(417/18 – 479) was the 21st

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

, according to the traditional

order of succession An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility. According to the ''

Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...

'', this Emperor is said to have ruled from the Thirteenth Day of the Eleventh Month of 456 ( Heishin) until his death on the Seventh Day of the Eight Month of 479 ( Kibi). He is the first archaeologically verifiable Japanese emperor.

Protohistoric narrative

The Japanese have traditionally accepted this sovereign's historical existence, and a mausoleum (misasagi) for Yūryaku is currently maintained. The following information available is taken from the pseudo-historical ''

'' and ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

'', which are collectively known as or ''Japanese chronicles''. These chronicles include legends and myths, as well as potential historical facts that have since been exaggerated and/or distorted over time. It is recorded in the ''Kiki'' that Yūryaku was born to sometime in 417 or 418 AD, and was given the name . As the fifth and youngest son of Emperor Ingyō he was never given the title of "Crown Prince" due to his two older living brothers.

Ascension

Ōhatsuse was thrown into a fit of rage when he learned that his brother Emperor Ankō was assassinated in 456 AD. He then immediately became suspicious of his two elder brothers as conspirers. Ōhatsuse's first action was to question Prince Shirahiko regarding what could have happened. Shirahiko allegedly knew Ōhatsuse was up to no good, so he sat silently which prompted Ōhatsuse to kill him both individually with a sword. He then turned his rage towards the boy assassin (Prince Mayowa), and his other brother Kurohiko by burning him to death. This just left Emperor Richū's eldest son Prince Ichinobe no Oshiwa in contention for the throne. Ōhatsuse was resentful that Ankō had formally wished to transfer the kingdom to Ichinobe. Both the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki describe how Ōhatsuse took Prince Ichinobe and his younger brother Prince Mima out hunting and "treacherously" killed them. The sons of Prince Ichinobe fled to Harima and went into hiding, later becoming Emperor Kenzō and Emperor Ninken. Ōhatsuse (later known as Emperor Yūryaku) was then enthroned sometime afterwards in November 456. The new emperor subsequently made ''Asakura no Miya'' at

Sakurai, Nara file:Sakurai city-office.jpg, 270px, Sakurai City Hall is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 54,384 in 25678 households, and a population density of 550 persons per km2. The total area of the city i ...

the location of his imperial palace. Emperor Richū's widow Kusaka no Hatabi no hime was appointed Empress with three concubines in March 457.

Reign

According to the ''Kiki'', Emperor Yūryaku's reign was full of tyranny and cruelty. He allegedly ordered a girl to "have her four limbs stretched on a tree and be roasted to death" due to misplaced affection. Another account states that he killed one of his servants during a hunt because his servant did not understand how to cut up animal meat. Yūryaku also allegedly removed a high official to a distant post so he could help himself to the man's wife. The Emperor arbitrary and capriciously killed so many men and women that he was referred to as Emperor of Great Wickedness by the public. However, it is noted that Yūryaku improved his behavior after being admonished by the empress. On a more positive side, Yūryaku greatly encouraged agriculture during his reign and had his consort plant mulberry trees and cultivate silkworms. The Emperor was also known as a poet, and someone who enjoyed arts and crafts as expert handicraftsmen were commissioned from

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

(Korea).Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkokai (1969). ''The Manyōshū,'' p. 317. While the Empress herself never bore Yūryaku any children, he had three sons and two daughters with his concubines. In the 22nd year of his reign (477 AD) Yūryaku moved a shrine dedicated to

Toyouke-hime Toyouke-hime is the goddess of agriculture, industry, food, clothing, and houses in the Shinto religion. Originally enshrined in the Tanba region of Japan, she was called to reside at Gekū, Ise Shrine, about 1,500 years ago at the age of Empe ...

from Tanba to Ise (modern day

Ise, Mie , formerly called Ujiyamada (宇治山田), is a Cities of Japan, city in central Mie Prefecture, on the island of Honshū, Japan. Ise is home to Ise Grand Shrine, the most sacred Shinto shrine, Shintō shrine in Japan. The city has a long-stan ...

). This newly founded shrine named is now a part of the

Ise Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...

complex. According to "" (written in 884 AD), the goddess Toyouke originally came from Tamba. It records that Emperor Yūryaku was told by

Amaterasu , often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () ...

in his dream that she alone was not able to supply enough food, so that Yūryaku needed to bring , or the goddess of divine meals, from Hijino Manai in ancient

Tanba Province was a province of Japan in the area of central Kyoto and east-central Hyōgo Prefectures. Tanba bordered on Harima, Ōmi, Settsu, Tajima. Tango, Wakasa, and Yamashiro provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichid ...

. Yūryaku appointed his son as heir apparent in 478 AD before dying in the following year. The ''

'' mentions that Yūryaku lived to be 104, while the

gives his age as 124. His son Shiraka was later enthroned as Emperor Seinei in 480 AD.

