Nintoku

, also known as was the 16th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Due to his reputation for goodness derived from depictions in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, he is sometimes referred to as the .

While his existence is generally accepted as fact, no firm dates can be assigned to Nintoku's life or reign. He is traditionally considered to have reigned from 313 to 399, although these dates are doubted by scholars.

Known information Nintoku is regarded by historians as a ruler during the early 5th century whose existence is generally accepted as fact without attributing all of the things he allegedly accomplished. Nintoku's contemporary title would not have been tennō, as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reigns of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō. Rather, it was presumably , meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven". Alternatively, Nintoku might have been referred to as or the "Great King of Yamato". The name "Nintoku" also might have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to him, possibly during the time in which legends about the origins of the imperial dynasty were compiled as the chronicles known today as the Kojiki.

Although the Nihon Shoki states that Nintoku ruled from 313 to 399, research suggests the dates in this time period are likely inaccurate. For example, William George Aston points out Nintoku's prime minister Takenouchi no Sukune's reported birth in the ninth year of Emperor Keikō and death in the 78th year of Nintoku, which would have made him 312 years old. Outside of the Kiki, the reign of Emperor Kinmei (The 29th Emperor 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.) a king who preceded the better known Five kings of Wa.

Consorts and children According to the Nihon Shoki, he was the fourth son of Emperor Ōjin and his mother was Nakatsuhime no Mikoto (仲姫命), a great-granddaughter of Emperor Keikō. He was also the father of Emperors Richū, Hanzei, and Ingyō. His name was .

Empress (Kōgō): , poet and daughter of (first) First Son: , later Emperor Richū

Third Son: , later Emperor Hanzei Fourth Son: , later Emperor Ingyō

Empress (Kōgō): , Emperor Ōjin's daughter (second)

Consort (Hi) : , Morokata no Kimi Ushimoroi's daughter

, married to Emperor Yūryaku

Consort: , daughter of Emperor Ōjin

Consort: , daughter of

Nintoku's tomb

Daisen Kofun (the largest tomb in Japan) in Sakai, Osaka, is considered to be his final resting place. The actual site of Nintoku's grave is not known.

The Imperial tomb of Nintoku's consort, Iwa-no hime no Mikoto, is said to be located in Saki-cho, Nara City. Both kofun-type Imperial tombs are characterized by a keyhole-shaped island located within a wide, water-filled moat. Imperial tombs and mausolea are cultural properties; but they are guarded and administered by the Imperial Household Agency (IHA), which is the government department responsible for all matters relating to the Emperor and his family. According to the IHA, the tombs are more than a mere repository for historical artifacts; they are sacred religious sites. IHA construes each of the Imperial grave sites as sanctuaries for the spirits of the ancestors of the Imperial House.