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{{Nihongo|'''Emperor Jimmu'''|神武天皇|Jinmu-[[tennō]]}} was the [[List of Japanese monarchs|first]] [[Emperor of Japan]] according to the traditional [[List of Emperors of Japan|order of succession]].<ref>[[Richard Ponsonby-Fane|Ponsonby-Fane, Richard]]. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 28–29; [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303939/Jimmu "Jimmu" at Britannica.com]; retrieved 2013-8-28.</ref> He is also known as {{nihongo||神日本磐余彦天皇|'''Kan'yamato Iware-biko no Sumeramikoto'''}} and personally as {{nihongo||若御毛沼命|''Wakamikenu no Mikoto''}} or {{nihongo||狹野尊|''Sano no Mikoto''}}.
{{Nihongo|'''Emperor Jimmu'''|神武天皇|Jinmu-[[tennō]]}} was the [[List of Japanese monarchs|first]] [[Emperor of Japan]] according to the traditional [[List of Emperors of Japan|order of succession]].<ref>[[Richard Ponsonby-Fane|Ponsonby-Fane, Richard]]. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 28–29; [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303939/Jimmu "Jimmu" at Britannica.com]; retrieved 2013-8-28.</ref> He is also known as {{nihongo||神日本磐余彦天皇|'''Kan'yamato Iware-biko no Sumeramikoto'''}} and personally as {{nihongo||若御毛沼命|''Wakamikenu no Mikoto''}} or {{nihongo||狹野尊|''Sano no Mikoto''}}.


The [[Emperor of Japan|Imperial house]] of Japan traditionally based its claim to the throne on its descent from Jimmu.<ref>[[Isaac Titsingh|Titsingh, Isaac]]. (1834). [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon%20o%20dai%20itsi%20ran&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Annales des empereurs du japon,'' pp. 1-3]; [[Delmer Brown|Brown, Delmer M.]] (1979). [http://books.google.com/books?id=w4f5FrmIJKIC&pg=PA249&dq= ''Gukanshō,'' p. 249]; [[H. Paul Varley|Varley, H. Paul]]. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki,'' pp. 84–88.</ref> While his accession is traditionally dated to 660 BC, no historically firm dates can be assigned to this early emperor's life or reign, nor to the reigns of his early successors. Most modern historians dismiss this entire period as being beyond what history can know and regard it as mythical<ref name="kelly">Kelly, Charles F. [http://www.t-net.ne.jp/~keally/kofun.html "Kofun Culture,"] [http://www.t-net.ne.jp/~keally/index.htm Japanese Archaeology.] 27 April 2009.</ref> or legendary.<ref>Kitagawa, Joseph. (1987). {{Google books|h1xcc4cGL5cC|''On Understanding Japanese Religion,'' p. 145|page=145}}; excerpt, "... 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."</ref> The reign of [[Emperor Kimmei]] (509?–571 AD), the 29th emperor,<ref name="Titsingh pp. 34-36">Titsingh, [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon%20o%20dai%20itsi%20ran&pg=PA34#v=onepage&q&f=false pp. 34–36]; Brown, [http://books.google.com/books?id=w4f5FrmIJKIC&pg=PA261&dq= pp. 261–262; Varley, pp. 123–124].</ref> is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates.<ref>Hoye, Timothy. (1999). ''Japanese Politics: Fixed and Floating Worlds,'' p. 78; excerpt, "According to legend, the first Japanese emperor was Jimmu. Along with the next 13 emperors, Jimmu is not considered an actual, historical figure. Historically verifiable Emperors of Japan date from the early sixth century with Kimmei.</ref>
The [[Emperor of Japan|Imperial house]] of Japan traditionally based its claim to the throne on its descent from Jimmu.<ref>[[Isaac Titsingh|Titsingh, Isaac]]. (1834). [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon%20o%20dai%20itsi%20ran&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false ''Annales des empereurs du japon,'' pp. 1-3]; [[Delmer Brown|Brown, Delmer M.]] (1979). [http://books.google.com/books?id=w4f5FrmIJKIC&pg=PA249&dq= ''Gukanshō,'' p. 249]; [[H. Paul Varley|Varley, H. Paul]]. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki,'' pp. 84–88.</ref> While his accession is traditionally dated to 660 BC, no historically firm dates can be assigned to this early emperor's life or reign, nor to the reigns of his early successors. Most modern historians dismiss this entire period as being beyond what history can know and regard it as mythical<ref name="kelly">Kelly, Charles F. [http://www.t-net.ne.jp/~keally/kofun.html "Kofun Culture,"] [http://www.t-net.ne.jp/~keally/index.htm Japanese Archaeology.] 27 April 2009.</ref> or legendary.<ref name="Understanding Japanese Religion p. 145">Kitagawa, Joseph. (1987). {{Google books|h1xcc4cGL5cC|''On Understanding Japanese Religion,'' p. 145|page=145}}; excerpt, "... 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."</ref> The reign of [[Emperor Kimmei]] (509?–571 AD), the 29th emperor,<ref name="Titsingh pp. 34-36">Titsingh, [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon%20o%20dai%20itsi%20ran&pg=PA34#v=onepage&q&f=false pp. 34–36]; Brown, [http://books.google.com/books?id=w4f5FrmIJKIC&pg=PA261&dq= pp. 261–262; Varley, pp. 123–124].</ref> is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates.<ref>Hoye, Timothy. (1999). ''Japanese Politics: Fixed and Floating Worlds,'' p. 78; excerpt, "According to legend, the first Japanese emperor was Jimmu. Along with the next 13 emperors, Jimmu is not considered an actual, historical figure. Historically verifiable Emperors of Japan date from the early sixth century with Kimmei.</ref>


