Yamatai Honshu Theory

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The Island of Honshu Japan honshu map.svg
The Island of Honshu
Japan with the Kinai region highlighted 5 Provinces of Japan Kinai.svg
Japan with the Kinai region highlighted

The Yamatai Honshu Theory is the theory that the Yamatai kingdom was located in Honshu, specifically Kinai, where the capital was located in the Kofun period rather than in Kyushu as the Yamatai Kyushu Theory proposes. [1]

Contents

According to this theory, the Yamatai was essentially continuous with the Yamato Kingship, with its capital in roughly the same region, and the Yamatai transformed into the Yamato Kingship when the Kofun period began [2]

Overview

Arai Shiraishi, in his "Koshitong or Inquires," proposed the theory of Yamato Province. Later, however, in "Gaikoku no Jijo Chosho" (Foreign Affairs Chronicle), he proposed the theory of Yamato-gun in Chikugo Province. Since then, from the Edo period to the present, the mainstream of the academic world has been largely divided between the " Honshu theory " (Naito Konan et al.) and the "Kyushu Theory" (Shiratori Kokichi et al.). The Kyushu theory, however, is divided into two distinct theories: one that says the Yamataikoku "moved" (the "eastward shift" theory) and one that says it "did not move at all. The "eastward shift" theory holds that the Yamataikoku moved to the Kinai region and became the Yamato Kingdom.[ citation needed ]

Masao Kume proposes the Two dynasties parallel theory (二王朝並立論) and states that the Queen Country (女王国) of More than 2,000 miles from the county to the Kingdom of Women (自郡至女王国萬二千餘里) is different from the Yamatai Kingdom (邪馬台国) of Thirty days by sea (海路三十日)20 days of water travel from South to Touma (南至投馬国水行二十日) and Ten days of water travel from the south to the land of Yamatai (南至邪馬台国水行十日) and the female kingdom in Tsukushi is in Kinai through the "Civil War of Wa (倭国大乱)". It is assumed that the new royal capital, which was the capital of Japan, is Yamatai [3]

In the 1960s, it was thought that artifacts from the period of the Yamataikoku were abundant in Kyushu while those from the Kinai region were scarce in the Kinai region. The National Institute for Radiocarbon Dating and Dendrochronology has presented a chronology based on radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology that compares the tombs of Himiko and the Yamato imperial court to those of Yamatai and Himiko, and that the establishment of the Yamato Imperial Court dates back to that time. Some have suggested that radiocarbon dating of pottery from the Kinai region by the National Institute of Japanese Archaeology and Dating suggests that the establishment of the early state in the Yamato region of the Kinai region dates back to the same period as the Yamataikoku. [4] [5] [6] [lower-alpha 1] 。. According to this Kinai theory, there was at least one power in 3rd century Japan that was able to secure transportation routes from Yamato to the continent, and it can be said that a power with great influence over the entire western Japan centering on Yamato, namely the "Yamato Kingdom," was already established at this time.[ citation needed ]

Makimuku ruins

The Makimuku ruins site is considered by some researchers to be the best candidate for the center of the Yamatai, and may be the site that proves the Yamatai Honshu Theory . In 2011, a part of another large building was found about 5 meters to the east of the large building ruins, and the building ruins may have been built in the late 3rd century or later. [7]

Hashihaka Kofun

Hashihaka Kofun Hashihaka kohun aerial.jpg
Hashihaka Kofun

The Hashihaka kofun ( 箸墓古墳 はしはかこふん) is a megalithic tomb ( kofun ) located in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Hashihaka kofun is considered to be the first large keyhole-shaped kofun constructed in Japan and is associated with the emergence of the Yamato Kingship. [8] It is sometimes considered the birthplace of the Kofun system of tombs which is highly linked to the emergence of a state level society. [9] [lower-alpha 2]

