The ''Hotsuma Tsutae'' (also ''Hotuma Tsutaye'', Japanese 秀真伝) is an elaborate

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

of Japanese legendary history which differs substantially from the mainstream version as recorded in the '' Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki''. Its antiquity is undetermined. Although many proponents allege that the ''Hotsuma'' predates the mainstream mythology, the first known manuscript was dedicated to a shrine by Waniko Yasutoshi (also known as Yunoshin Ibo) in 1775. Some excerpts were published and translated into modern Japanese in 1884, a printing which was noted by

Hirata Atsutane was a Japanese scholar, conventionally ranked as one of the Four Great Men of Kokugaku (nativist) studies, and one of the most significant theologians of the Shintō religion. His literary name was , and his primary assumed name was . He also ...

in his work on ''

jindai moji ''Jindai moji'' or ''Kamiyo moji'' (Japanese: "characters of the Age of the Gods") are characters said to have been used in ancient Japan. Some have claimed since the mid- Edo period that such ancient characters, for example such as Chikushi ...

'', a Japanese writing system developed prior to the use of Chinese characters, but which otherwise ignored the work. Atsutane's

Kokugaku ''Kokugaku'' ( ja, 國學, label= Kyūjitai, ja, 国学, label=Shinjitai; literally "national study") was an academic movement, a school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Tokugawa period. Kokugaku scholars worked to r ...

was principally concerned with the ''Kojiki'' and the ''Hotsuma Tsutae'' would have only muddled his theories. Yasutoshi's manuscript was almost lost, but was discovered and rescued in 1993 following the publication of some popular books on the subject in the mid-20th century by Yoshinosuke Matsumoto.Yoshinosuke Matsumoto The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd (1980/07) - Public appars.Yoshinosuke Matsumoto (Author), Andrew Driver (Translator) ''The Hotsuma Legends: Paths of the Ancestors.'' Japan Translation Center, LTD. (1999) - Translated. The ''Hotsuma Tsutae'' is known for its text and rhythm. It was written in ''

yamato-kotoba are native Japanese words, meaning those words in Japanese that have been inherited from Old Japanese, rather than being borrowed at some stage. Together with kango () and gairaigo (), they form one of the three main sources of Japanese words ...

'', which only uses a Japanese vocabulary which predates contact with China. Some of the ''yamato-kotoba'' used in ''Hotsuma Tsutae'' are unattested elsewhere in the Old Japanese corpus but have parallels to old words. Meaning that if it is a late medieval hoax, it is extremely elaborate. Among other things in its primarily historical and non-mythological record, the text discusses the births, lives, and deaths of ''

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

'' from Japanese folk shrines and history; in this case, the word ''kami'' being used to mean something like royalty and not "gods". In the poem, Amaterasu, the sun ''kami'' of Shinto, is male, and not female as is written in the official records. Matsumoto theorizes that Amaterasu was feminized in the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'' to provide a justification for the reign of

Empress Suiko (554 – 15 April 628) was the 33rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 推古天皇 (33)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Suiko reigned from 593 until her death in 628. In the history of Japa ...

who reigned just before those documents were written. Although for the most part Japanese academics remain uninterested in this text, some scholars are of the opinion that it may have been written in the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

. This is due to claims that the text was written in an original Japanese alphabet - in academic circles, the existence of writing in Japan before the use of Chinese characters is denied, also the alphabet does not reflect the Old Japanese phonology but rather those of later stages of Japanese. The general opinion is that it is a

false document A false document is a technique by which an author aims to increase verisimilitude in a work of fiction by inventing and inserting or mentioning documents that appear to be factual. The goal of a false document is to convince an audience that what ...

. However, no definitive conclusion has yet been reached.

References

External links

Modern English translations of the Hotsuma Tsutae

tokyo woshite kenkyukai in facebook

The Hotsuma Legends: Paths of the Ancestors
{{jmyth navbox long 1775 poems 18th-century manuscripts Japanese mythology Edo-period works Hoaxes in Japan Literary forgeries Forged epic poems Jindai moji Japanese false documents