, also known as , was empress-consort of Emperor Sushun

Emperor Sushun

was the 32nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Sushun's reign spanned the years from 587 through 592.-Traditional narrative:...

, the 32nd Emperor of Japan

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...

 who reigned from 587 to 592.

Koteko was the mother of Sushun's only recorded son, Prince Hachiko

Prince Hachiko

, was the eldest son of Emperor Sushun, the 32nd Emperor of Japan who reigned from 587 to 592. His mother was Ōtomo no Koteko, Sushun's empress-consort....

 and his only daughter.

According to the Nihongi, Koteko participated indirectly in her husband's assassination.

"The Imperial concubine Ohotomo no Koteko, incensed at her declining favour, sent a man to Soga no Mumako no Sukune with a message, saying:— "Recently a wild boar was presented to the Emperor. He pointed to it and said :—'When shall the man We think of be cut off as this wild boar's throat has been cut?' Besides weapons are being made in abundance in the Palace." Now Mumako no Sukune, hearing this, was alarmed."

The details of this historical narrative are incoherent without more specific information. Historians tend to question or to discredit this alleged incident in the traditional narrative because it seems incongruent with what else is known about the Imperial Court in the year of Sushun's death.