See also

Annotations

  1. This is because, in principle, dendrochronology can only determine the upper limit of the age of a monument, the number of experts is small, and the standard dendrochronological curve in Japan was created by a single research group, which does not even publish accurate data and does not allow for follow-up verification. It has also been pointed out that radiocarbon dating does not allow for follow-up verification because taking measurement data can damage artifacts and requires equipment.
  2. Satoshi Ohira argues that although Tsuide's theory is supported insofar as it explains the establishment of the political system represented by the anterior-posterior mound and its continuous development, he does not necessarily agree with the theory that the difference in size indicates a relationship of domination and subordination between the chiefs throughout the country. The fact that they had to share the same tomb type, even though they were superior in size, should be taken into consideration, and should be regarded as a coalition or alliance rather than a domination relationship. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kofun period</span> Period of Japanese history from 300 to 538

The Kofun period is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD, following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is the earliest era of recorded history in Japan, but studies depend heavily on archaeology since the chronology of historical sources tends to be distorted. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mound dating from this era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himiko</span> 3rd century Queen of Yamataikoku

Himiko, also known as Shingi Waō, was a shamaness-queen of Yamatai-koku in Wakoku (倭国). Early Chinese dynastic histories chronicle tributary relations between Queen Himiko and the Cao Wei Kingdom (220–265) and record that the Yayoi period people chose her as ruler following decades of warfare among the kings of Wa. Early Japanese histories do not mention Himiko, but historians associate her with legendary figures such as Empress Consort Jingū, who is said to have served as regent from 201 to 269.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayato people</span> Ancient ethnic group in southern Kyushu

The Hayato (隼人), which is Japanese for "falcon-people", were a people of ancient Japan who lived in the Satsuma and Ōsumi regions of southern Kyushu during the Nara period. They frequently resisted Yamato rule. After their subjugation they became subjects of the government under Ritsuryō, and the Ministry of the Military had an office known as the Hayato-shi (隼人司) in charge of their governance. The name also came into use by samurai as a title, Hayato no suke (隼人助). In modern times, Hayato is a Japanese male given name.

Yamatai or Yamatai-koku(邪馬台国)(c. 1st century –c. 3rd century) is the Sino-Japanese name of an ancient country in Wa (Japan) during the late Yayoi period (c. 1,000 BCE –c. 300 CE). The Chinese text Records of the Three Kingdoms first recorded the name as (邪馬臺) or followed by the character 國 for "country", describing the place as the domain of Priest-Queen Himiko (卑弥呼). Generations of Japanese historians, linguists, and archeologists have debated where Yamatai was located and whether it was related to the later Yamato (大和国).

<i>Kofun</i> Megalithic tombs in Northeast Asia

Kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. Kofun were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmu's Eastern Expedition</span> Mythical war

Jimmu's Eastern Expedition (神武東征) refers to a series of stories in which Emperor Jimmu became emperor of Japan for the first time after defeating Nagasunehiko, who had ruled the Nara Basin and its surrounding area, after leaving Hyuga Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamato Kingship</span> Historical Japanese state

The Yamato Kingship was a tribal alliance centered on the Yamato region from the 4th century to the 7th century, and ruled over the alliance of noble families in the central and western parts of the Japanese archipelago. The age is from the 4th to the 7th century, later than the Yamatai Kingdom. After the Taika Reform, the ōkimi as an emperor, at that time, was in power, and the Yamato period ended. The time period is archaeologically known as the Kofun period. Regarding its establishment, due to the relationship between Yamatai and Yamato's succession to the king's power, there are very different views on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hashihaka Kofun</span> Megalithic tomb in Japan

The Hashihaka kofun is a megalithic tomb (kofun) located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Hashihaka kofun is considered to be the first large keyhole-shaped kofun constructed in Japan and is associated with the emergence of the Yamato Kingship.

The Kofun system is a social order seen in the construction of stylized Kofuns that appeared in the early Kofun period of Japan. It is believed to represent a new level of social complexity and the advent of the Yamato Kingship

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makimuku ruins</span> Ruins in Japan

The Makimuku ruins are ruins in Nara Prefecture Sakurai near Mount Miwa of the Yayoi Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamatai Kyushu Theory</span> Theory that the Yamatai kingdom was located in Kyushu

The Yamatai Kyushu Theory is the theory that the Yamatai kingdom was located in Kyushu rather than in Honshu as the Yamatai Honshu Theory proposes.