==Mythical characters==
==Mythical characters==
Modern scholars question the existence of at least nine early emperors. Emperor Jimmu's descendant [[Emperor Sujin]] is the first who many agree may have existed, in the first century BCE.<ref>Yoshida, Reiji. [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/03/27/reference/life-in-the-cloudy-imperial-fishbowl/#.UhYzedK-2uI "Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl,"] ''Japan Times.'' March 27, 2007; retrieved 2013-8-22.</ref> Most contemporary historians still agree that it is unlikely that any of the recorded emperors existed until about five hundred years after Suijin's reign and about a millennium after Jimmu's recorded reign. The name Jimmu''-tennō'' was [[Posthumous name|posthumously]] assigned by later generations.<ref>[[Francis Brinkley|Brinkley, Frank]]. (1915). {{Google books|itxxAAAAMAAJ|''A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the end of the Meiji Era,'' p. 21|page=21}}; excerpt, "Posthumous names for the earthly ''Mikados'' were invented in the reign of Emperor Kammu (782–805), i.e., after the date of the compilation of the ''Records'' and the ''Chronicles.''</ref>
Modern scholars question the existence of at least nine early emperors. Emperor Jimmu's descendant [[Emperor Sujin]] is the first who many agree may have existed, in the first century BC.<ref>Yoshida, Reiji. [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/03/27/reference/life-in-the-cloudy-imperial-fishbowl/#.UhYzedK-2uI "Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl,"] ''Japan Times.'' March 27, 2007; retrieved 2013-8-22.</ref> Most contemporary historians still agree that it is unlikely that any of the recorded emperors existed until about five hundred years after Suijin's reign and about a millennium after Jimmu's recorded reign. The name Jimmu''-tennō'' was [[Posthumous name|posthumously]] assigned by later generations.<ref>[[Francis Brinkley|Brinkley, Frank]]. (1915). {{Google books|itxxAAAAMAAJ|''A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the end of the Meiji Era,'' p. 21|page=21}}; excerpt, "Posthumous names for the earthly ''Mikados'' were invented in the reign of Emperor Kammu (782–805), i.e., after the date of the compilation of the ''Records'' and the ''Chronicles.''</ref>


The conventionally accepted names and dates of the early emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of [[Emperor Kanmu]] (737–806), the 50th sovereign of the [[Yamato dynasty]].<ref name="aston109-137">[[William Aston|Aston, William]]. (1896). ''Nihongi,'' pp. 109–137.</ref>
The conventionally accepted names and dates of the early emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of [[Emperor Kanmu]] (737–806), the 50th sovereign of the [[Yamato dynasty]].<ref name="aston109-137">[[William Aston|Aston, William]]. (1896). ''Nihongi,'' pp. 109–137.</ref>


