On Hunting

A lot of chapters focus on various hunting expeditions, indicating that this was a popular pastime of the sovereigns, and likely other elites. Hunting would have likely been an integral part of the lifeways of people in the archipelago from time immemorial. Whether during Jōmon, the Yayoi, or the Kofun period, hunting or fishing was often necessary for subsistence, providing needed protein in the diet. That said, it seems clear that the hunts the sovereigns are going on are much more social and status-conscious affairs. They are proceeding out with a retinue, often quite far from their base of operations—this would have been quite the undertaking.

In many cultures, this kind of hunting is often a type of practice for war. After all, many of the skills—teamwork, riding, strength, endurance, skill with the bow or other weapons, etc.—would have been useful analogs for the kind of skills required of a warrior. Prowess in the area of hunting might therefore be analogous to martial prowess—certainly it seems that some of the same types of praise are heaped on both hunters and warriors.

It is also clear that these were elite activities, with the mobilization of numerous others who would be helping the elites to flush the game, capture it, and, eventually, deal with the carcasses once a hunt was successful. This was a large undertaking, and strikes me as much as a display of wealth and power as an enjoyable outing, which is perhaps one of the reasons they are so often memorialized in stories, along with similar activities, such as state banquets.

It is not, perhaps, dissimilar from the Academy Awards, where enough people of status are gathered and others are watching. Something that happens there is going to just be that much more memorable—even if it would have made the papers, anyway, an event at the Oscars ceremony is going to naturally be more memorable and receive more attention than something that happened at, say, a private party or other less public venue.

Just something to think about as we talk about these events, which are not exactly a modern or even subsistence style of hunting. This isn’t about getting up before dawn, sitting in a blind, waiting for game. This is a hunting party—emphasis on the party.

Dramatis Personae

Keeping up the Dramatis Personae. Some of this may be repetitive from last episode. Further down there will be talk of various locations as well.

Ōhatsuse Wakatake no Ōkimi

Aka Yūryaku Tennō (雄略天皇), formally listed as the 21st sovereign of the imperial lineage. He was the Great King, or Sovereign, from about 457 to 479. We also have his name on two iron swords found in tombs from around the period, which confirm his name as something like “Wakatakiru no Opokimi”. Despite the fact that a fair amount seems to have been accomplished during his relatively long reign—20 years is nothing to sneeze at—he seems mostly remembered for his cruelty and violence. Granted, it is unclear just how different this was from the norm at the time—not to excuse what he was doing so much as to place it in context. From everything we’ve seen, after a sovereign’s death there was a lot of chaos and violence, and so it is unsurprising that the one who would rise to the top might just be the one best at dealing with the violence and demonstrating authority in some way.

Woasatsuma Wakugo no Sukune

Aka Ingyō Tennō (允恭天皇) , and possibly “Oasazuma”. Officially the 19th sovereign in the line, and, according to the Chronicles, the father of both Wakatake and Anaho. That said, if the records of the Liu Song dynasty are accurate, it is entirely possible that some of this got mixed up, and it is possible that the lineage up to this point is a little confused.

Osaka no Naka tsu Hime

Woasatsuma’s queen, and purported mother of the current sovereign, Wakatake. When the “Dowager Queen” is mentioned, is it referencing her or is it referencing Nakashi Hime? While, strictly speaking, it would likely point to Nakashi Hime, who was wife to Prince Anaho, it isn’t exactly clear to me that this is the case, and it seems equally likely that the person to talk down Wakatake would be his mother, rather than his step-daughter. One thing is certain—there are some strange relationships formed through the incestuous marriage practices as detailed in the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki.

Kusaka no Hatahi Hime

Also known as Kusaka no Hatabi, given that Old Japanese didn’t really have an “H” sound and so what we render as “H” was more likely a “P” or “B” sound. She was the sister to Prince Ōkusaka, and therefore the daughter of Ōsazaki no Mikoto, aka Nintoku Tennō, officially the 16th sovereign, and his consort, Kaminaga Hime of Himuka. She was originally married to her half-brother, Izaho Wake, with whom she had a daughter, Nakashi. After Izaho Wake's death she and her daughter went back to live with her brother. But she was then married off to Wakatake, her nephew through her half-brother, Woasatsuma, while her daughter married Anaho. That put her in the unique situation of being the queen twice, both before and after her own daughter. This causes some confusion when the narrative only refers to people by titles, and so we get the “Queen” actually being the mother of the “Dowager Queen”, at least if the Chronicles are to be believed.

Nakashi Hime

Princess Nakashi was the daughter of Izaho Wake and Kusaka no Hatahi. She was married off to her uncle, Prince Ōkusaka, and gave birth to a child, Prince Mayuwa. After Ōkusaka was killed, she was taken as a wife and made queen by the sovereign, Anaho no Ōkimi, but they had no children together, leaving the question of an heir up for debate.

Mononobe

We’ve mentioned the Mononobe before—a powerful house that was connected with Isonokami shrine. Their name and their exploits indicates that they were largely known for their role in the military affairs of Yamato. In the reign of Wakatake they are often called upon as guards, soldiers, and executioners as needed to enforce Yamato’s laws and traditions.

