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''Nissen dōsoron'' (; ) is a theory that reinforces the idea that the
Japanese people
are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago. Japanese people constitute 97.4% of the population of the country of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 125 million people are of Japanese descent, making them list of contempora ...
and the Korean people
Koreans are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As ...
share a common ancestry. It was first introduced during the Japanese annexation of Korea
From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon".
Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...
in the early 20th century by Japanese historians from Tokyo Imperial University
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...
after adopting pre-existing theories conceived during the Meiji era
The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feu ...
. It mainly cites the ''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 ...
'', ''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 ...
'', and ''Shinsen Shōjiroku
is an imperially commissioned Japanese genealogical record. It was first conceived during Emperor Kanmu's reign in 799 to properly track the clans' then ambiguous lineages, but was not completed before his death in 806. The project was later car ...
'' to emphasize that the Japanese people descended from the Japanese deity, 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 () ...
and the Korean people from Susanoo
__FORCETOC__
Susanoo (, ; historical orthography: , ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto (), is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese im ...
, her younger brother.
Overview
The precursor to the theory was first conceived by three Japanese historiansShigeno Yasutsugu Shigeno may refer to:
*Shigeno Station, railway station of Shinano Railway Line in Tōmi City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
* 12788 Shigeno, a main-belt asteroid
* Battle of Shigeno, fought in the final months of 1614, was one element in the siege of O ...
, Kume Kunitake
was a historian in Meiji and Taishō period Japan. He had a son, Kume Keiichirō, who was a noted painter.
Biography
Kume was born in Saga Domain, Hizen Province (present-day Saga Prefecture), and was active in attempting to assist the ad ...
, and Hoshino Hisashi
was a Japanese historian and sinologist, active in the late 19th century debates over the role of Japanese history.
Career
Hoshino was appointed professor at Tokyo Imperial University in 1888. Historical work had previously been carried out i ...
with the publication of ''Kōhon kokushi gan'' (稿本国史眼) prior to the annexation.
The book asserted that the legendary figures Susanoo
__FORCETOC__
Susanoo (, ; historical orthography: , ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto (), is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese im ...
, the brother of Emperor Jimmu
was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the and . His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Inahi no Mikoto and
The theory gained further momentum among historians with much emphasis put on the natures of both the Japanese and the Koreans by comparing the two ethnic groups to
Empress Jingū
was a Legend, legendary Japanese empress who ruled as a regent following her Emperor Chūai, husband's death in 200 AD. Both the and the (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events that took place during Jingū's alleged lifetime. Legen ...
had ruled or invaded ancient Silla
Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...
(Korea). This was due to the fact that the aforementioned individuals were related to Silla in one way or another: Susanoo first arriving in Silla (''Nihon Shoki''), Inahi no Mikoto being an ancestor to a king of Silla (''Shinsen Shōjiroku'') and Empress Jingū descending from Amenohiboko was a legendary prince of Silla who settled in Japan during the era of Emperor Suinin, around the 3rd or 4th century. Amenohiboko is said to have lived in Tajima Province, and his descendants are the Tajima clan (多遅摩氏). He is the ancestra ...
, a prince of Silla (''Kojiki''). In other instances, Hogong
Hogong was a minister of Silla in the age of nation-building. It is recorded that he was originally from the Wa people of Japan, though his family name or clan name was unknown to the compiler of the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms. 三 ...
, a Japanese individual who helped King Hyeokgeose build Silla is used to extend the narrative. The Japanese scholars' focus on Silla was mostly due to it being the kingdom that unified the peninsula and being the foundation for future Korean kingdoms that soon followed. This meant that claiming Japanese origins of Silla created a basis for Japanese foothold in the formation of a unified Korea, further expanding its legitimacy of reclaiming the land. These views of Korea's historical subjugation to Japan became widely accepted in Japanese scholarship and integral to Japan's national history, as it was presented in other books of Japan's Meiji era
The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feu ...
(1868–1912), such as Ōtori Keisuke
Baron was a Japanese military leader and diplomat.Perez, Louis G. (2013)"Ōtori Keisuke"in ''Japan at War: An Encyclopedia,'' p. 304.
