This episode dives into just what happened to help solve the looming succession crisis due to Shiraga Ōkimi’s lack of offspring to designate as heirs. Note that there are definitely spoilers for the episode, below. You’ve been warned.

Dramatis Personae

Oke and Woke

For those who have been somewhat confused by the names I apologize, but this episode isn’t going to get any better—and it is possibly worse. Much of the narrative focuses on these two brothers, and I’ve seen their names transcribed in a number of ways, all very similar. Students of modern Japanese may note that “Wo” is really just pronounced “O” these days, and only used as a particle marker, but here I’ve chosen, along with others, to keep the archaic “Wo” instead of the modern “O” as a marker to help distinguish between the two.

The Kojiki has these as as 冨祁 (Oke) and袁祁 (Woke), and the Nihon Shoki has 億計 (Ohoke) and 弘計 (Woke) [Romanized transcription via Aston, though he claims to take it from his reading of the Kojiki]. In the Kujiki, Bentley tells us that it is 雄計 (Woke) for the younger brother, and transcribes the elder brother as “Oke” (Or, more appropriately, Okye and Wokye).

If Aston’s transcription is correct, then I can see this as Opoke (Big/Elder Ke) and Woke (Small/Younger Ke), though that still doesn’t tell us a lot, though we have seen that dichotomy elsewhere in the Chronicles. The fact that they don’t use 大 and 小, though, does make me wonder. Other explanations suggest that “Oke - Oke” is called out during a particular dance, and that this may be why their names are as they are. And so I guess as I spell it out we’ll content ourselves with Oke and Woke, with Oke being the elder, and Woke being the younger brother.

I am also still wondering about the names “Kume no Shimako” and “Kume no Wakako” that also seem to be applied to them. I considered using those, but honestly, it is not how you are going to encounter them elsewhere, and I think we have generally just given up with trying to make it “make sense” beyond what it is.

Iitoyo

Aka Ihitoyo, she is an interesting figure. She is either the sister or aunt to Oke and Woke, and some footnotes make her their maternal aunt, vice their paternal aunt. Either way, she is something of an interesting figure in that she appears to be a female ruler, even if just briefly. Some have suggested that she originates in the “Toyo” that followed Himiko in the Wei records, but I think that is a bit of a stretch. We definitely seem to be getting into more well-sourced history, here, even if things are still distorted by time and bias.

Speaking of bias, I’ll admit that what I read into the story of her decision to eschew sex certainly is colored by my own bias. On the one hand, I want to be careful reading too much into things and we should always be cautious about trying to assign someone else an identity. On the other hand, I think representation is important, and it is helpful to see beyond the heteronormative social structures that are built up around what society tells us a man and woman should do and be.

In fact, western views of gender roles and gender norms don’t exactly fit Japanese society through much of its history. This isn’t to say that they didn’t have cultural norms, just that we will see time and again where those constructed cultural norms may not be what we, ourselves, expect.

Locations

This entire episode, including the murder of Ichinobe, all takes place in an area from about modern Kobe in the west to the area around Lake Biwa, and, of course, down to the Nara Basin. Prominently mentioned are Ōmi (aka Afumi), Yamashiro, Tanba, Harima, and Settsu—as well as areas indicating Kawachi and Yamato. This is probably reflective of the area of more direct Yamato control at the time, including the strongholds of the families that made up the Yamato court.

References

• 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