Archaeologists and historians regard Jimmu as mythical<ref name="kelly">Kelly, Charles F. [http://www.t-net.ne.jp/~keally/kofun.html "Kofun Culture,"] [http://www.t-net.ne.jp/~keally/index.htm Japanese Archaeology.] 27 April 2009.</ref> or legendary.<ref>Kitagawa, Joseph. (1987). {{Google books|h1xcc4cGL5cC|''On Understanding Japanese Religion,'' p. 145|page=145}}; excerpt, "... 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."</ref> He may have been a composite figure.{{cn|date=February 2014}} According to the legendary account in the [[Kojiki]], Emperor Jimmu would have been born on 13 February 711 BCE (the first day of the first month of the [[Chinese calendar]]), and died, again according to legend, on 11 March 585 BCE (both dates according to the [[Lunisolar calendar|lunisolar]] [http://www2.gol.com/users/stever/calendar.htm traditional Japanese calendar]).
Archaeologists and historians regard Jimmu as mythical<ref name="kelly"/> or legendary.<ref name="Understanding Japanese Religion p. 145"/> He may have been a composite figure.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} According to the legendary account in the [[Kojiki]], Emperor Jimmu would have been born on 13 February 711 BC (the first day of the first month of the [[Chinese calendar]]), and died, again according to legend, on 11 March 585 BC (both dates according to the [[Lunisolar calendar|lunisolar]] [http://www2.gol.com/users/stever/calendar.htm traditional Japanese calendar]).


==Legendary narrative==
==Legendary narrative==
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According to [[Shinto]] belief, Jimmu is regarded as a direct descendant of the sun goddess, [[Amaterasu]]. Amaterasu had a son called [[Ame no Oshihomimi no Mikoto]] and through him a grandson named [[Ninigi-no-Mikoto]]. She sent her grandson to the Japanese islands where he eventually married [[Konohanasakuya-hime|Konohana-Sakuya-hime]]. Among their three sons was [[Hikohohodemi no Mikoto]], also called [[Yamasachi-hiko]], who married [[Toyotama-hime]]. She was the daughter of [[Ryūjin]], the Japanese [[sea]] god. They had a single son called [[Hikonagisa Takeugaya Fukiaezu no Mikoto]]. The boy was abandoned by his parents at birth and consequently raised by [[Tamayori-hime]], his mother's younger sister. They eventually married and had a total of four sons. The last of these sons, Kan'yamato Iwarebiko, became Emperor Jimmu.<ref>Nussbaum, "''Chijin-godai''" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC| p. 111|page=111}}.</ref>
According to [[Shinto]] belief, Jimmu is regarded as a direct descendant of the sun goddess, [[Amaterasu]]. Amaterasu had a son called [[Ame no Oshihomimi no Mikoto]] and through him a grandson named [[Ninigi-no-Mikoto]]. She sent her grandson to the Japanese islands where he eventually married [[Konohanasakuya-hime|Konohana-Sakuya-hime]]. Among their three sons was [[Hikohohodemi no Mikoto]], also called [[Yamasachi-hiko]], who married [[Toyotama-hime]]. She was the daughter of [[Ryūjin]], the Japanese [[sea]] god. They had a single son called [[Hikonagisa Takeugaya Fukiaezu no Mikoto]]. The boy was abandoned by his parents at birth and consequently raised by [[Tamayori-hime]], his mother's younger sister. They eventually married and had a total of four sons. The last of these sons, Kan'yamato Iwarebiko, became Emperor Jimmu.<ref>Nussbaum, "''Chijin-godai''" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC| p. 111|page=111}}.</ref>


It is said that, soon after the beginning of Jimmu's reign, a {{nihongo|Master of Ceremonies|祭主|saishu}} was appointed.{{cn|date=February 2014}}
It is said that, soon after the beginning of Jimmu's reign, a {{nihongo|Master of Ceremonies|祭主|saishu}} was appointed.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}