<i>Wajinden</i> Section in the Book of Wei in the Records of the Three Kingdoms

The Wajinden refers to the passages in the 30th volume of the Chinese history chronicle Records of the Three Kingdoms that talk about the Wa people who would later be known as the Japanese people. It describes the mores, geography, and other aspects of the Wa, the people and inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago at the time. The Records of the Three Kingdoms was written by Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty at the end of the 3rd century.

Dynasty replacement theory indicates several theories that postulate, in general, that there was an interruption of the imperial lineage during the Kofun period in Japan and that there were multiple dynasties that succeeded each other.

Wakoku is the name used by early imperial China and its neighbouring states to refer to the nation usually identified as Japan. There are various theories regarding the extent of power of the early kings of Japan. According to the Book of Sui and the History of the Northern Dynasties, its borders were five months from east to west and three months from north to south. The Wajin appear in historical documents such as the Book of Han and the Geographical Survey of Japan from around the 2nd century BC. In the late 7th century, the Yamato kingdom, which had been called Yamato, changed its external name to Japan, but its relation to Japan since Book of the Later Han is not clear. There are discrepancies in the descriptions of the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang.

Takehiko Furuta ) was a Japanese, history of ideas scholar, ancient history fabricator, conspiracy theorist. Former professor at Showa Pharmaceutical University. He specializes in Shinran and other medieval Japanese philosophical history and conspiracy theory. He has proposed the highly controversial Kyushu dynasty theory, to little academic acclaim.

Kununokuni (狗奴国)(Kunu no kuni/kunukoku、Kuna no Kuni/Kunakoku、Konanokuni / Konakoku) was a Japanese country that was in conflict with Yamatai, which is mentioned in the "Wajinden" in the "Book of Wei" in the Chinese history book "Records of the Three Kingdoms" of the Three Kingdoms period.

Himikoko/Himikuko was a male king of Gunoku, recorded in the Wajinden, a 3rd century figure from Wakoku in the 3rd century. Naitō Torajirō proposed the theory that he was Himikoso.

Ito-koku (伊都国) is one of the countries in Wa-koku, which appears in Chinese historical books such as Wajinden. It is said to be located 500 ri southeast of Matsurokoku, in the Yamato era, in the Prefecture of Ito, now Fukuoka Prefecture Itoshima City and part of Fukuoka City.

Shujukoku is a country of dwarves thought to be located south of Yamataikoku, which appears in Ancient China's Book of the Later Han and Records of the Three Kingdoms. In Wei Zhi. It is mentioned together with Black tooth country and Naked country.

Fumikoku (不弥国) is one of the countries that existed in the Japanese archipelago in the 3rd century.

References

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  2. "Yamatai | ancient kingdom, Japan | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  3. (Masao Kume, "New Yamataikoku Theory: The Queen's Onimichi and the War of Conquest," Rekishi ni okeru Seiji to Minzoku (Politics and the People in History), 1986; "The Seal of the Emperor of Japan Wei and Its Historical Background," Studies in the History of Japanese Seals, Yusankaku, 2004).
  4. 石野, 博信 (2008). 邪馬台国の候補地・纒向遺跡. Shinsensha. ISBN   978-4-7877-0931-8. OCLC   675187978.
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  6. "「九州説は無理…」新井白石以来の邪馬台国論争ゴール近し 纒向遺跡". Sankei Shimbun . 2009-11-11. Archived from the original on 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
  7. 2011年4月28日産経新聞関西「大和政権の重要施設か、纒向遺跡で新たな大型建物跡」 2019年8月14日archive差し替え・閲覧
  8. Brown, Delmer M. (1993). The Cambridge History of Japan, Volume 1: Ancient Japan. Cambridge University Press. p. 114. ISBN   0-521-22352-0.
  9. 都出比呂志 (1991). "日本古代国家形成論序説-前方後円墳体制論の提唱-". 日本史研究. Vol. 343.
  10. 世襲王権の成立[Establishment of hereditary kingship]. ISBN   4-642-00802-0.