Biography
Early life and education
Ōtori Keisuke was born in Akamatsu Village, in the Akō domain of Harim ...
's ''Chōsen kibun'' (朝鮮紀聞) (1885), and Hayashi Taisuke (林泰輔)'s ''Chōsenshi'' (朝鮮史) (1892) which made similar arguments.
Japanese history revisionists used the story of Susanoo in particular, to link the deities of Japan to the deities of Korea in order to create a sense of justification over the annexation. One of which was to claim that the Korean god and the founder of the first Korean kingdom Gojoseon
Gojoseon (; ), contemporary name Joseon (; ), was the first kingdom on the Korea, Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary king Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in th ...
, Dangun
Dangun or Tangun (; ), also known as Dangun Wanggeom (; ), was the legendary founder and first king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. He founded the first kingdom around the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gra ...
was in fact the Japanese god, Susanoo.
This claim was based on the fact that Susanoo first emerged from the lands of Silla
Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...
, a Korean kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statelets consolidated until, af ...
in a place called "Soshimori (曽尸茂梨)" but soon left 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 ...
to the Japanese archipelago
The is an archipelago of list of islands of Japan, 14,125 islands that form the country of Japan. It extends over from the Sea of Okhotsk in the northeast to the East China Sea, East China and Philippine Sea, Philippine seas in the southwest al ...
as he was dissatisfied with the place according to both ''Nihon Shoki'' and ''Kojiki''. Using this, Japanese historians claimed that Susanoo was the original Dangun who the Koreans descended from.
However, the claim was met with criticism from Korean historians as Dangun's alleged first founding of Gojoseon
Gojoseon (; ), contemporary name Joseon (; ), was the first kingdom on the Korea, Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary king Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in th ...
(2333 BC(?)–108 BC) was over two millennia prior to Susanoo's emergence from Silla
Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...
(57 BCE–935 CE). To counter this, historians such as Shiratori Kurakichi, founder of the discipline of ''Oriental History'' (Tōyōshi/東洋史) in Tokyo Imperial University
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...
argued that the Korean deity was fabricated by Buddhist priests sometime after 372 CE. This allowed him to demonstrate "that Korea as a unified country developed relatively late in the history of Asia, and later than Japan", ultimately discrediting Dangun's supposed accomplishments in favor of the Japanese god. By the beginning of the rule, most Japanese historians denied Dangun's existence as a separate deity.
After discrediting Dangun as an autonomous and native god of the Korean people, Japanese officials such as Koiso Kuniaki (小磯國昭), Governor General of Korea, began to teach the youth that "the Japanese could trace their lineage to Amaterasu, whereas the Koreans descended from Susanoo who had appeared on Mount Soshimori in Korea."
History
Pre-Meiji Period
The outlines of the theory can be traced back to mid-Edo periodKokugaku
was an academic movement, a school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Edo period. scholars worked to refocus Japanese scholarship away from the then-dominant study of Chinese, Confucian, and Buddhist texts in favor of ...
scholarship. 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 19th century theologians of the Shintō religion. His literary name was , and his primary assumed name ...
was among those who used their studies of ''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 ...
'' 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 ...
'' to claim that Korean and Japanese history was intertwined from the period of ancient nation formation and that a hierarchical relationship in which Japan was dominant could be established. The view is currently unsupported. Arai Hakuseki
was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo period, who advised the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi (君美). Hakuseki (白 ...
claimed that Japanese ancestors came from the Mahan confederacy
Mahan () was a tribal grouping in southwestern Korea described in Chinese sources from the 3rd century. It was the largest of the 'three Hans' (the Samhan), along with Byeonhan and Jinhan. During the 4th century, the kingdom of Baekje rose in ...
, and that there was a possibility that Kumaso
The were a mythical people of ancient Japan mentioned in the ''Kojiki'', believed to have lived in the south of Kyūshū until at least the Nara period. The last leader of the Kumaso, Torishi-Kaya was killed by Yamato Takeru in 397. The name of ...
was 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 ...