Folklore

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

folklore, events during Yūryaku's reign include meeting the Kami "Hitokotonushi" while hunting on Mount Katsuraki in 460 AD. The Kami appeared to him as a tall man whose face and demeanor resembled the Emperor's. After introductions Hitokotonushi joined Yūryaku as the two hunted deer until sunset. He then escorted the Emperor "as far as the waters of Kume." Another encounter with a Kami occurred in 463 AD through an invitation to the thunder god of to the Imperial Palace. The Emperor sent his royal messenger Chiisakobe no muraji Sugaru ,who carried a halberd with a red banner that symbolized his authority. Sugaru enlisted the help of priests to enshrine the kami into a portable carriage, to be brought in the Emperor's presence, as a great serpent. Things took a turn for the worse as Yūryaku had neglected beforehand to practice proper ritual purification and religious abstinence. The thunder kami showed his displeasure through a thundering menacing appearance which caused the Emperor to flee into the interior of his palace. The great serpent was returned to Mimuro, and the Emperor made many offerings to appease the angry deity.

Historical assessment

Yūryaku is regarded by historians as a ruler during the 5th century whose existence is generally accepted as fact. Scholar Francis Brinkley lists Emperor Yūryaku under "Protohistoric sovereigns" where he remarks that while some historians have described him as an "austere" man, "few readers of his annals will be disposed to endure such a lenient verdict." He also added that the year 475 AD marks the first "absolute agreement between the dates given in Japanese history and those given in Korean…“ This in turn has caused critics to admit the trustworthiness of Japanese history in the late 5th century. Scottish Orientalist scholar and journalist

James Murdoch James Rupert Jacob Murdoch (born 13 December 1972) is an American - British businessman. He is the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the former chief executive officer (CEO) of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019. He was the chairma ...

regards Yūryaku as a "much maligned person who was a strong if somewhat ferocious ruler." British academic and author

Richard Ponsonby-Fane Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane (8 January 1878 – 10 December 1937) was a British academic, author, specialist of Shinto and Japanologist. Early years Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby was born at Gravesend, Kent, Gravesend on the south ...

noted that the Emperor is described as a "mighty hunter" as its recorded that the God "Hitokotonushi" accompanied him in the chase. The Emperor's interest in poetry is amongst the more well-documented aspects of his character and reign. Poems attributed to him are included in the ''

Man'yōshū The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...

'', and a number of his verses are preserved in the ''Kojiki'' and the ''Nihonshoki''. Archaeological research has also confirmed that large keyhole-shaped tombs belonging to the chiefs of local ruling families disappeared from around the end of the 5th century when Yūryaku reigned. A modern-day cognitive analysis "as deciphered in the Nihon shoki" was conducted in 2024 by the National Institute of Japanese Literature. In this analysis Emperor Yūryaku was included as an example of "impulsive murder and the tendency to become enraged." Factors such as "the disproportion between the triggering events", "the violence expressed by the emperor on such occasions (quite extreme in degree)", and the "frequent occurrence of such descriptions" were then considered for a conclusion. It is suggested that Emperor Yūryaku may have had an "

intermittent explosive disorder Intermittent explosive disorder (IED), or episodic dyscontrol syndrome (EDS), is a mental disorder characterized by explosive outbursts of anger or violence, often to the point of rage, that are disproportionate to the situation (e.g., impulsive ...

, a type of

Impulse-control disorder Impulse-control disorder (ICD) is a class of psychiatric disorders characterized by impulsivity – failure to resist a temptation, an urge, or an impulse; or having the inability to not speak on a thought. The fifth edition of the American Ps ...

." Outside of the ''Kiki'', the reign of

Emperor Kinmei was the 29th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 欽明天皇 (29) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)pp. 34–36 Brown, Delmer. (1979) ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 261–2 ...

( – 571 AD) is the first for which contemporary historiography has been able to assign verifiable dates. The conventionally accepted names and dates of the early Emperors were not confirmed as "traditional" though, until the reign of Emperor Kanmu between 737 and 806 AD.

Great King of Yamato

During this moment in history, the calendar system of the

changes from before and after Yūryaku's reign. As his name is mentioned at the beginning of the

and

Nihon Ryōiki The is an early Heian period setsuwa collection. Written by Kyōkai between 787 and 824, it is Japan's oldest collection of Buddhist setsuwa. It is three volumes in length. Title Commonly abbreviated as ''Nihon Ryōiki'', which means "Record ...

, this is seen as a historical turning point. Previously the Japanese archipelago had been a confederation of powerful ruling families from various regions. This appeared to have changed with the appearance of Emperor Yuryaku as the autocratic rule of the Great King was established and a centralized system centered on the Great King began. This is further supported by a major discovery that occurred in 1968 when the iron Inariyama burial-mound sword was extracted from a tomb. In 1978,

X-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

analysis revealed a gold-inlaid inscription that comprises at least 115 Chinese characters. The given year on the sword is denoted as "''xin-hai''" ("Year of the Metal Pig") according to the Chinese

sexagenary cycle The sexagenary cycle, also known as the gānzhī (干支) or stems-and-branches, is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus amounting to a total of sixty years every cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...