===Jimmu's migration===
===Jimmu's migration===
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The fluidity of Jimmu before the compilation of the ''Kojiki'' and of the ''Nihon Shoki'' is demonstrated by somewhat earlier texts that place three dynasties as successors to the mythological Yamato state. According to these texts, Jimmu's dynasty was supplanted by that of [[Emperor Ōjin]], whose dynasty was supplanted by that of [[Emperor Keitai]].<ref>Ooms, Herman. ''Imperial Politics and Symbolics in Ancient Japan: the Tenmu Dynasty, 650–800''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2009</ref> The ''Kojiki'' and the ''Nihon Shoki'' then combined these three mythical dynasties into one long and continuous genealogy.
The fluidity of Jimmu before the compilation of the ''Kojiki'' and of the ''Nihon Shoki'' is demonstrated by somewhat earlier texts that place three dynasties as successors to the mythological Yamato state. According to these texts, Jimmu's dynasty was supplanted by that of [[Emperor Ōjin]], whose dynasty was supplanted by that of [[Emperor Keitai]].<ref>Ooms, Herman. ''Imperial Politics and Symbolics in Ancient Japan: the Tenmu Dynasty, 650–800''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2009</ref> The ''Kojiki'' and the ''Nihon Shoki'' then combined these three mythical dynasties into one long and continuous genealogy.


[[File:ROAD TO JINMU.JPG|thumb|right|The mausoleum of Emperor Jimmu in [[Kashihara, Nara|Kashihara City]], [[Nara Prefecture]].]]No site for Jimmu's [[grave (burial)|grave]] is clearly identified by tradition or mythology.<ref name="kunaicho">[[Imperial Household Agency]] (''Kunaichō''): [http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/ryobo/guide/001/index.html 神武天皇 (1)]; retrieved 2013-8-22.</ref>
[[File:ROAD TO JINMU.JPG|thumb|right|The mausoleum of Emperor Jimmu in [[Kashihara, Nara|Kashihara City]], [[Nara Prefecture]].]]No site for Jimmu's [[grave (burial)|grave]] is clearly identified by tradition or mythology.<ref name="kunaicho">[[Imperial Household Agency]] (''Kunaichō''): [http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/ryobo/guide/001/index.html 神武天皇 (1)]; retrieved 2013-8-22.</ref>


==Commemorating Jimmu's reign==
==Commemorating Jimmu's reign==
[[Image:Founding Ceremony of the Hakko-Ichiu Monument.JPG|thumb|left|Founding Ceremony of the ''Hakkō ichiu'' Monument, with [[Prince Chichibu]]'s calligraphy of ''Hakkō ichiu'', carved on its front side.]]Veneration of Emperor Jimmu, who was said to be the divine founder of Japan's unbroken imperial line, was a central component of the [[imperial cult]] that formed following the [[Meiji restoration]].<ref name="martin">Martin, Peter. (1997). ''The Chrysanthemum Throne: A History of the Emperors of Japan'', p. 18-20.</ref><ref name="ruoff">Ruoff, Kenneth. (2001). ''The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy'', p. 21-23.</ref> In 1872 the [[Meiji government]] announced a new holiday called ''Kigensetsu'' ("Era Day") commemorating the anniversary of Jimmu's alleged ascension to the throne 2,532 years earlier.<ref name="martin"/><ref name="ruoff"/> Between 1873 and 1945 an imperial envoy sent offerings every year to Mount Unebi, which was claimed to be Jimmu's tomb,<ref name="martin"/> and in 1890 [[Kashihara Shrine]] was established nearby on the spot where Jimmu was said to have become Japan's first emperor.<ref name="ruoff"/><ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 419.</ref>
Veneration of Emperor Jimmu, who was said to be the divine founder of Japan's unbroken imperial line, was a central component of the [[imperial cult]] that formed following the [[Meiji restoration]].<ref name="martin">Martin, Peter. (1997). ''The Chrysanthemum Throne: A History of the Emperors of Japan'', p. 18-20.</ref><ref name="ruoff">Ruoff, Kenneth. (2001). ''The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy'', p. 21-23.</ref> In 1872 the [[Meiji government]] announced a new holiday called ''Kigensetsu'' ("Era Day") commemorating the anniversary of Jimmu's alleged ascension to the throne 2,532 years earlier.<ref name="martin"/><ref name="ruoff"/> Between 1873 and 1945 an imperial envoy sent offerings every year to Mount Unebi, which was claimed to be Jimmu's tomb,<ref name="martin"/> and in 1890 [[Kashihara Shrine]] was established nearby on the spot where Jimmu was said to have become Japan's first emperor.<ref name="ruoff"/><ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 419.</ref>