.
Post-Meiji Period
The Meiji period historiansHoshino Hisashi
was a Japanese historian and sinologist, active in the late 19th century debates over the role of Japanese history.
Career
Hoshino was appointed professor at Tokyo Imperial University in 1888. Historical work had previously been carried out i ...
, Kita Sadakichi, and linguist Kanazawa Shosaburo have been criticized for promulgating theories of common ancestry used to justify Korea's annexation and policy of cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's Dominant culture, majority group or fully adopts the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group. The melting pot model is based on this ...
.
Influence
The theory gained further momentum among historians with much emphasis put on the natures of both the Japanese and the Koreans by comparing the two ethnic groups to 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 () ...
and Susanoo
__FORCETOC__
Susanoo (, ; historical orthography: , ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto (), is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese im ...
as siblings with shared heritage but vastly different personalities.
While embodying the collective identity of the Japanese, Amaterasu was depicted as a god of serenity and patience while Susanoo was depicted as an unruly younger brother who depended on his benevolent elder sister's leadership. In addition, as early as the medieval period
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
, Susanoo was regarded as a "foreign" deity who had come to the Japanese archipelago from the Asian mainland and was only re-evaluated by Japanese historians when the annexation of Korea
Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...
commenced. Susanoo's impulsive behavior and his mediocrity was supposedly inherited by that of the Koreans (the descendants of Susanoo) and thus was treated as a task for the Japanese (the descendants of Amaterasu) to redeem the Koreans from political turmoil and cultural barbarism as their "elder sibling".
The contrast between Susanoo’s lack of self-control and Amaterasu’s serenity was used as a model for the relationship of the two "sibling" nations: in colonial discourse, the alleged immaturity of the Korean people and their state was often contrasted with Japan’s successful modernization
Modernization theory or modernisation theory holds that as societies become more economically modernized, wealthier and more educated, their political institutions become increasingly liberal democratic and rationalist. The "classical" theories ...
, which in turn legitimated Japanese colonial rule. Japanese physical anthropologist
Biological anthropology, also known as physical anthropology, is a natural science discipline concerned with the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings, their extinct hominin ancestors, and related non-human primates, particularly from ...
s themselves played a significant role in the "expansion and management" of colonial Korea.
There was also an ancient view that Ōkuninushi
Ōkuninushi (; historical orthography: , ), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (''Oho(a)namuchi'') or Ō(a)namochi (''Oho(a)namochi'') among other variants, is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the cycle of myths re ...
was a foreign deity from the Korean peninsula, which was also later used as justification for ''Nissen dōsoron'', although there is no evidence for this beyond the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'' listing him as a descendant of Susanoo.
Reception
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the Koreans were against the idea that the two ethnic groups derived from a common ancestry as much of the claims made by the nationalistic historians of Japan not only contradicted their own beliefs, but in turn also denied Koreans their own worshipped deity its autonomy. They insisted that "Koreans are without a doubt a unitary nation (''tanil han minjok'') in blood and culture." Following the 1938 introduction of a volunteer draft system for Koreans, during theSecond Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
, the majority of Koreans who volunteered did so either out of coercion, such as threats to dispossess the business licenses of their alien parents, or out of hopes to escape political discrimination and obtain the right to vote and move freely by way of Japanese citizenship.
In contrast to its lukewarm reception in Korea, the theory of common ancestry enjoyed broad popular appeal in mainland Japan. The theory of common ancestry offered an enlarged version of the homogeneous nation theory that was applied to the entirety of the Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
. Interestingly, in contrast to pan-Asianism
file:Asia satellite orthographic.jpg , Satellite photograph of Asia in orthographic projection.
Pan-Asianism (also known as Asianism or Greater Asianism) is an ideology aimed at creating a political and economic unity among Asian people, Asian peo ...