, in which the name of the year is recycled every 60 years. While this year is generally regarded in Japan to correspond to 471 AD, at least one historian suggests that 531 is a more likely date. The person buried in the tomb is given the name "Wowake", who was thought to be an influential warrior in the region. King Waka Takiru in the transcription is thought to be the same person as Ōhatsuse-wakatakeru-no-mikoto as mentioned in the ''

'', an alias of Emperor Yūryaku. As each inscription contains the name of an official position, this suggests that a system similar to the Bemin was already in place. While the

Eta Funayama Sword Eta Funayama Kofun () is a ''kofun'', or Tumulus, burial mound, located in Nagomi, Kumamoto in Japan. The mound was designated a Monuments of Japan, National Historic Site of Japan in 1951. The designation includes and . Several artifacts exc ...

also apparently mentions the name "Waka Takiru", many characters on that sword are illegible possibly due to polishing by a Japanese sword sharpener at the end of the Taisho period. If Yūryaku's name can be corroborated to this sword then it can be interpreted that the power of the Great King had already extended from

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

to Togoku by the latter half of the 5th century. There is no evidence to suggest that the title ''tennō'' (meaning "emperor") was used during the time to which Yūryaku's reign has been assigned. Instead, his title could have possibly been , meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven", or "Great King of Yamato". The name Yūryaku''-tennō'' was more than likely assigned to him

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

by later generations. His name might have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to Yūryaku, possibly during the time in which legends about the origins of the imperial dynasty were compiled as the chronicles known today as the ''

''.

King Bu

It's theorized that Emperor Yūryaku may be synonymous with King Bu (武) as written in the Chinese records. According to the

Book of Song The ''Book of Song'' (''Sòng Shū'') is a historical text of the Liu Song dynasty of the Southern Dynasties of China. It covers history from 420 to 479, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories, a traditional collection of historical records. ...

, Bu dispatched envoys to Emperor Shun of Song ( a Southern Chinese dynasty) in both 477 and 478 AD. The first envoy was to inform the Chinese emperor that King Kō ( Emperor Ankō) had died, and his older brother had become king. It is written that he called himself "King of Wa", and the military commander of several different Kingdoms. Its written that in the following year Emperor Shun appointed Bu the title of ''Grand'' ''Peacekeeper-General of the East''. The full context of this latter passage describes how Bu's ancestors conquered countries, and expanded their power to the east and west. It describes how they crossed the sea to the north and reached the southern part of the

Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

. Although the kings of Wa repeatedly requested that the Emperors of the Song dynasty recognize their military control over

, their efforts were denied. The reason for this is thought to be that the Song dynasty placed importance on Baekje, which was located in a strategically important area. By not offering recognition the Song Emperors could put the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

in check, and avoid opposition from

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

which was in conflict with Wa. Scholar Francis Brinkley notes that the power of the Koma clan (supported by the Liu Song dynasty) in Goguryeo increased steadily during this time. Brinkley suggests that Emperor Yūryaku's attempts to establish close relations with the Chinese Emperor seem to be from a desire to isolate Korea, which ended in failure. The other two recorded instances regarding King Bu are mentioned in the books of Qi, and Liang. As compared to the former mention in 478 AD, these are not considered to be reliable. Japanese historian Mori Kimiaki points out that both of these appointments coincide with the founding year of their respective dynasties. This is thought to be an administrative matter, and it is not clear whether King Bu (Yūryaku) himself requested it or not. There is at least one theory that supports the envoy being sent to

Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succee ...

in 479 as being factual. This is solely based though, on the description in the title of included in . The fourth and final appointment allegedly made by King Bu (Yūryaku) falls outside of his recorded lifetime. As the ''Kiki'' states that Emperor Yūryaku died in 479, the last given year of 502 AD would be implausible.

Gravesite

While the actual site of Yūryaku's

grave A grave is a location where a cadaver, dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is burial, buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of buria ...

is not known, this regent is traditionally venerated at a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

(''misasagi'') in

Habikino, Osaka 270px, Habikino city office is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 109,479 in 50918 households and a population density of 4100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The city is known fo ...

. As designated by the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

as Yūryaku's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

, its formal name is ''Tajihi no Takawashi-no-hara no misasagi''. Aside from this shrine in Osaka, there is another burial site named where Yūryaku is a possible burial candidate. Those in doubt of this theory though, point to the construction style of the Kofun which may have begun several decades after Emperor Yūryaku's death. This has led some researchers to add Emperor Ankan as a burial candidate for the Kofun. Yūryaku is also enshrined at the Imperial Palace along with other emperors and members of the Imperial Family at the Three Palace Sanctuaries. He is additionally deified at the in

Gose, Nara 280px, Gose City Hall is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 23,196 in 11958 households, and a population density of 380 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Gose is located ...

Consorts and children

Spouse/Concubine

Issue

Notes

References

External links

Nihon Shoki
Online English Translations
Scroll 14 - Emperor Yuryaku
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuryaku Emperors of Japan 418 births 479 deaths People of the Kofun period 5th-century Japanese monarchs Japanese male poets Man'yō poets 5th-century Japanese poets