Empress Genshō (元正天皇) (680–April 21, 748) was the 44th imperial ruler of Japan. Her given name was Princess Hidaka (氷高皇女). She was an elder sister of Mommu and daughter of Prince Kusakabe and his wife and later Empress Gemmei, therefore a granddauther of Temmu and Jito by her father and a granddaughter of Tenji by her mother. She reigned from 715 to 724.

Her succession was mainly for the purpose to hold the throne until Prince Obito, the son of her younger and died brother Mommu, later Emperor Shomu, would be mature enough ascend to the throne. Obito was appointed to the crown prince in 714 by Empress Gemmei. In the next year, 715, Emperor Gemmei at her fifties abdicated in favor of her daughter Gemmei because of ageness and youngness of Obito who was then 14 years old. And Obito remained as the crown prince of the new empress. As same as Gemmei's court, Fujiwara no Fuhito was the most powerful courtier at her court until 720, his death year. After his death, Prince Nagaya , a grandson of Emperor Temmu and her cousin, seized the power. This power shift was a background of later conflicts between Prince Nagaya and Fuhito's four sons in the reign of Shomu.

Under her reign, the edition of Nihonshoki, the first Japanese history book was finished in 720. Organisation of law system was being continued under the initiatives of Fuhito until his death. Later those law and codes were edited and consumed by Fujiwara no Nakamaro , a grandson of Fuhito, and published as Yoro ritsuryo dated in 718 under the name of Fuhito. Taxation system which had been introduced by Empress Jito in the late of the 7th century, began to malfunction in those days. For compensation of decrease of tax revenue, under the initiative of Prince Nagaya, "Act of possession in three generations" was edicted in 723. Under this act, people were allowed to posess the field they cultivated newly in three generations in maximum. In the forth generation, the right of posession would disappear and the field belong to the national goverment. This act was under the purpose to motivate new cultivation, but its effect continued about 20 years.

In 724 she abdicated in favor of Shomu.

She didn't marry during her life and left no child.