, the theory "only included Korea in the Japanese ethnic community, not the other colonies" (such as Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
or Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
) as Korea was indeed a country that had been in close contact with Japan throughout most of its history and thus must have created a close sense of affinity amongst the Japanese. ''Nissen dōsoron'' was the "main pillar" supporting the related concept ''naisen ittai'' (内鮮一体), or unity of the ''inland'' (内) with Korea, which was represented with the character 鮮 (''sen''), derived from the name ''Chōsen''. The character for ''inland'' was used in place of the more common abbreviated prefix for Japan, ''ni'' (日), because Korea was interpreted as already being a part of Japan.
Aftermath
Due to overwhelming support of the theory, the Empire of Japan brought large influx of Koreans into the Japanese diaspora where their descendents remained in the islands as ethnic Koreans in Japan orZainichi Koreans
() are ethnic Koreans who immigrated to Japan before 1945 and are citizens or permanent residents of Japan, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South Korean nationals who have immigrated to Japan since t ...
(在日韓国人・在日本朝鮮人). However, due to assimilation of the ethnic group and fewer people identifying themselves as Korean, the number of Zainichi Koreans have been slowly but steadily declining since the late 20th century, currently being the second largest ethnic minority group in Japan after Chinese immigrants.
With the rapid development of modern Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
after World War II and the growing threat of North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
, so did its nationalism
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...
which made the reputation of the Zainichi Koreans become less favorable among the Japanese as many had favorable connections with North Korea and Chongryon
The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan,
" ''. This forced the ethnic Koreans to become a target of hostility and animosity which in turn made ''Nissen dōsoron'' now a blasphemous theory and an obsolete piece of history for the Japanese.
While the Japanese and Korean people certainly are expected to share a considerable degree of genetic affinity by virtue of historical and geographic proximity, modern
Guardian.co.uk
/ref> Though ''Nissen dōsoron'' is not a socially acceptable notion, historians state that there is no denial in the connections between Japan and Korea.
" ''. This forced the ethnic Koreans to become a target of hostility and animosity which in turn made ''Nissen dōsoron'' now a blasphemous theory and an obsolete piece of history for the Japanese.
Scientific consensus
While the Japanese and Korean people certainly are expected to share a considerable degree of genetic affinity by virtue of historical and geographic proximity, modern population genetics
Population genetics is a subfield of genetics that deals with genetic differences within and among populations, and is a part of evolutionary biology. Studies in this branch of biology examine such phenomena as Adaptation (biology), adaptation, s ...
has provided a means to quantitatively measure the extent to which such an affinity is present.
In essence, the majority of Japanese genetic ancestry is derived from sources related to other mainland Asian groups, mostly Koreans, while the other amount is derived from the local Jōmon hunter-gatherers. In recent haplotype-based studies, the Japanese cluster was found to share 87–94% of its genetic components with the Korean cluster, while the rest consisted of Jōmon related ancestry.
Evidence for both Northern and Southern mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroups has been observed in the Japanese, with the North-Eastern DNA taking up majority of the genetic makeup, especially among the Mainland group. In addition to the Northeastern ancestry, the Japanese demographics (alongside the Koreans), are the only ethnicities to have restricted presence of the Jōmon-like M7a DNA in East Asia.
Historical accuracy
Though being a controversial theory for both nations, contemporary historians have directed to certain historical accounts that could suggest a close relationship between theJapanese Imperial family
The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State ...
and the Korean peninsula.
First, the claims made by Empress Jingū and her conquest to invade Korea as part of her quest to obtain the "promised land" is linked to the empress's own background of being of Korean descent. Her distant ancestor, Amenohiboko was a legendary prince of Silla who settled in Japan during the era of Emperor Suinin, around the 3rd or 4th century. Amenohiboko is said to have lived in Tajima Province, and his descendants are the Tajima clan (多遅摩氏). He is the ancestra ...
is believed to be a prince from Silla
Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...
who left Korea to settle in Japan. Some theorize that Jingū was fixated on Korea due to her ancestor coming from the peninsula and deemed it as her mission to retrieve it for her own. Regardless of the historical accuracy surrounding her expedition and her triumphant return, the consensus is that this was the first instance when Korean influence was first seen in the Japanese imperial line. In fact, world-renowned linguist and Japanese language expert Alexander Vovin
Alexander Vladimirovich Vovin (; 27 January 1961 – 8 April 2022) was a Soviet-born Russian-American linguist and philologist, and director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris, France. He wa ...
