Five kings of Wa

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The Five Kings of Wa ( Japanese 倭 の 五 王 , Wa no go-ō ) were rulers of ancient Japan ( Wa ) who sent embassies to China in the 5th century to legitimize their claims by recognizing the Emperor of China .

According to the Chinese historical work Song Shu, their names were :

# Hanzi modern chinese reading sino-jap. reading
1. 讃 Zan San
2. 珍 Zhen Chin
3. 濟  /  济 Ji Sai or Sei
4th 興  /  兴 Xing Kō
5. 武 Wu Bu

The Liang Shu (Volume 54) uses the homophonic 贊  /  赞 for the first king, but 彌 , Mi for the second king . A variant of this is 弥 , which has similarities with 珎 , which in turn is a variant of 珍 .

Chinese records of the kings

The five kings of the Wa are mentioned in the chronicles of the Jin , Earlier Song , Southern Qi and Liang Dynasties with the following events - the respective chapters are indicated in brackets in the source column:

year dynasty king event source
義熙  /  义熙 9
413 		Jin San a) The king of Wa paid tribute. Jin Shu ( 安帝 ), Taiping yulan
永 初 2
421 		song San King San paid tribute to Emperor Wu and then received a title. Song Shu ( 倭國 傳  /  倭国伝 )
元嘉 2
425 		King San sent Shiba Kōtatsu ( 司馬 曹 達  /  司马 曹 达 , Sima Caoda ) b) or officials c) and had gifts delivered to Emperor Wen .
元嘉 7
430 		San (?) In January the king of Wa paid tribute. Song Shu ( 文帝 )
元嘉 15
438 		Chin King San died, his younger brother Chin succeeded the throne. Chin paid tribute and called himself by the title “Imperial Commissioner, Governor General, Military Owner of 6 Countries Wa, Baekje , Silla , Imna , Jinhan , Mahan ; Grand General who keeps the peace in the East; King of the land of Wa “( 使 持節 都督 倭 百 濟 新 羅 任 那 秦韓慕 韓 六 國 諸 軍事 安 東 大 將軍 倭國 王  /  使 持节 都督 倭 百 济 新 罗 任 任 那 秦韩慕 韩 六 国 诸 军事 安 东 大 将军 倭国王 , shichijie dudu Wa Baiji Xinluo Renna Jinhan Muhan liu guo zhujunshi an dong da jiangjun Waguo wang ). Song Shu ( 倭國 傳  /  倭国伝 )
In April, Emperor Wen Chin presented the title of General Who Keeps Peace in the East; King of the land of Wa ”( 安東將軍 倭國 王  /  安东将军 倭国 王  -“ an dong jiangjun Waguo wang ”). Song Shu ( 文帝 )
The emperor granted Chin an Wa Zui ( 倭 隋 ) and 13 others the titles of “General who pacifies the West”, “General who subdues the barbarians”, “General who crowns the army” and “General who helps the nation” ( 平 西征虜 冠軍 輔 國 將軍  /  平西 征虏 冠军 辅 国 将军 , pingxi zhenglu guangjun fuguo jiangjun ). Song Shu ( 倭國 傳  /  倭国伝 )
元嘉 20
443 		Sai Sai paid tribute and was given the title of General Who Keeps Peace in the East; King of the land of Wa ”. Song Shu ( 倭國 傳  /  倭国伝 )
元嘉 28
451 		King Sai received the title “Imperial Commissioner, Governor General, Military Owner of the 6 countries Wa, Silla, Imna, Gara , Jinhan, Mahan; General who keeps the peace in the east ”( 使 持節 都督 倭 新 羅 任 那 加羅 秦韓慕 韓 六 國 諸 軍事 安東將軍  /  使 持节 都督 倭 百 济 新 罗 任 任 那 秦韩慕 韩 六 国 诸 军事 安东将军 , shichijie dudu Wa Xinluo Renna Jialuo Jinhan Muhan liu guo zhujunshi an dong jiangjun ).
In July Sai received the title of "Grand General Who Preserves Peace in the East" ( 安 東 大 將軍  /  安 东 大 将军 , an dong da jiangjun ). Song Shu ( 文帝 )
23 high-ranking people also received titles. Song Shu ( 倭國 傳  /  倭国伝 )
大 明 4
460 		Sai (?) In December, the king of Wa pays tribute.
大 明 6
462 		Kō In March, Emperor Yiaowu Kō, the heir of Sai, presented the title of General Who Keeps Peace in the East; King of the land of Wa ”. Song Shu ( 孝 武帝 and 倭國 傳  /  倭国伝 )
升 明 1
477 		Bu In November the king of Wa paid tribute. Song Shu ( 順帝 )
After King Ko died, his younger brother Bu took the throne. Bu called himself by the title “Imperial Commissioner, Governor General, Military Owner of the 7 countries Wa, Baekje, Silla, Imna, Gara, Jinhan, Mahan; Grand General who keeps the peace in the East; King of the land of Wa “( 使 持節 都督 倭 百 濟 新 羅 任 那 加羅 秦韓慕 韓七國 諸 軍事 安 東 大 將軍 倭國 王  /  使 持节 都督 倭 百 济 新 新 罗 任 那 加罗 秦韩慕 韩七国 诸 军事 安 东 大将军倭国王 , shichijie dudu Wa Baiji Xinluo Renna Jialuo Jinhan Muhan qi guo zhujunshi an dong da jiangjun Waguo wang ). Song Shu ( 倭國 傳  /  倭国伝 )
升 明 2
478 		Bu called himself kaifu yitong sansi ( 開 府 儀 同 三 司  /  开 府 仪 同 三 司 ) and asked for his official recognition. Emperor Shun gave Bu the title of “Imperial Commissioner, Governor General, Military Owner of the 6 countries Wa, Silla, Imna, Gara, Jinhan, Mahan; Grand General who keeps the peace in the East; King of Wa “( 使 持節 都督 倭 新 羅 任 那 加羅 秦韓慕 韓 六 國 諸 軍事 安 東 大 將軍 倭王  /  使 持节 都督 倭 新 罗 ​​任 那 那 加罗 秦韩慕 韩 六 国 诸 军事 安 东 大 将军 倭王 , shichijie dudu Wa Xinluo Renna Jialuo Jinhan Muhan qi guo zhujunshi an dong da jiangjun Wa wang ). Song Shu ( 順帝 and 倭國 傳  /  倭国伝 )
建元 1
479 		Southern Qi Emperor Gao gave Bu the title of " Grand General who pacified the East" ( 鎮東 大 將軍  /  镇东 大 将军 , zhen dong da jiangjun ). Qi Shu ( 倭國 傳  /  倭国伝 )
天 監 1
502 		Liang In April, Emperor Wu Bu gave the title of "General who Subdues the East" ( 征東将軍  /  征东将军 , zheng dong jiangjun ). Liang Shu ( 武帝 )
a)Both sources do not mention the name of the king. However, Liang Shu writes in Volume 54 ( 諸 夷  /  诸 夷 ): 「晉安帝 時 ， 有 倭王 贊。」  - “At the time [of Emperor] Jin Andi [r. 396-418] was the Wa king San. "
b)Shiba Kōtatsu ( 司馬 曹 達  /  司马 曹 达 ) is considered by some to be an ancestor of the immigrant sculptor Shiba Tatto ( 司馬 達 等 ) who was the grandfather of the bronze sculptor Tori Busshi due to the similarity of the name .
c) Sima ( 司馬  /  司马 ) was also a military official title and cao 曹 denotes officials.