A grandiose ''Kigensetsu'' celebration was put on in the year 1940, reputed to be the 2,600th anniversary of Emperor Jimmu's enthronement, during which the government constructed the Hakkō Tower on the legendary site of Emperor Jimmu's palace near [[Miyazaki, Miyazaki|Miyazaki]]. The tower was named after the ancient phrase of ''[[Hakko ichiu|Hakkō ichiu]]'' (literally "eight cords, one roof"), which had been attributed to Emperor Jimmu and, since 1928, had been espoused by the Imperial government as an expression of Japanese expansionism.<ref>[[Herbert Bix|Bix, Herbert]]. (2001). ''Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan'', p. 201.</ref> ''Hakkō ichiu'' envisioned the unification of the world (the "eight corners of the world") under the Emperor's "sacred rule",<ref>Earhart, David C. (2007). ''Certain Victory'', p. 63.</ref> just as Emperor Jimmu, finding five races in Japan, had made them all as "brothers of one family."<ref>[[John W. Dower|Dower, John W.]] (1993). ''War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War,'' p. 223.</ref> The same year the Japanese government erected numerous stone monuments relating to key events in Jimmu's life which were called "Emperor Jimmu Sacred Historical Sites" and which still exist today.<ref>Ruoff, Kenneth. (2010). ''Imperial Japan at its Zenith: The Wartime Celebration of the Empire's 2,600th Anniversary'', p. 186.</ref><ref>Brownlee, John S. ''Japanese Historians and the National Myths, 1600–1945: The Age of the Gods'', p. 136, 180–185.</ref>
A grandiose ''Kigensetsu'' celebration was put on in the year 1940, reputed to be the 2,600th anniversary of Emperor Jimmu's enthronement, during which the government constructed the Hakkō Tower on the legendary site of Emperor Jimmu's palace near [[Miyazaki, Miyazaki|Miyazaki]].<ref>[[Herbert Bix|Bix, Herbert]]. (2001). ''Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan'', p. 201.</ref>


''Kigensetsu'' was suspended in 1948 during the [[occupation of Japan]], but was controversially reinstated in 1966 as ''Kenkoku Kinen no hi'' ("[[National Foundation Day]]"), a patriotic holiday still celebrated in Japan today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/1998/02/11/national/founding-day-rekindles-annual-debate/#.U4F2VihWrrB|title=Founding Day rekindles annual debate|publisher=''The Japan Times''|year=February 11 1998|accessdate=May 24 2014}}</ref> Although the propaganda narrative surrounding Jimmu's life was officially abandoned at the end of World War II, many Japanese history textbooks continued well into the 1970's to promote the story of Japan's divine origins and Jimmu's founding of an unbroken imperial line.<ref>Tokutake, Toshio. (1995). ''教科書の戦後史'', p. 172-178.</ref>
''Kigensetsu'' was suspended in 1948 during the [[occupation of Japan]], but was controversially{{clarify}} reinstated in 1966 as ''Kenkoku Kinen no hi'' ("[[National Foundation Day]]").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/1998/02/11/national/founding-day-rekindles-annual-debate/#.U4F2VihWrrB|title=Founding Day rekindles annual debate|publisher=''The Japan Times''|date=February 11, 1998|accessdate=May 24, 2014}}</ref> Although the propaganda narrative surrounding Jimmu's life was officially abandoned at the end of World War II, many Japanese history textbooks continued well into the 1970's to promote the story of Japan's divine origins and Jimmu's founding of an unbroken imperial line.<ref>Tokutake, Toshio. (1995). ''教科書の戦後史'', p. 172-178.</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 03:09, 31 May 2014

Jimmu
Emperor of Japan
Reign18 February 660 BC – 9 April 585 BC (traditional)
SuccessorSuizei
Born13 February 711 BC (traditional)
unknown
Died9 April 585 BC (aged 126)
Japan
Burial
Unebi-yama no ushitora no sumi no misasagi (畝傍山東北陵) (Kashihara, Nara)
SpouseAhiratsu-hime
Himetataraisuzu-hime
IssueTagishimimi-no-mikoto
Hikoyai-no-mikoto
Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto
Emperor Suizei
FatherUgayafukiaezu
MotherTamayori-bime

Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇, Jinmu-tennō) was the first Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession.[1] He is also known as Kan'yamato Iware-biko no Sumeramikoto (神日本磐余彦天皇) and personally as Wakamikenu no Mikoto (若御毛沼命) or Sano no Mikoto (狹野尊).

