This episode we start our series on the early 5th century sovereign Ōsazaki, aka Nintoku Tennō. And first off we will talk about that posthumous name given to him at some later date—possibly as late as the 7th or 8th centuries. Nintoku (仁徳) would seem to indicate that this sovereign was seen as a virtuous king. And so we see stories about how he lived in a humble style while there was a drought so that the people could take what little they had and make it through the lean times. He even removed requirements for forced labor.

Once taxes and labor were restored, we see him working on projects to control the waters and hold back the flooding of the Yodo Rivier, which may have been something that happened in this period, but it also feels very much like the kind of thing that would be said about the ancient rulers on the continent, particularly in the Yellow River region.

In fact, there is an early concept of the formation of kingship being largely derived in the various wet rice agricultural societies by those who were able to move water around. This is the so-called “fluvial hypothesis” of state formation. And although more recent concepts of state formation may be focused on a more complex model with multiple different factors contributing to the eventual formation of what we would call a “state”, the movement of water was definitely an important role in agricultural societies. After all, if you are cultivating rice with wet paddy agricultural methods, you have to occasionally flood and drain the paddies. Even today, rice farms in Japan can be seen linked to various irrigation canals so that paddies can be flooded or drained on schedule. And of course that is the key, because if there are any problems, those same irrigation ditches might overflow and floods might occur out of cycle, ruining the crops and destroying entire harvests.

This becomes even more likely when you site your fields near easily accessible sources of water, such as rivers and streams, which might overflow in the heavy rains that can sweep the archipelago. So anyone who could make some claim to control the waters—both through spiritual as well as secular acts—would be important in those societies. Of course, those same individuals were also likely important for organization of military forces, trade, and more.

Ice Houses of Ancient Japan

One of the more surprising features of the narrative this time around might be the mention of an ice house, or himuro (氷室). A “muro” is a type of pit dwelling, and “hi” means ice. Now storing ice in covered pits goes back to at least 3~4,000 years ago, with perhaps the oldest reference being to one in Mesopotamia. But it is still rather incredible. By digging down into the earth, you end up using the natural cooling effects of the earth itself to help insulate the ice, and while they couldn’t necessarily make ice during hot months, they could certainly store ice from the winter months. There is even a shrine in Nara called “Himuro Shrine” that claims to go back to at least the 8th century as being dedicated to a kami of ice houses. Apparently they were on the hook to supply the court and the royal family.

Of course, ice would still have been something precious, at least in the summer months, so it was likely only ever accessible by the aristocracy, but it was something that they had, which is pretty neat. Consider, also, that as you sip on your ice water on a hot summer’s day, you are the envy of so many of our ancient ancestors around the world.

Daisen Kofun

The supposed resting place of Ōsazaki is Daisen Kofun, and you can see a photo of it, above. The truth, however, is that we don’t know who rests in the main chamber. Recently, the Imperial Household has given permission to do rare excavations of portions of the tomb, but mostly it remains off-limits as it is considered a sacred resting place.

That said, there have been people inside the main burial chamber. In the Edo period there were people who went in and catalogued what was there, and another exploration took place in 1876. Some of the items from the tomb are on display in local museums, including the haniwa, and we have an old drawing of the interior. However, none of that definitively identified the occupant.

References

• - (2020). Website: 仁徳天皇陵古墳百科. Last visited 14 October 2021. 文化観光局 博物館 学芸課. https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/kanko/hakubutsukan/mozukofungun/kofun.html

• Ō, Yasumaro, & Heldt, G. (2014). The Kojiki: An account of ancient matters. ISBN978-0-231-16389-7

• Bentley, John. (2006). The Authenticity of Sendai Kuji Hongi: a New Examination of Texts, with a Translation and Commentary. ISBN-90-04-152253

• Chamberlain, B. H. (1981). The Kojiki: Records of ancient matters. Rutland, Vt: C.E. Tuttle Co.  ISBN4-8053-0794-3

• Aston, W. G. (1972). Nihongi, chronicles of Japan from the earliest times to A.D. 697. London: Allen & Unwin. ISBN0-80480984-4

• Philippi, D. L. (1968). Kojiki. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN4-13-087004-1