Wei History

Asian History Japan

JAPAN IN THE WEI DYNASTIC HISTORY

Japan was recorded in Chinese dynastic histories on different occasions. The first contact Japan had with China occurred in 57 A.D. when a mission was sent to the court of the Later Han dynasty. A tribute mission was again sent in 107 A.D. and southern dynastic histories give 13 entries for “five Japanese kings?between 413 and 502 A.D.

Of all the Chinese records, the description appearing in the Wei chih (History of Wei) is most thorough, giving a contemporary account of history, geography, and the beliefs and customs of the Japanese people. The Kingdom of Wei existed between 220 and 265 A.D. and its history was compiled about 297 A.D. The existence of wet-rice cultivation and of sericulture is clearly indicated in the excerpts reproduced below. The use of iron as described ?important both for cultivation and for warfare ?is consistent with archaeological evidence available for the later Yayoi period.

As to the political structure of the country of Wa, rejection of men rulers in favor of a female seems to indicate a widespread practice of shamanism. The queen, Pimiko, obviously served as a medium as did her successor Iyo. Only through a form of witchcraft was the country able to maintain a semblance of unity. Note also that there was an attempt to gain assistance from the Wei officials. The use of animal bones for divination is supported by archaeological evidence. The purification rites described in the Wei history are probably not confined to the period after funeral services. Misogi, or water purification, is one of the important Shinto rituals which survives today in a diff'erent form ?the Japanese love for bathing, especially in hot springs.

From the History of Wei' ' The people of Wa make their abode in the

mountainous islands located in the middle of the ocean to the southeast of the Taifang prefecture.' ?Formerly there were more than one hundred communities. During the Han dynasty their envoys appeared in the court. Today, thirty of their communities maintain communication with us through their envoys....

All men, old or young, are covered by tattoos. Japanese fishers revel in diving to catch fish and shell-fish. Tattoos are said to drive away large fish and water predators. They are considered an ornament. Tottoos differ from community to community. Some place tattoos on the left, and others on the right, some place large ones and others small ones. Tattoos also differ in accordance with the social positions.... Men allow their hair to cover both of their ears and wear head-bands. They wear loin cloth wrapped around their bodies and seldom use stitches. Women gather their hair at the ends and tie in a knot and then pin it to the top of their heads. They make their clothes in one piece, and cut an opening in the center for their heads. They plant wet-field rice, China-grass (ramie), and mulberry trees. They raise cocoons and reel the silk off the cocoons. They produce clothing made of China-grass, of coarse silk, and of cotton. In their land, there are no cows, horses, tigers, leopards, sheep or swan. They fight with halberds, shields and wooden bows. The lower inflection of their bows is shorter, and the upper inflection longer. Their arrows are made of bamboo and iron and bone points make up the arrowhead....

The land of Wa is warm and mild. The people eat raw vegetables and go about barefoot in winter as in summer. They live in houses. Father and mother, older and younger sleep separately. They paint their bodies with vermilion and scarlet, just as the Chinese apply powder. They serve food on bowl-shaped stemware (takatsuki), and eat with their fingers. When a person dies, he is placed in a coffin (which is buried directly in the grave) without an outer protective layer. The grave is then covered with earth to make a mound. When death occurs, the family observes mourning for more than ten days, during which period no meat is eaten. The head mourner wails and cries, while others sing, dance and drink liquor (probably sake, the Japanese rice wine). When the funeral is over, the entire family goes into the water to cleanse themselves in a manner similar to the Chinese in their rites of purification.

When they travel across the sea to come to China, they always select a man who does not comb his hair, does not rid himself of fleas, keeps his clothes soiled with dirt, does not eat meat, and does not lie with women. He behaves like a mourner, and is called a “keeper of taboos.??If the voyage is concluded with good fortune, every one lavishes on him slaves and treasures. If someone gets ill, or if there is a mishap, they kill him immediately, saying that he was not conscientious in observing the taboos....