Ōtsu no Umakahi (大津馬飼)

This name is purely a locative and job description—the horse-keeper (likely a member of the Umakahi-Be) from Ōtsu. We know little more about him—he seems to have merely been an attendant, and not from a particularly powerful family. See below for information on Ōtsu.

Hi no Hime (日媛/日之媛)

We know that Hi no Hime was from Yamato, likely of the Yamato no Atahe, the Yamato kinship group.  She was an Uneme of the court, meaning a female attendant.   She seems to be the younger sister of Agoko no Sukune, given over to court service as an Uneme in the reign of Izaho Wake, aka Richuu.

Agoko no Sukune

Agoko is listed here as the Yamato no Kuni no Miyatsuko, but we’ve seen him before.  He first showed up at the start of the reign of Ōsazaki, aka Nintoku, Wakatake’s grandfather.  Back then he was helping to settle the dispute over who had rights to certain rice granaries, as you may recall.  Initially he is just referenced as Agoko, but later in that same reign he has been elevated as Yamato no Atahe.  His elder brother, Maro, is listed before this as the “ancestor of the Yamato no Atahe”, but up to this point, Agoko seems to be the first to actually hold that title or name directly, and not just as an ancestor, which would imply that he may have been the first, possibly because of the deeds committed for Ōsazaki.  Later, he kept that position, even though he sided against Izaho Wake and with Prince Nakatsu, he quickly gave in and offered to send his younger sister, Hi no Hime to the court as an Uneme.  Now here they are again—for what appears to be the last time, and we see that he is not just Yamato no Atahe, but now he is Yamato no Kuni no Miyatsuko, and he has been granted the personal title of Sukune as well.

Shishihito Be (宍人部)

A Be group created, ostensibly of those in charge of “fleshing”—that is to say the rendering and preparation of a carcass. The Nihon Shoki makes it seem as if their creation is almost accidental, to cover up for a royal faux pas by Wakatake, though that feels apocryphal. 

Uda no Mito Be no Masakida, Takame

Two members of the Mito Be of Uda who were attendants on the Queen Dowager. Mito Be (御戸部) seems to be the “Be” of the “Honorable (or Holy or Royal)  Door.”  It could be just one person, Masakida no Takame, but it seems more likely that it is two, as Aston has translated it.

Saho no Kotori Wake

There is little we know about Kotoriwake beyond that they were apparently some kind of servant or vassal to Agoko no Sukune.  “Saho” was the name of the wife of Ikume Iribiko (aka Suinin) and her brother (Saho Hime and Saho Hiko).  Here it may be as much a locative as anything—much as it probably was back in the reign of Ikume.  What intrigues me is that there is only one other mention of “Saho” that I found in the Nihon Shoki, and that also occurs in this reign when a descendant of Saho Hiko, Hadane no Mikoto, seduces an Uneme.  The fact that he is using the kabane of “Mikoto” and that here this is Saho no Kotori “Wake”—which we’ve previously been told was supposedly an indication of royal lineage—suggests that me that Saho Hiko was not just some random prince and that his family line still held some amount of remembered authority, if not actual authority at this time.

Fumu Be no Musa no Suguri no Ao

The “Fumu Be” would appear to be the scribes and historians.  Ao would appear to be the “Suguri of Musa”—which is written with characters indicating that he is the “village master” of Musa.  It isn’t clear if that is the head of a single village or various villages.  Given the pronunciation that comes down to us, it is quite likely a continental title, which would fit with the individual being tied to a scribal Be.  Ao will show up later as we talk about Yamato’s dealings on and with the continent.

Hinokuma no Tamitsukashi no Hakatoko

Hakatoko was the Tamitsukashi (“Employer of People”) of Hinokuma.  Aston notes that this seems like a fairly low title, especially for someone who is supposed to be a close friend of the sovereign.  Hakatoko will also come more into play in discussions about Yamato’s dealings with the continental powers.

Hitokoto Nushi

The “One Word Master” is the name of a kami of Katsuraki.  Supposedly this kami could bring good or bad fortune with a single word, which, to be honest, doesn’t seem that different from any other kami that we’ve encountered.  There is some thought that this was actually a kami that was popular in the 8th century, and while he doesn’t appear elsewhere in the Nihon Shoki, references do pop up in later 8th and 9th century sources.  The main shrine for Hitokoto Nushi is, unsurprisingly, in Gose in modern Katsuragi.

Chiisako Be no Muraji no Sukaru

Sukaru is, we eventually learn, the first member of the Chiisako Be no Muraji.  Based on the kabane of Muraji, it was not an insignificant house, at least not by the 8th century.  I doubt it started out as a Muraji level household.  The name means the “Be of Little Children” and I expect to get into that in episode 62, though I suspect that this is a false etymology to explain the name and origins of a family that was more important in the 7th and 8th centuries, since we don’t see the family again in the Nihon Shoki until an entry from Temmu’s reign in 672.