The self-designation of the kings of Wa with a title is always to be understood as a request for permission to be allowed to bear this title. The countries mentioned in it except Wa were all on the Korean peninsula. Jinhan and Mahan no longer existed at that time - Jinhan was absorbed into Silla and Mahan into Baekje. Baekje and Wa were close allies in the fight against Goguryeo , and Silla as well for a purpose. Imna (Japanese Mimana) was a Japanese colony in Korea on the soil of Gara (also called Gaya). Except for Baekje, Song China had no diplomatic relations with them, which is why the Song emperors allowed the kings of Wa to hold the title, but always omitted Baekje.

Furthermore, the kings first received the title of an dong jiangjun ("General who keeps the peace in the East"), although they themselves asked for the title of an dong da jiangjun ("Grand General ..."). They were thus of importance for Song China under the kings of Goguryeo and Baekje who held the title zheng dong jiangjun and zhen dong jiangjun , respectively. Wa drew level only under the Qi and Liang emperors.

All of these communications can only be found in Chinese sources, not Japanese. Since these records are believed to be genuine, it was partly assumed that the Japanese governor general in Korea acted unauthorized and thus merely pretended to be acting on behalf of the Japanese court, but the latter was not informed of these events. The motive could have been to consolidate Japanese influence in Korea through Chinese recognition of Japan.

ID

Neither the names nor the events can be found in the ancient Japanese histories such as Nihonshoki or Kojiki . Based on the genealogy of the Japanese imperial family described therein , u. a. three possible variants of the identifications made:

Family tree after Song Shu Family tree according to Liang Shu
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1st San
 
 2. Chin
 
 3rd Sai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Kō
 
 5th Bu
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1st San
 
 2. Chin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3rd Sai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Kō
 
 5th Bu
option A Variant B Variant C
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Richū
 
 2. Hanzei
 
 3. Ingyō
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Ankō
 
 5. Yūryaku
 
 
 1. Nintoku
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Hanzei
 
 3. Ingyō
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Ankō
 
 5. Yūryaku
 
 
 1. Ōjin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Nintoku
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. Ingyō
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Ankō
 
 5. Yūryaku

The song Shu writes Kō was the "heir, crown prince" ( 世子 , shizi ) of Sai, but this does not necessarily indicate a father-son relationship. The Liang Shu in turn explicitly writes the Kō the son of Sai, as well as that this in turn is the son of Chin.

