Taki no himemiko (Princess Taki) (託基皇女)
Taki no himemiko (before 686? - March 1, 751) was a member of the imperial Family who lived from the Asuka peirod to the Nara period. Her father was the Emperor Tenmu, and her mother was Kajihime no iratsume, who was a daughter of SHISHIUDOOMI no Omaro. She was a saigu (the ancient imperial princesses serving at the Ise-jingu Shrine). 託基皇女 is also written as 多紀/当耆皇女, or 多紀/当耆内親王 after the enforcement of the Taiho Ritsuryo (Taiho Code). She became the lawful wife of the Prince Shiki, and gave birth to the Prince Kasuga.
On May 27, 686, she was sent to the Ise-jingu Shrine with Onuno iratsume to pray for the recovery of the emperor, who was her father. On October 22, 698, she was designated an Ise Saigu (an unmarried princess serving at the Ise-jingu Shrine) by fortune telling and left the capital to Ise. The saio system had been discontinued after Oku no himemiko resigned in 686, and it was the designation by fortune telling for the first time in 12 years.
In March 701, Izumi no himemiko was suddenly designated a new saio by fortune telling, on which occasion Taki no himemiko resgined. On January 18, 707, she was sent to the Ise-jingu Shrine for the second time. It is likely that she married the Prince Shiki after she resigned from saigu.
After the Prince Shiki, who was her husband, died in 716, she was promoted to the rank of Sanbon on March 23, 737, and to the rank of Ippon on May 8, 749.
Among those imperial princesses, she and the Empress Gensho were the only ones who were promoted to the rank of Ippon over the Nara period (No imperial princesses were promoted to the rank of Ippon thereafter, until the Imperial Princess Gishi was conferred the rank in 877.)
It is said that she was granted the rank as a token of special respect to her, who was the only living child of the Emperor Tenmu at the time.
After Osakabe no miko (the Prince Osakabe), who was her older brother, died on May 12, 705, and Hatsusebe no himemiko, who was her older sister, died on April 22, 741, she died on March 1, 751, as the child who lived the longest among the children of the Emperor Tenmu.