actual site of his grave is not known, an Imperial misasagi or tomb for Suizei is currently maintained in Kashihara. The first emperor that historians state might have actually existed is Emperor Sujin, the 10th emperor of Japan. Outside of the Kojiki, the reign of Emperor Kinmei ( – 571 AD) is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates. The conventionally accepted names and dates of the early Emperors were not confirmed as "traditional" though, until the reign of Emperor Kanmu between 737 and 806 AD.

Consorts and children

• Empress: , Kotoshironushi's daughter

　• , later Emperor Annei