Emperor of JapanReignFebruary 11, 660 BC – 9 April 585 BC (mythic)SuccessorSuizei SpouseAhiratsu-hime Himetataraisuzu-himeIssueTagishimimi-no-mikoto Hikoyai-no-mikoto Kamuyaimimi-no-mikoto Emperor SuizeiFatherUgayafukiaezuMotherTamayori-bimeBornFebruary 13, 711 BC (mythic)DiedApril 9, 585 BC (aged 126) (mythic) JapanBurialUnebi-yama no ushitora no sumi no misasagi (畝傍山東北陵?)(Kashihara, Nara)(mythic) Emperor Jimmu was the first emperor of Japan, according to legend. His accession is traditionally dated as 660 BC.[1][2][3] He is a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasuthrough her grandson Ninigi, as well as a descendant of the storm god Susanoo. He launched a military expedition from Hyuga near the Inland Sea, captured Yamato, and established this as his center of power. Name and titleEdit Emperor JimmuJapanese nameKanji神武天皇TranscriptionsRomanizationJinmu-tennō The conventional names and dates of the early emperors were accepted in the reign ofEmperor Kanmu (737–806),[4] when Oumi no Mifune conferred on all putative emperors before Ōjin, known until then as sumera no mikoto/ōkimi, the title of tennō or Heavenly Ruler, a Japanese pendant to the Chinese imperial title Tiān-dì (天帝). This practice had begun under Empress Suiko, and took root after the Taika Reforms with the ascendancy of the Nakatomi clan.[5] Jimmus name, like those of several other legendary emperors, was already attested among the ruler names of the Korean kingdom of Silla.[6] According to the legendary account in theKojiki, Emperor Jimmu was born on February 13, 711 BC (the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar), and died, again according to legend, on March 11, 585 BC (both dates according to the lunisolartraditional Japanese calendar). Both the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki give Jimmus name as Kamu-Yamatö-ipare-biko(神倭伊波礼?)[7] Ipare (modern Japaneseiware) indicates a toponym whose precise purport is unclear. The Imperial house of Japan traditionally based its claim to the throne on its putative descent from the sun-goddess Ama-terasu-opo-mi-kamï via Jimmus great grandfather Ninigi.[8] Legendary narrativeEdit In Japanese mythology, the Age of the Godsis the period before Jimmus accession.[9] The story of Jimmu seems to rework legends associated with the Ōtomo clan, and its function was to establish that clans links to the ruling family, just as those of Suijin arguably reflect Mononobe tales and the legends in Ōjins chronicles seem to derive from Soga clan traditions.[10] Jimmu figures as a direct descendant of the sun goddess,Amaterasu. 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 wasHikohohodemi no Mikoto, also calledYamasachi-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 byTamayori-hime, his mothers younger sister. They eventually married and had four sons. The last of these, Kanyamato Iwarebiko, became Emperor Jimmu.[11] Jimmus migration Depiction of bearded Emperor Jimmu with his emblematic long bow and an accompanying wild bird — artwork byTsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892). The mausoleum of Emperor Jimmu inKashihara City, Nara Prefecture. Mythic records in the Kojiki and Nihon Shokidescribe, with distinct versions that often disagree on details, how Jimmus brothers were born in Takachiho, the southern part ofKyūshū (in modern day Miyazaki prefecture), and decided to move eastward, as they found the location inappropriate for reigning over the entire country. Jimmus older brother, Itsuse no Mikoto, originally led the migration, and led the clan eastward through the Seto Inland Sea with the assistance of local chieftain Sao Netsuhiko. As they reached Naniwa (modern day Ōsaka), they encountered another local chieftain,Nagasunehiko (lit. the long-legged man), and Itsuse was killed in the ensuing battle. Jimmu realized that they had been defeated because they battled eastward against the sun, so he decided to land on the east side of Kii Peninsula and to battle westward. They reached Kumano, and, with the guidance of athree-legged crow, Yatagarasu (lit. eight-span crow), they moved to Yamato. There, they once again battled Nagasunehiko and were victorious. In Yamato, Nigihayahi no Mikoto, who also claim descent from the Takamagahara gods, was protected by Nagasunehiko. However, when Nigihayahi met Jimmu, he accepted Jimmus legitimacy. At this point, Jimmu is said to have ascended to the throne of Japan. According to the Kojiki, Jimmu died when he was 126 years old. This emperorsposthumous name literally means divine might or god-warrior. It is undisputed that this identification is Chinese in form and Buddhist in implication, which suggests that the name must have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to Jimmu. It is generally thought that Jimmus name and character evolved into their present shape just before[12] the time in which legends about the origins of the Yamato dynasty were chronicled in the Kojiki.[4] The fluidity of Jimmu before the compilation of the Kojiki and of the Nihon Shoki is demonstrated by somewhat earlier texts that place three dynasties as successors to the mythological Yamato state. According to these texts, Jimmus dynasty was supplanted by that of Emperor Ōjin, whose dynasty was supplanted by that of Emperor Keitai.[13] TheKojiki and the Nihon Shoki then combined these three mythical dynasties into one long and continuous genealogy. The traditional site of Jimmus grave is nearUnebiyama in Kashihara.[14] Modern veneration of Emperor JimmuEdit The inner prayer hall of Kashihara Shrine in Kashihara, Nara, the principal shrine devoted to Emperor Jimmu Veneration of Emperor Jimmu was a central component of the imperial cult that formed following the Meiji restoration.[citation needed]1872-73 saw the establishment of a new holiday called Kigensetsu (Era Day) commemorating the anniversary of Jimmus ascension to the throne 2,532 years earlier.[15]Between 1873 and 1945 an imperial envoy sent offerings every year to Mount Unebi, the supposed site of Jimmus tomb.[16] In 1890 Kashihara Shrine was established nearby, on the spot where Jimmu was said to have ascended to the throne.[17] Before and during World War II, expansionist propaganda made frequent use of the phrasehakkō ichiu, a neologism coined by Tanaka Chigaku based on a passage in the Nihon Shoki discussing Emperor Jimmu.[18] Some media incorrectly attributed the exact phrase to Emperor Jimmu.[19] For the 1940Kigensetsu celebration, marking the supposed 2,600th anniversary of Jimmus enthronement, the Peace Tower (平和の塔Heiwa no Tō?, originally called the Hakkō Ichiu Tower 八紘一宇の塔 Hakkō Ichiu no Tōor the Pillar of Heaven and Earth 八紘之基柱Ametsuchi no Motohashira) was constructed in Miyazaki.[20][better source needed] The same year numerous stone monuments relating to key events in Jimmus life were erected around Japan. The sites at which these monuments were erected are known as Emperor Jimmu Sacred Historical Sites.[21][better source needed] Kigensetsu was suspended in 1948 during the occupation of Japan, but was reinstated in 1966 as Kenkoku Kinen no hi, which continues to be celebrated as a national holiday.[22][better source needed]
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:39:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015