Royal gender gapKorea Herald / June 21...In its long history of monarchy, China had as many as 218 emperors but only one empress. The "odd-woman-out," Zetianwuhou (625-705) of the Tang dynasty (618-907) was the first and last empress, as was Aixinjuelo Puyi of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) the last emperor.....
...... In the case of Korea, there were only three empresses, all of them of the Shilla Dynasty (57 B.C. - A.D. 935). Like their Chinese cousins, perhaps Korean males also liked their women to be in the service of, not in control of, their men.
To Chinese and Korean males, therefore, it might sound rather unusual that Japan has had as many as eight empresses, two of them reigning twice at that. For the curious about details, I would suggest that they turn to Toshio Araki's "Kanouseitoshiteno Jotei" (An Empress as a Possibility), 1999......describes how these 12 Oriental iron ladies, including one Chinese and three Korean, were able to ascend the dragon throne. During their rule, it was indeed a man's world with women in control.
China last saw its only empress in 705 and Korea its third and last in 897. Democratic republican now, neither of them would ever be nostalgic about the "ancien regime," to say the least or to put it mildly.
In contrast, Japan saw its eighth and last empress in 1770, But, 234 years after her demise, now she might cease to be the last.....