Ikazuchi

Earlier in the Nihon Shoki there was mention of Ikazuchi being born from the pieces of Kagutsuchi, the fire spirit.  Kagutsuchi, you may recall, burned his mother, Izanami, when he was born, so that she died in childbirth.  Izanagi was so upset that, according to some of the stories, he slew Kagutsuchi and cut him up into three pieces.  One of those pieces became Ikazuchi, which is just the word for “lightning”.  There are actually a fair number of lightning and thunder kami who could easily be amalgamated together, and it is unclear in the Nihon Shoki whether they intended Ikazuchi as the kami of Mt. Miwa or if he was just a kami.

Nonetheless, his appearance as a snake fits in well with many of the stories we have of encounters with kami like this.  Later, the god of lightning and thunder would be known as raijin—just another reading of ikazuchi no kami—and given a more humanoid makeover, which is how most of us know him, today.

(W)ina Be no Mane

The Inabe (in old Japanese it would have been “Winabe”) are said to come from the land of Settsu near the Ina River. Mane was an expert carpenter, and that seems to be what the Inabe were known for—they were involved in various construction projects in the Nara period.

Locations

It isn’t just the people, but the places that are important. So here I’ll try to bring up some of those that we encounter with links to the area where they may be in the modern day. Taking a look, you may notice that most of these places were in the area of the Nara Basin, which is probably where the court had the most direct control, even if they had considerable influence in much of the rest of the archipelago.

Akitsuno

The “Dragonfly Field” (Akitsu being an old word for dragonfly, spelled tonbo in kanji: 蜻蛉).  We know it was in Yoshino, and there is a modern “Akitsu no Ono” park that seems to hearken back to this incident, but whether that is actually the place referenced I am not sure.

Asakura Palace

Traditionally, Wakatake's palace is said to be the Asakura Palace in Hatsuse--known today simply as Hase--which, by tradition was said to be in Sakurai.

Awaji Island

Awaji is the largest island situated entirely in the Seto Inland Sea. Not only was it a popular hunting location for sovereigns, but it was also thought to be part of the initial creation story of the Japanese archipelago, with Onogoro Island situated just to the south.

Hinokuma

A district of the ancient land of Yamato, somewhere near modern Asuka, where there is still a Hinokuma district.

Katsuraki

Aka Katsuragi. This area on the eastern edge of the Nara Basin is still there as the modern city of Katsuragi. It was the home of Sotsu Hiko, whom some suggest may have been an early ruler in his own right, given some of his exploits and the fact that his daughter, Iwa no Hime, ended up as Queen and giving birth to future sovereigns even though she was not, per the Chronicles, descended from the royal line. Later we would see something similar with the daughter of Tsubura no Omi, Kara Hime, who would marry Wakatake and give birth to the Crown Prince and one of the Ise Princesses. In the latter part of the 5th century, this also appears to be a popular hunting spot, along with Awaji and Yoshino, likely because of the mountainous forest regions that would have been ideal for game.

Mie

The modern prefecture of Mie covers the old land of Ise.  The actual district of Mie is in the north of the modern prefecture and the old country/province.

Mt. Mimoro aka Mt. Miwa

Mt. Miwa is the sacred mountain in the southeast corner of the Nara Basin. It was likely the main holy site for the early Yamato courts and continues to hold a special place even to this day.

Musa

An area just south of Mt. Unebi, probably in southern districts of modern Kashihara city, between modern Toriyachō and Misechō.  It may have one time been under the Miwa no Kimi—the family connected with the sacred Mt. Miwa, aka Mt. Mimoro.  Various other individuals from the narrative also are attached, including Musa no Suguri, who may have been a local village or district head in the area.

Ōtsu (大津)

Mentioned merely as the place that one of the Umakahi Be was from, one presumes it is the same as the modern Ōtsu at the southernmost shore of Lake Biwa.

Uda

Likely referencing an area in or near the modern city of Uda, which uses the same name but different kanji, in the mountainous region southeast of the Nara Basin and Wakatake’s Asakura palace in Hase.

Yoshino

Aka Yeshino, which appears in many of these earlier stories. Yoshino is a large area in the heavily forested mountains and valleys south of the Nara Basin. There was reportedly a royal villa in the area where the court went, and later sovereigns likewise would travel to the “Yoshino Miya”, which some believe to be in the area of modern Miyataki, on the banks of the Yoshino River. There was at least one other palace built in the area in the 14th century, emphasizing the continued popularity of this area, which is known for its beautiful cherry trees among other things.

References

• — (2022). Inabe Jinja Website. http://www.inabe-jinjya.or.jp/index2.html. Last checked 3/31/2022

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

• Osawa, et al. (2008). ワカタケルの剣　「図説日本の古墳・古代遺跡―決定版 (歴史群像シリーズ)」pp 134. ISBN:978-4-05-605064-6.

• Soumaré, Massimo (2007), Japan in Five Ancient Chinese Chronicles: Wo, the Land of Yamatai, and Queen Himiko. ISBN: 978-4-902075-22-9

• 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

• Shichirō, M., & Miller, R. A. (1979). The Inariyama Tumulus Sword Inscription. Journal of Japanese Studies, 5(2), 405–438. https://doi.org/10.2307/132104

• 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