Kusakabe

Prince Kusakabe (草壁皇子, Kusakabe no miko: 662-689) was a Japanese imperial crown prince from 681 until his death. He was the second son of the Emperor Temmu. His mother was the empress Unonosarara, today known as the Empress Jito.

He was the sole child of his mother. According to Nihonshoki, in 681 he was appointed the crown prince. In the summer of 686 his father the Emperor Temmu fell ill and gave the imperial authority to his wife Jito and the crown prince Kusakabe. After the death of his father, he didn't ascend the throne suddenly. He led the funeral ceremony and the construction of Temmu's tomb but before the coronation, died in 689 at the age of 28.

The location of his tomb is uncertain. Some suppose it to be in Takatori, Nara.

He married his paternal cousin and maternal aunt, Princess Ahe, the daughter of the Emperor Emperor Tenji of Japan. The had at least three children, Prince Karu, Princess Hidaka and Princess Kibi. After his death, his mother Jito ascended to the throne. Later, Karu and Hidaka reigned as the Emperor Mommu and the Empress Gensho.