When they undertake an activity or a journey and cannot reach a consensus, they bake animal bones to divine and tell good or bad fortunes. They first announce the object of their divination, and in their manner of speech, they are similar to the Chinese tortoise shell divination. They examine the cracks on the bone made by the fire to tell the fortune.

In their meetings and daily living, there is no distinction between father and son, or between men and women. People enjoy liquor. In their worship, the high-echelon men simply clap their hands instead of bowing in the kneeled position. They live long, some reaching one hundred years of age, and others to eighty or ninety years. Normally, men of high echelon have four or five wives, and the plebians may have two or three. Women are chaste and not given to jealousy. They do not engage in thievery, and there is very little litigation. When the law is violated, the light offender loses his wife and children by confiscation, and the grave offender has his household and kinsmen exterminated. There are class distinctions within the nobility and the base, and some are vassals of others. There are mansions and granaries erected for the purpose of collecting taxes. Each community has a market place where commodities are exchanged under the supervision of an official of Wa....

When plebians meet the high-echelon men on the road, they withdraw to the grassy area (side of the road) hesitantly. When they speak or are spoken to, they either crouch or kneel with both hands on the ground to show their respect. When responding they say “aye,?which corresponds to our affirmative “yes.

Formerly the country had men as rulers. However, for seventy or eighty years after that, the country had disturbances and warfare. Finally people agreed to make a woman as their ruler, and called her Pimiko (Himiko). She was adept in the ways of shamanism, and could bewitch people. In her mature years, she was yet unmarried and had her younger brother help her rule the country. After she became the ruler, there were only a few who ever saw her. She had one thousand maidservants, but there was only one manservant attending her. His functions were to serve her food and drinks, to communicate messages, and to enter and leave her quarters. The queen resided in a palace surrounded by towers and barricades, with guards maintaining a constant watch....

In the sixth month of the third year of Chengchih (239 A.D.)? the queen of Wa sent her grand steward Nashomi to the prefecture [of Taifang], requesting that he be allowed to have audience with the Emperor to pay tribute. The governor, Liu Hsia, assigned an official as a guide to escort the party to the capital.... An edict of the [Wei] Emperor said as follows: ?..You reside in a distant place, but have sent an embassy to pay tribute. This is manifestation of your loyalty and filial piety which we appreciate exceedingly. We therefore confer upon you the title ‘Ruler of Wa, Friendly to Wei.?... We beseech you to rule your people in peace and compassion, and continue to show your filial piety and devotion....

In the sixth year [of Chengchih, 242 A.D.], the Emperor sent his edict and a yellow banner bearing the imperial insignia to Wa... in care of the prefecture. In the eighth year [244 A.D.], a new governor, Wang Ch’i, arrived at his post. At that time the Queen of Wa had difficulties with Himikoko, king of Kuna [located to the south of Wa], and sent her envoys to the prefecture to explain the conditions of their warfare. The governor sent an official by the name of Chang Cheng as his envoy to transmit the imperial edict and yellow banner, and to give instructions to Wa through the latter’s official Nashomi. But at that time Pimiko died, and a great mound ?more than one hundred paces in diameter ?was erected. More than a hundred men and maid-servants followed her to the grave. A king ascended the throne, but the country would not obey him. Murders and assassinations were practiced on one another, and more than one thousand were killed in this fashion.

Finally a relative of Pimiko, named Iyo, a girl aged thirteen, was made queen and order was restored to the country. Cheng and others representing Wei gave instructions to Iyo [thus showing Wei’s support of her]. Iyo sent her delegation consisting of twenty members under her grand steward Isako, to accompany Chang Cheng and others [returning to Wei]. On the occasion of their visit to the capital, the Japanese envoys presented thirty men and maid-servants, and also offered the court five thousand white gems and two pieces of curved jade and twenty pieces of brocade with different designs.