The Imperial house of Japan traditionally based its claim to the throne on its descent from Jimmu.[2] While his accession is traditionally dated to 660 BC, no historically firm dates can be assigned to this early emperor's life or reign, nor to the reigns of his early successors. Most modern historians dismiss this entire period as being beyond what history can know and regard it as mythical[3] or legendary.[4] The reign of Emperor Kimmei (509?–571 AD), the 29th emperor,[5] is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates.[6]

Mythical characters

Modern scholars question the existence of at least nine early emperors. Emperor Jimmu's descendant Emperor Sujin is the first who many agree may have existed, in the first century BC.[7] Most contemporary historians still agree that it is unlikely that any of the recorded emperors existed until about five hundred years after Suijin's reign and about a millennium after Jimmu's recorded reign. The name Jimmu-tennō was posthumously assigned by later generations.[8]

The conventionally accepted names and dates of the early emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of Emperor Kanmu (737–806), the 50th sovereign of the Yamato dynasty.[9]

Archaeologists and historians regard Jimmu as mythical[3] or legendary.[4] He may have been a composite figure.[citation needed] According to the legendary account in the Kojiki, Emperor Jimmu would have been born on 13 February 711 BC (the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar), and died, again according to legend, on 11 March 585 BC (both dates according to the lunisolar traditional Japanese calendar).

Legendary narrative

In Japanese mythology, the Age of the Gods is the period before Jimmu's accession.[10]

According to Shinto belief, Jimmu is regarded as a direct descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. Amaterasu had a son called Ame no Oshihomimi no Mikoto and through him a grandson named Ninigi-no-Mikoto. She sent her grandson to the Japanese islands where he eventually married Konohana-Sakuya-hime. Among their three sons was Hikohohodemi no Mikoto, also called Yamasachi-hiko, who married Toyotama-hime. She was the daughter of Ryūjin, the Japanese sea god. They had a single son called Hikonagisa Takeugaya Fukiaezu no Mikoto. The boy was abandoned by his parents at birth and consequently raised by Tamayori-hime, his mother's younger sister. They eventually married and had a total of four sons. The last of these sons, Kan'yamato Iwarebiko, became Emperor Jimmu.[11]

It is said that, soon after the beginning of Jimmu's reign, a Master of Ceremonies (祭主, saishu) was appointed.[citation needed]

Jimmu's migration

Depiction of bearded Emperor Jimmu with his emblematic long bow and an accompanying wild bird — artwork by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892).

Mythic records in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki describe how Jimmu's brothers were born in Takachiho, the southern part of Kyūshū (in modern day Miyazaki prefecture), and decided to move eastward, as they found the location inappropriate for reigning over the entire country. Jimmu's older brother, Itsuse no Mikoto, originally led the migration, and led the clan eastward through the Seto Inland Sea with the assistance of local chieftain Sao Netsuhiko. As they reached Naniwa (modern day Ōsaka), they encountered another local chieftain, Nagasunehiko (lit. "the long-legged man"), and Itsuse was killed in the ensuing battle. Jimmu realized that they had been defeated because they battled eastward against the sun, so he decided to land on the east side of Kii Peninsula and to battle westward. They reached Kumano, and, with the guidance of a three-legged crow, Yatagarasu (lit. "eight-span crow"), they moved to Yamato. There, they once again battled Nagasunehiko and were victorious.

In Yamato, Nigihayahi no Mikoto, who also claim descent from the Takamagahara gods, was protected by Nagasunehiko. However, when Nigihayahi met Jimmu, he accepted Jimmu's legitimacy. At this point, Jimmu is said to have ascended to the throne of Japan.

According to the Kojiki, Jimmu died when he was 126 years old. This emperor's posthumous name literally means "divine might" or "god-warrior". It is undisputed that this identification is Chinese in form and Buddhist in implication, which suggests that the name must have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to Jimmu. It is generally thought that Jimmu's name and character evolved into their present shape just before[12] the time in which legends about the origins of the Yamato dynasty were chronicled in the Kojiki.[9]

The fluidity of Jimmu before the compilation of the Kojiki and of the Nihon Shoki is demonstrated by somewhat earlier texts that place three dynasties as successors to the mythological Yamato state. According to these texts, Jimmu's dynasty was supplanted by that of Emperor Ōjin, whose dynasty was supplanted by that of Emperor Keitai.[13] The Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki then combined these three mythical dynasties into one long and continuous genealogy.

