14 Emperor Tenji Emperor Koutoku (r. 645-654) passed away after ten years of rekgn. Next, Empress Saimei (r. 655-661), formerly Empress Kougyoku (r. 642-645) ascended the imperial throne. for Prince Naka no Oh-e, Emperor Koutoku was uncle, and Empress Saimei, his mother. The Prince remaind as Crown Prince throughout three two reign, and undertook the matters of governance. He was twenty when he removed the Soga Clan; he turned thirty at Empress Saimei's ascension; when the Empress passed away, he was thirty-six. He ascended the throne several years after that, when he was forty-three, and became Emperor Tenji (r. 668-671). His reign ended in three years; he passed away at forty-six. Although his reign was short, he led the activities of the court as Crown Prince for an extremely long time. There are two major accomplishments of the Prince. One was an internal matter, removing the Soga Clan and instituting the Taika Reform. The other was external: he fought against Tang Dynasty China in an attempt to save Paekche. The former has already been discussed, so let us go on to the latter. In the southen part of the Korean Peninsula, Paekche was located on the west side, and Silla on the east. Parkche was surrounded by Koguryo to the north, China to the wast, and Silla in the east. As a result Paekche was often invaded by these powers, and its only ally was Japan. Empress Jinguu crossed the Sea of Japan to save Paekche in one such emergency. This precarious situation persisted for more than two huntred years, and grew worse. Previously, it was Koguryo that threattened Paekche. Now, the enemy was Tang China, a military power a thousand times more fierce than Koruryo ever was. The Tang Dynasty unified the Chinese continent in place of Sui, and became a flourishing nation. It tried to conquer the Korean Peninsula with its mighty military force. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, Tang Dynasty China attaked only the Kingdom of Koguryo. But the succeeding Emperor Gaozong appointed Su Dingfang as general, and had him attack Paekche with an army of several hundred thousand. Simultaneously, Silla was ordered by Tang Dynasty China to attack Paekche from behind. This was the 5th year of Emperor Gaozong's reign (660) in China, and the 6th year of the reign of Empress Saimei in Japan. Paekche fell without resistance. Its King, crown Prince, royal family, and ministers were all arrested and sent to the capital of China. Tang reorganized the land and the population of Paekche, and installed five governors who ruled Paekche's 37 province, 250 prefecture, 240,000 households, and population of 6.2 million. The patriots of Paekche gathered under the leadership of Kwisil Poksin, and planned to revive the nation. First they wanted to retrieve Prince Phungchyang who was in Japan, to institute him as King. Then by obtaining Japan's assistance, they hoped to repel the Chinese. The request was sent to Japan. The court promptly accepted the request. The imperrial decree said: "The Land of Paekche, in its extremity, has come to us and placed itself in our hands . . . We learn that in ancient times there have been cases of troops being asked for and assistance requested: to render help in emergencies, and to resore that which has been interrupted, is a mainfestation of ordinary principles of right." At the end of that year, Empress Saimei moved to Naniwa Palace (Ohsaka), and started preparation for the forthcoming war. She ordered the Province of Suruga (Shizuoka Prefectue) to construct the ships. Next spring, she went to Kyuushuu by ship, and from Asakura Palace (Fukuoka Prefecture) supervised the campaign. However, she passed away in early autumn due to illness. The Crown Prince Naka no Oh-e took over the leadership. He returned Prince Phungchyang to Paekche after conferring a high rank upon him. To guard the returning Prince's ship, Prince Naka no Oh-e sent five thousand men, divided among 170 ships. In the first month of the subsequent year, relief materials were sent to Parkche from Japan: 100,000 arrows, 500-kin (300 kilograms) of thread, 1000-kin (600 kilograms) of cotton, 1000 pieces of cloth, 1000 pieces of tanne leather, 3000-koku (15,000 bushels) of rice seeds, etc. Unfortunately distrust existed in the hierarchy of Paekche people, and the main leader Kwisil Poksin was murdered. Due to this disturbance, in the second year of the reign of Enperor Tenji (663), Japan lost the naval battle of Paekch'on-gang and evacuated from the Peninsula. Paekche thus fell and vanished. Those who did not wish to be subjugated by Tang Dynasty China emigrated to Japan, and they were received warmly. According to Chronicles of Japan (Nihon Shoki), in the 4th year of the reign of Emperor Tenji (665) more than 400 Paekche immigrants were placed in Oumi Province (Shiga Prefecture); in the next year more than 2000 settled in the Eastern Provinces; and in the 8th year (669) over 700 men and women came to Oumi Pronince (Shiga Prefecture).

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