Emperor Jimmu
Emperor Jimmu 神武天皇 | |||||
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Emperor of Japan | |||||
Reign | 660–585 BC (traditional) [2][3] | ||||
Successor | Suizei | ||||
Born | Hikohohodemi (彦火々出見) 711 BC or 721 BC eastern Tsukushi-no-shima (now Kyushu) | ||||
Died | 585 BC (aged 126[4] or 136[5]) possibly Kashihara, Nara | ||||
Burial | |||||
Spouses | |||||
Issue | |||||
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Father | Ugayafukiaezu | ||||
Mother | Tamayori-hime | ||||
Religion | Shinto |
Emperor Jimmu | |||||
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Japanese name | |||||
Kanji | 神武天皇 | ||||
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Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇, Jinmu-tennō) was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki.[2][6] His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.[7][8] In Japanese mythology, he was a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu, through her grandson Ninigi, as well as a descendant of the storm god Susanoo. He launched a military expedition from Hyūga near the Seto Inland Sea, captured Yamato, and established this as his center of power. In modern Japan, Emperor Jimmu's legendary accession is marked as National Foundation Day on February 11.[9] There is no evidence to suggest that Jimmu existed.[10]: 460 However, there is a high probability that there was a powerful dynasty in the vicinity of Miyazaki Prefecture during the Kofun period.[10]: 592
Name and title
Jimmu is recorded as Japan's first ruler in two early chronicles,
Both the
Among his other names were: Wakamikenu no Mikoto (若御毛沼命), Kamu-yamato Iware-biko hohodemi no Mikoto (神日本磐余彦火火出見尊) and Hikohohodemi (彦火火出見).
The Imperial House of Japan traditionally based its claim to the throne on its putative descent from the sun-goddess Amaterasu via Jimmu's great-grandfather Ninigi.[14]
Consorts and children
- Consort: Ahiratsu-hime (吾平津媛), Hosuseri's (Ninigi-no-Mikoto's son) daughter
- First son: Prince Tagishimimi (手研耳命)
- Son: Prince Kisumimi (岐須美美命)
- Daughter: Princess Misaki (神武天皇)
- Empress: Himetataraisuzu-hime (媛蹈鞴五十鈴媛), Kotoshironushi's daughter
- Son: Prince Hikoyai no mikoto (日子八井命)
- Second son: Prince Kamuyaimimi no mikoto (神八井耳命, d.577 BC)
- Third son: Prince Kamununakawamimi (神渟名川耳尊), later Emperor Suizei
Legendary narrative
In Japanese mythology, the Age of the Gods is the period before Jimmu's accession.[15]
The story of Jimmu seems to rework legends associated with the Ōtomo clan (大伴氏), and its function was to establish that clan's links to the ruling family, just as those of Suijin arguably reflect
Migration
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2021) |
According to the chronicles
In Yamato,
According to the Kojiki, Jimmu died when he was 126 years old. The Emperor's
The traditional site of Jimmu's
Imperial Era veneration
Veneration of Jimmu was a central component of the
Between 1873 and 1945 an imperial envoy sent offerings every year to the supposed site of Jimmu's tomb.[27] In 1890 Kashihara Shrine was established nearby, on the spot where Jimmu was said to have ascended to the throne.[28]
Before and during World War II, expansionist propaganda made frequent use of the phrase hakkō ichiu, a term coined by Tanaka Chigaku based on a passage in the Nihon Shoki discussing Emperor Jimmu.[29] Some media incorrectly attributed the phrase to Emperor Jimmu.[30] For the 1940 Kigensetsu celebration, marking the supposed 2,600th anniversary of Jimmu's enthronement, the Peace Tower[31] was constructed in Miyazaki.[32]
The same year numerous stone monuments relating to key events in Jimmu's life were erected around Japan. The sites at which these monuments were erected are known as Emperor Jimmu Sacred Historical Sites.[33]
In 1940 Japan celebrated the 2600th anniversary of Jimmu's ascension and built a monument to Hakkō ichiu despite the fact that all historians knew Jimmu was a mythical figure. In 1941 the Japanese government charged the one historian who dared to challenge Jimmu's existence publicly, Tsuda Sōkichi.[34]
Historicity
There is no evidence Jimmu existed, except the mention in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki.[35][2][page needed][6] The dates of Jimmu reigning from 660 BC to 585 BC are improbable,[36] and most modern scholars agree that the traditional founding of the Yamato dynasty in 660 BC is a myth and that Jimmu along with the first nine emperors are legendary.[37] The founding of Japan in the year 660 BC was probably created by the writers of Nihon Shoki to put the date on a kanototori year.[38]
However, the stories of Jimmu may reflect real events of the mid to late Yayoi period.[39] According to historian Peter Wetzler, Jimmu's conquest of Osaka and Nara may reflect an actual event. Still, the dates and many of the details are fictitious.[40] Historian Kenneth G. Henshall stated that Jimmu's conquest may also reflect a time when the Yayoi people from continental Asia immigrated in masses starting from Kyushu and moving eastward during the Yayoi period.[41]