The mausoleum of Emperor Jimmu in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture.

No site for Jimmu's grave is clearly identified by tradition or mythology.[14]

Commemorating Jimmu's reign

Veneration of Emperor Jimmu, who was said to be the divine founder of Japan's unbroken imperial line, was a central component of the imperial cult that formed following the Meiji restoration.[15][16] In 1872 the Meiji government announced a new holiday called Kigensetsu ("Era Day") commemorating the anniversary of Jimmu's alleged ascension to the throne 2,532 years earlier.[15][16] Between 1873 and 1945 an imperial envoy sent offerings every year to Mount Unebi, which was claimed to be Jimmu's tomb,[15] and in 1890 Kashihara Shrine was established nearby on the spot where Jimmu was said to have become Japan's first emperor.[16][17]

A grandiose Kigensetsu celebration was put on in the year 1940, reputed to be the 2,600th anniversary of Emperor Jimmu's enthronement, during which the government constructed the Hakkō Tower on the legendary site of Emperor Jimmu's palace near Miyazaki.[18]

Kigensetsu was suspended in 1948 during the occupation of Japan, but was controversially[clarification needed] reinstated in 1966 as Kenkoku Kinen no hi ("National Foundation Day").[19] Although the propaganda narrative surrounding Jimmu's life was officially abandoned at the end of World War II, many Japanese history textbooks continued well into the 1970's to promote the story of Japan's divine origins and Jimmu's founding of an unbroken imperial line.[20]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, pp. 28–29; "Jimmu" at Britannica.com; retrieved 2013-8-28.
  2. ^ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, pp. 1-3; Brown, Delmer M. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 249; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, pp. 84–88.
  3. ^ a b Kelly, Charles F. "Kofun Culture," Japanese Archaeology. 27 April 2009.
  4. ^ a b Kitagawa, Joseph. (1987). On Understanding Japanese Religion, p. 145, p. 145, at Google Books; excerpt, "... 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."
  5. ^ Titsingh, pp. 34–36; Brown, pp. 261–262; Varley, pp. 123–124.
  6. ^ Hoye, Timothy. (1999). Japanese Politics: Fixed and Floating Worlds, p. 78; excerpt, "According to legend, the first Japanese emperor was Jimmu. Along with the next 13 emperors, Jimmu is not considered an actual, historical figure. Historically verifiable Emperors of Japan date from the early sixth century with Kimmei.
  7. ^ Yoshida, Reiji. "Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl," Japan Times. March 27, 2007; retrieved 2013-8-22.
  8. ^ Brinkley, Frank. (1915). A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the end of the Meiji Era, p. 21, p. 21, at Google Books; excerpt, "Posthumous names for the earthly Mikados were invented in the reign of Emperor Kammu (782–805), i.e., after the date of the compilation of the Records and the Chronicles.
  9. ^ a b Aston, William. (1896). Nihongi, pp. 109–137.
  10. ^ Nussbaum, "Jindai" at p. 421, p. 421, at Google Books.
  11. ^ Nussbaum, "Chijin-godai" at p. 111, p. 111, at Google Books.
  12. ^ Kennedy, Malcolm D. A History of Japan. London. Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1963.
  13. ^ Ooms, Herman. Imperial Politics and Symbolics in Ancient Japan: the Tenmu Dynasty, 650–800. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2009
  14. ^ Imperial Household Agency (Kunaichō): 神武天皇 (1); retrieved 2013-8-22.
  15. ^ a b c Martin, Peter. (1997). The Chrysanthemum Throne: A History of the Emperors of Japan, p. 18-20.
  16. ^ a b c Ruoff, Kenneth. (2001). The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, p. 21-23.
  17. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, p. 419.
  18. ^ Bix, Herbert. (2001). Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, p. 201.
  19. ^ "Founding Day rekindles annual debate". The Japan Times. 11 February 1998. Retrieved 24 May 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ Tokutake, Toshio. (1995). 教科書の戦後史, p. 172-178.

References

Regnal titles
New creation Emperor of Japan
660–585 BC
(Traditional dates) 		Succeeded by

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