2000 years ago, there was a mysterious ancient nation in Japan.

Do you know “Yamataikoku”? This is a mysterious ancient country that existed in Japan 2000 years ago.

The official history book of Japan is called “Nihon Shoki.” It was created in 720 AD. It says that Japan was created by gods, but of course that is not the case, and there must be a history created by humans, but “Nihon Shoki” does not write about the beginning of Japan.

The Nihon Shoki is written entirely in kanji.

On the other hand, the topic of Japan appears in Chinese history books. A story about Japan appears in the Chinese “Records of the Three Kingdoms,” written in 284 AD. It is written that there was a country called “Yamataikoku” in Japan, and that it was ruled by a queen.

During the Three Kingdoms period, there was a mysterious ancient nation in Japan.

Many Japanese people know this story. However, no one knows where the “Yamataikoku” written in Chinese history books is located. There are many professors in Japanese universities who are researching this issue.

There are two famous stories. One is that it was located in northern Kyushu. The other is that it was located in Nara Prefecture.

Kyushu in the west or Kinki in the east?

However, recently another theory has become popular. One theory is that it was in Kamiyama-cho, Tokushima Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku.

I live on Shikoku and run an Airbnb, but I agree with the theory that Yamataikoku was in Shikoku. This is a very persuasive theory. It would take too long to write about it here, so I won’t, but I believe that an ancient kingdom 2,000 years ago was on Shikoku, and that Japan began from there.

A theory that there was an ancient kingdom in the mountainous area of ​​Shikoku Island

If that is true, Shikoku is the origin of Japan. Japan’s history began from here. This is just my imagination, but between 3,000 and 2,500 years ago, there were people who came to the Japanese archipelago from the Eurasian continent. These people mainly lived on Shikoku, spread rice cultivation, and created a large nation. That was Yamataikoku.

I’ve been saying “Yamataikoku” up until now, but this is just a difference in how the kanji are pronounced. In Japan, it is generally called “Yamataikoku,” but it can actually be pronounced “Yamato.” “Yamato” is a famous old name for Japan. Because there are many ways to read kanji, no one knows how to read them.

Yamato is the ancient name of Japan and also the name of the largest battleship built in World War II.

The Yamato Kingdom, which started in Shikoku, was destroyed by a big earthquake. We know that a big earthquake occurred in 684 AD. It destroyed the ancient nation of Shikoku. Then people moved to Nara Prefecture. Nara Prefecture was the capital of Japan for about 100 years. After that, Kyoto became the capital of Japan and had a history of 1000 years. Now the capital is in Tokyo.

On the island of Shikoku, there is a small shrine forgotten by the people.

The story goes that Japanese history may not have started in Kyoto, but in Shikoku Island. Of course, there are only a few old shrines now, and no traces of it can be found. This is a story that is not well known even in Japan. Shikoku Island in Japan is a sacred island with many shrines and temples. There is beautiful nature and people who live there. If you come to this island, you will be impressed by its history of over 2000 years and its beautiful nature.