There is widespread agreement on the identification of Bu with Yūryaku, Kō with Ankō and Sai with Ingyō. This is based on the rough time frame, the relationships and, in the case of Bu, also on the derivation of this Chinese name from the actual name of Yūryaku. The Nihon Shoki and Kojiki give Ōhatsuse-waka-take-no-mikoto as its real name ( imina ) . The Nihon Shoki uses 大 泊 瀬 幼 武 命 as spelling , where 武 stands for take . The same character also denotes the Wa king Bu. Also inscriptions on the sword Kinsakumei Tekken from the Inariyama Kofun and the Eta Funayama sword from the Kofun of the same name , both from the 5th / 6th centuries. Century, give Yūryaku's real name Waka-takeru . Occasionally, however, Sai and Kō are identified differently, especially when using a purely linguistic approach.

The identification of the first two kings is more controversial, with 3 variants.

Variant A assumes that the entire genealogy of the Wa kings was correctly represented by the Chinese and that San can be equated with Hanzei's older brother Richū. Problems here, however, are caused by the extremely long reign of San compared to that of the Richūs.

Variant B assumes that Richū was unknown to the Chinese because of his short reign, and when they heard that Hanzei was succeeding his brother, they assumed his father Nintoku (here consequently San) was his brother.

The core of variant C is that the first king means Ōjin . This follows the version of Liang Shu , according to which Chin was Sai's father. Nintoku was the father of Richū, Hanzei and Ingyō, the relationships between these three emperors is identical to other variants. Nintoku's predecessor Ōjin then emerges as the first king. There is a contradiction with the Song Shu as well as the Liang Shu , since both write that Chin's predecessor San was his older brother. Nintoku's older brothers, however, were not rulers themselves, but his predecessor was his father Ōjin. This variant therefore assumes an error in the Chinese sources. Furthermore, according to Nihon Shoki, Ōjin's reign is traditionally given as 270-310, which is too early. However, this would be resolved, since in comparison with Korean chronicles it is assumed that the times for Ōjin were set too early by two full 60-year cycles .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 盧 重 国 (Noh Jung Kook): ５ 世紀 の 韓日 関係 史 - 『宋 書』 倭国 伝 の 検 討 - . (PDF) 日韓 歴 史 共同 研究 委員会 , p. 235 , archived from the original on June 29, 2006 ; Retrieved June 14, 2010 (Japanese).
  2. ↑ cf. Wang Zhenping: Ambassadors from the Islands of Immortals. China-Japan Relations in the Han-Tang Period . University of Hawaii, Honolulu 2005, ISBN 978-0-8248-2871-4 , pp. 229–230 ( digitized in the Google book search).
  3. ↑ 講 談 社 日本人 名 大 辞典 . Kōdansha , Tokyo 2009 ( digitized from kotobank.jp ).
  4. ^ Donald F. McCallum: The Production of Buddhist Icons in Asuka-Period Japan . In: Melinda Takeuchi (Ed.): The Artist as Professional in Japan . Stanford University Press, Stanford 2004, ISBN 0-8047-4355-X , pp. 29 ( digitized version in the Google book search).
  5. ↑ Wontack Hong: Ancient Korea-Japan relations. Paekche and the Origin of the Yamato Dynasty . Kudara International, Seoul 2010, ISBN 978-89-85567-06-0 , pp. 118 ( online version [PDF]).
  6. ↑ Wontack Hong: Ancient Korea-Japan relations. Paekche and the Origin of the Yamato Dynasty . Kudara International, Seoul 2010, ISBN 978-89-85567-06-0 , pp. 122 ( online version [PDF]).
  7. ^ Yoshi S. Kuno: Japanese Expansion On The Asiatic Continent . Volume I. University of California Press, Cambridge University Press, Berkeley, London 1937, pp. 226 ( digitized version in the Google book search).
  8. ↑ Hirano Takuji ( 平野 卓 治 ): 倭王 武 . In: Asahi Shimbun- sha (ed.): 朝日 日本 歴 史 人物 事 典 . Tokyo 1994 ( digitized at kotobank.jp ).
  9. ↑ a b c Peter Metevelis: Myth in History. Volume 2 of Mythological Essays . Writers Club Press, Lincoln 2002, ISBN 0-595-22950-6 , pp. 63–64 ( digitized in the Google book search).
  10. ↑ Anthony J. Bryant: Early Samurai AD 200-1500 . Osprey Publishing, 1991, ISBN 1-85532-131-9 , pp. 8 ( digitized version in the Google book search).
  11. ↑ Kazuhiko Seki ( 関 和 彦 ): 倭王 讃 . In: 朝日 日本 歴 史 人物 事 典 . Asahi Shimbun-sha, Tokyo 1994 ( digitized from kotobank.jp ).
  12. ^ Yoshi S. Kuno: Japanese Expansion On The Asiatic Continent . Volume I. University of California Press, Berkeley 1937, p. 212–214 ( digitized in the Google book search).
  13. ↑ Christopher Seeley: A History of Writing in Japan . EJ Brill, Leiden 1990, ISBN 90-04-09081-9 , pp. 6 ( digitized version in the Google book search).