With this reign we look at the events of Wohatsuse Wakasazaki for the full eight years he is said to have sat on the throne.

Who’s Who

Wohatsuse Wakasazaki

The son, it is said, of Ōke, aka Ninken Tennō, and Kasuga no Ōiratsume, herself a daughter of Ōhatsuse Wakatake, aka Yūryaku Tennō, If that is his parentage, he likely was born between 482, when his father was brought to Yamato, and 494, when he had to have been born to be named Crown Prince.

There are later entries in the Nihon Shoki and other sources that would suggest he was born around 450—but that would have been around the time of Woasatsuma Wakugo no Sukune. There are definitely questions about this entry.

Heguri no Matori

Current Ōmi (大臣) at the start of Wakasazaki’s reign. Descendant (possibly the son or grandson) of Heguri no Dzuku no Sukune, previous Ōmi and son of the legendary Takeuchi no Sukune.

Ōtomo no Muruya

Ōmuraji of the Ōtomo family, appointed at the end of the reign of Wakatake to help his son, Shiraga. He is mentioned in the reign of Wakasazaki, but there is some confusion as to whether or not it is him or Kanamura. This may be an indication that the years for this reign aren’t quite right.

Ōtomo no Kanamura

Kanamura pops up in this reign. The last Otomo no Ōmuraji was Ōtomo no Muruya, who was tasked with assisting Shiraga, aka Seinei Tennō, in governing the land. There is an assumption that Kanamura is his descendant, but it isn’t clear, other than they are both of the same family.

Kudara no Otara (aka Itarang of Baekje)

Otara, or Itarang (百済意多郎), is only briefly mentioned. Aston suggests “Witanang”, using modern Korean reading. He is often known by the modern Japanese reading, though that probably was not how it is pronounced at the time. The other part, “Kudara”, is literally a reading of the characters for “Baekje”, though it is unclear exactly how that reading came to be used in Japan. It isn’t even clear to me that the Chroniclers themselves would have used that reading.

Donseong of Baekje

King of Baekje from about 479 to 501 or 502. He attempted to strengthen Baekje after the move to Unjin. The Samguk Sagi appears to blame his fall on his clack of concern during a famine around 499, though he may also have fallen afoul of local politics. He was killed in 501 or 502.

Muryeong of Baekje

King of Baekje from about 501 to 523. The Nihon Shoki claims that he was born on the way to Yamato, and thus was given the name “Shima”, meaning “island” in Japanese. The Korean sources have his personal name as something like “Syeoma”, though no indication that it means something similar. Unfortunately, the language of Baekje is not well attested, so it is hard to tell what it might actually mean.

Early Castles

One of the entries from this period is the creation of a castle, named “Kinouhe” (城上). This would actually seem to refer to the area “above” a castle. It was apparently built in “Minamata”, but where exactly this is is unclear. Regardless, I suspect it was in the style of early peninsular castles. From what I can tell, this would have included rammed earth walls, though possibly made of stone. These were probably more like walled garrisons.

Some of the peninsular castles specifically utilized the terrain, often being built on mountaintops. They would use natural features and simply enhance it with walls and gates. Later we see more traditional rectangular walls around cities and the like. The character used for “castle” in Japanese just meant “city walls” or “walled settlement” when it came over from the continent. As such, “Ki no Uhe” could refer to a fortress or to walls around a settlement of some kind—though probably still the rammed earth and stone walls, rather than simply a palisade or similar.

Many of these features were built up again and again over time, or perhaps have disappeared into the landscape. Some of these walls are still found on occasion. In 2016, excavations were performed on the site of the old Naseong City Walls, uncovering the walls thought to have been built around 538 to protect the new Baekje capital. Today, this is part of the larger Baekje Historical Area that is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site.

References

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

• Best, J. (2006). A History of the Early Korean Kingdom of Paekche, together with an annotated translation of The Paekche Annals of the Samguk sagi. Cambridge (Massachusetts); London: Harvard University Asia Center. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1tg5q8p

• 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