Since 1945 (after the World War II), when the prohibition on questioning the Kojiki and the Nihongi was lifted, documentary research in China and archaeological research in Japan has undermined much of the information in both the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.[10]: 460 However, some scholars suggest that there may have been a real person behind Jimmu. He could have been a local ruler who conquered the area near Kashihara after 62 BC.[10]: 460 If he ever was present in Miyazaki, some scholars believe he was there during the first century BC while others say he was there during the third or fourth century AD.[10]: 592
The legend of Jimmu is a mixture of myth with some plausible history.[6] For example, the sheer complexity of the lineage and mundanity of the legend argues that it could have some basis in reality.[6] If Jimmu was wholly fictional, it would have been easier to describe him as a direct descendant of a god.[6] The three-legged crow Yatagarasu could be a metaphor.[6] The weapons, tactics and route used by Jimmu are plausible.[6] The Japanese monarchy still uses the three sacred treasures, although the original sword was reportedly lost around 1185 and the current one may be a replica.[6] Emperor Sujin's historicity is considered possible by historians, while Emperor Kinmei is the first verifiable historical figure in the Yamato lineage.[42][43] It could also be that emperors associated themselves with historic or fictional heroic figures in the past to legitimize their reign.[6]
He may have been a composite of Suijin and
Family tree
‡ not in the Nihon Shoki |
See also
- Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines
- Japanese imperial year
- National Foundation Day
- Jōmon period
- Yayoi period
- Emishi people
- Order of the Golden Kite
- King Arthur, a legendary figure from Britain who founded the country similar to Emperor Jimmu
Notes
References
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dimri, Bipin (March 19, 2022). "Where Truth Meets Legend: Was Jimmu the First Emperor of Japan?". Historic Mysteries. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022.
- ^ Kelly, Charles F. "Kofun Culture", Japanese Archaeology. April 27, 2009.
- ^ * Kitagawa, Joseph (1987). On Understanding Japanese Religion, p. 145, at Google Books: "emphasis on the undisrupted chronological continuity from myths to legends and from legends to history, it is difficult to determine where one ends and the next begins. At any rate, the first ten legendary emperors are clearly not reliable historical records."
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- ^ 神倭伊波礼琵古命, OJ pronunciation: Kamu-Yamatö-ipare-biko (nö-mikötö) Donald Philippi, tr. Kojiki, University of Tokyo Press, 1969 p. 488
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- ^ Nussbaum, "Chijin-godai" at p. 111, p. 111, at Google Books.
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- ^ Kashihara City website tourism page on "Kashihara Jingū".
- ^ Britannica Kokusai Dai-Hyakkajiten article on "Hakkō ichiu".
- ^ Dower, John W., War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War, faber and faber, 1993 p. 223.
- ^ Peace Tower (平和の塔, Heiwa no Tō, originally called the "Hakkō Ichiu Tower" 八紘一宇の塔 Hakkō Ichiu no Tō or the "Pillar of Heaven and Earth" 八紘之基柱 Ametsuchi no Motohashira)
- ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
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- ^ Chamberlain (1882). Section XXIV.—The Wooing of the Deity-of-Eight-Thousand-Spears.
- ^ Tanigawa Ken'ichi 『日本の神々 神社と聖地 7 山陰』(新装復刊) 2000年 白水社 ISBN 978-4-560-02507-9
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{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Nunasoko Nakatsuhime • . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史". . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ Aston, William. (1998). Nihongi, Vol. 1, pp. 254–271.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0524053478.
- OCLC 251325323
- Brownlee, John S. (1997). Japanese Historians and the National Myths, 1600–1945: The Age of the Gods. Vancouver: ISBN 0-7748-0645-1
- OCLC 1882339.
- Earhart, David C. (2007). Certain Victory: Images of World War II in the Japanese Media. Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-7656-1776-7
- Kitagawa, Joseph Mitsuo (1987). On Understanding Japanese Religion. Princeton: Princeton University Press. OCLC 15630317
- ISBN 978-0674017535.
- OCLC 194887
- OCLC 5850691.
- OCLC 59145842.
External links
- A more detailed profile of Jimmu (archived April 2011)
- A detailed summary of Jimmu's descent legend (archived July 2014)