The actual existence of Emperor Seinei is debated among historians due to a lack of available information. There is no evidence to suggest that the title
tennō (meaning "emperor") was used during the time to which Seinei's reign has been assigned. Instead, his title could have possibly been , meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven", or "Great King of Yamato". The name Seinei
-tennō was more than likely assigned to him
posthumously by later generations. His name might have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to Seinei, possibly during the time in which legends about the origins of the imperial dynasty were compiled as the chronicles known today as the
Kojiki. Outside of the
Kiki, the reign of
Emperor Kinmei ( – 571 AD) is the first for which contemporary historiography has been able to assign verifiable dates. 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. While the actual site of Seinei's
grave is not known, this regent is traditionally venerated at a
kofun-type Imperial tomb in
Habikino,
Osaka. The
Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Seinei's
mausoleum and is formally named . Seinei is also enshrined at the
Tokyo Imperial Palace in the
Three Palace Sanctuaries. ==See also==