was a member of the royal family in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 during the Asuka Period

Asuka period

The , was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 , although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period...

. He was the eldest son of Emperor Tenmu. He fought on the side of his father in the Jinshin War

Jinshin War

The was a succession dispute in Japan which broke out in 672 following the death of Emperor Tenji. The name refers to the jinshin or ninth year of the sixty-year Jikkan Jūnishi calendrical cycle, corresponding to the Western year 673....

 (672), a battle of succession, which resulted in his father becoming Emperor

Emperor of Japan

The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...

. At the age of 19, he was dispatched by his father to the battle front in what is now Fuwa District

Fuwa District, Gifu

is a district located in Gifu, Japan.As of July 2011, the district has an estimated population of 36,426. The total area is 106.43 km²....

, Mino Province

Mino Province

, one of the old provinces of Japan, encompassed part of modern-day Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mino Province bordered Echizen, Hida, Ise, Mikawa, Ōmi, Owari, and Shinano Provinces....

 (now the southern part of Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

) as vanguard and general commander. In 679, while in Yoshino

Yoshino

Yoshino may refer to:* Somei Yoshino, a flowering cherry tree Prunus × yedoensis* Japanese cruiser Yoshino- Places :* Yoshino, Nara, a town located in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan...

 with his father, he swore to an oath of cooperation with his siblings. When Empress Jitō

Empress Jito

was the 41st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Jitō's reign spanned the years from 686 through 697.In the history of Japan, Jitō was the third of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The two female monarchs before Jitō were Suiko and Kōgyoku/Saimei...

 ascended to the throne in 686 he became the Daijō Daijin and handled government affairs. He died suddenly in 696, thought by some to be an assassination.

He loved Princess Tōchi

Princess Tochi

was a Japanese princess during the Asuka period of Japanese history. She was a daughter of Emperor Temmu and the Empress-consort of Emperor Kōbun.-Genealogy:...

 (his elder half-sister, Prince Ōtomo

Emperor Kobun

was the 39th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Kōbun's reign lasted only a few months in 671–672.-Traditional narrative:...

's wife). He left only three Waka

Waka (poetry)

Waka or Yamato uta is a genre of classical Japanese verse and one of the major genres of Japanese literature...

 during his whole life, but they were all poetry offered to her.

Children

He had two sons by Princess Minabe (a daughter of Emperor Tenji

Emperor Tenji

, also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Tenji's reign spanned the years from 661 through 671.-Traditional narrative:...

, Empress Gemmei

Empress Gemmei

, also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Gemmei's reign spanned the years 707 through 715....

's sister), Prince Nagaya

Nagaya

Nagaya was a politician of the Nara period and an imperial prince of Japan, a son of Prince Takechi ....

and Prince Suzuka