Emperor Jimmu Tenno
Jimmu Tennō, original name Kow-yamato-iware-hiko No Mikoto, legendary first emperor of Japan and founder of the imperial dynasty.
Japanese chronicles record Jimmu’s expedition eastward from Hyuga in 607 BC along Japan’s Inland Sea, subduing tribes as he went and ending in Yamato, where he established his centre of power. Although modern historians do not accept such details as a 7th century BC date, preferring a date in the Early Christian era, they affirm the tradition of an aggressive movement of peoples from the west.
Jimmu Tennō (the posthumous reign name by which he is generally known) is said to have been a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu through her celestial grandson Ninigi, whom she sent down to govern earth, and he married a descendant of the storm god Susanoo. Despite Jimmu’s importance as a link between the ruling family of Japan and the divine ancestors, he has never had much of a cult following in Japan. A Shintō shrine was erected by the Japanese government in 1890 at the site of what is believed to be his burial place at Unebi.
The story of Jimmu seems to rework legends associated with the Ōtomo clan, and its function was to establish that clan’s links to the ruling family, just as those of Suijin arguably reflect Mononobe tales and the legends in Ōjin’s chronicles seem to derive from Soga clan traditions. Jimmu figures as a direct descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu via the side of his father, Ugayafukiaezu. 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 four sons. The last of these, Kamu-yamato Iware-biko no mikoto, became Emperor Jimmu.
There is no evidence Jimmu existed, except the mention in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki. The dates of Jimmu reigning from 660 BC to 585 BC are improbable, most modern scholars agree that the traditional founding of the Yamato dynasty in 660 BC is a myth and that Jimmu along with the first nine emperors are legendary. Also the founding of Japan in the year 660 BC was probably created by the writers of Nihon Shoki to put the date on a kanototori year.
However events during the mid to late Yayoi period may reflect stories of Jimmu. According to historian Peter Wetzler, Jimmu’s conquest of Osaka and Nara may reflect an actual event. However the dates and much of the details are fictitious. Historian Kenneth G. Henshall stated that Jimmu’s conquest may also reflect a time when the Yayoi people from continental Asia immigrated in masses starting from Kyushu and moving eastward during the Yayoi period.
The legend of Jimmu is a mixture of myth with some plausible history. For example, the sheer complexity of the lineage and mundanity of the legend argues that it could have some basis in reality. If Jimmu was wholly fictional then it would’ve been easier to describe him as a direct descendant of a god. The three-legged crow Yatagarasu could be a metaphor. The weapons, tactics and route used by Jimmu are plausible. The Japanese monarchy still uses the three sacred treasures, although the original sword was reportedly lost around 1185 and could be a replica. Emperor Sujin is the first where historians consider his existence to be real. It could also be that emperors associated themselves with historic or fictional heroic figures in the past to legitimize their reign.
Some scholars also argue that there may have been a real person behind the legendary figure. He could have been a local ruler who conquered the area near Kashihara, If he was ever present in Miyazaki some scholars believe he was there during the first century BCE while others say he was there during the third or fourth century CE.
He may have been a composite of Suijin and Kentai. The Japanese historian Ino Okifu identifies Emperor Jimmu with the Chinese alchemist and explorer Xu Fu (255–195 BC), a hypothesis supported by certain traditions in Japan and regarded as possible by some modern scholars. The Yayoi period (300 BCE–300 CE), during which significant changes in Japanese metallurgy and pottery occurred, started around the time of his supposed arrival. However, the legend of Xu Fu’s voyage also has numerous inconsistencies with the linguistic and anthropo logical history of Japan.
In 1940 Japan celebrated the 2600th anniversary of jimmu ascension and built a monument to Hakkō ichiu despite the fact that all historians knew Jimmu was a made up figure. In 1941 the Japanese government charged the one historian who dared to challenge jimmu existence publicly, Tsuda Sōkichi.