states that due to Amenohiboko was a legendary prince of Silla who settled in Japan during the era of Emperor Suinin, around the 3rd or 4th century. Amenohiboko is said to have lived in Tajima Province, and his descendants are the Tajima clan (多遅摩氏). He is the ancestra ...
being of Korean origin, Jingū and her son and successor, Emperor Ōjin
, also known as (alternatively spelled ) or , was the 15th (possibly legendary) Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the ''Kojiki'', and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events t ...
might have been native speakers of the Korean language
Korean is the first language, native language for about 81 million people, mostly of Koreans, Korean descent. It is the national language of both South Korea and North Korea. In the south, the language is known as () and in the north, it is kn ...
.
Another example of Korean influence is shown when Emperor Kanmu
, or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kammu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the scop ...
(or Kammu) was ascended to the throne. His mother, Takano no Niigasa
was a concubine of Emperor Kōnin of Japan and the mother of Emperor Kanmu. Her full name was Takano no Asomi Niigasa ( 高野朝臣 新笠).
Life
Niigasa was a daughter of Yamato no Ototsugu (和乙継) who was a descendant of Prince Junda (c. ...
who was of Korean descent was deemed unfavorable for being a royal consort to Emperor Kōnin
was the 49th emperor of Japan, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781.
Traditional narrative
The personal name of ...
and for being an individual of foreign origin, which indirectly affected Emperor Kanmu in a negative way. To circumvent this, Kammu emphasized multiple times the importance of Korean culture to Japan. Sources such as the "''Jinnō Shōtōki
is a Japanese historical book written by Kitabatake Chikafusa. The work sought both to clarify the genesis and potential consequences of a contemporary crisis in Japanese politics, and to dispel or at least ameliorate the prevailing disorder ...
''" by Kitabatake Chikafusa
was a Japanese court noble and writer of the 14th century who supported the Southern Court in the Nanboku-cho period, serving as advisor to five Emperors. Some of his greatest and most famous work was performed during the reign of Emperor ...
states that a record that claimed of Japan's origin with Korea was lost during Kammu's time, which indicates that such intentions were highly regarded during Emperor Kanmu's reign up until the book's disappearance.
Kammu's newly found lineage marked the start of the Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
with his Korean ancestry being passed down to his descendants which ultimately spread to multiple clans and members during the Sengoku period
The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
with numerous clans being able to trace their lineage back to Korea.
The stretch of Korean influence was officially recognized in 2001 where Emperor Akihito
Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...
told reporters "I, on my part, feel a certain kinship with Korea, given that it is recorded in the ''Chronicles of Japan'' that the mother of Emperor Kanmu was one of the descendant of King Muryeong of Baekje
Muryeong (461/462–523) was the 25th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, reigning from 501 to 523. During his reign, Baekje remained allied with Silla against Goguryeo, and expanded its relationships with China and Japan. Acco ...
." It was the first time that a Japanese emperor publicly referred a Korean blood in the imperial line./ref> Though ''Nissen dōsoron'' is not a socially acceptable notion, historians state that there is no denial in the connections between Japan and Korea.
See also
*Toraijin
Toraijin () refers to the people who came to Japan from mainland Asia in ancient times, as well as their descendants. Up until the 1960s, these people were commonly called the "Kikajin", meaning "naturalized people", but beginning in the 1970s, th ...
: Immigrants that arrived in Japan predominantly from Korea and people who are thought to have heavily impacted both demographics' genealogy.
* Nichiryū dōsoron (in Japanese): Theory that reinforces the idea that the Japanese people and the neighboring Ryukyuan people
The are a Japonic-speaking East Asian ethnic group indigenous to the Ryukyu Islands, which stretch from the island of Kyushu to the island of Taiwan. With Japan, most Ryukyuans live in the Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture. They sp ...
share a common ancestry.
* Nichiyu dōsoron: Theory that reinforces the idea that the Japanese people and the Jewish people
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
share a common ancestry.
References
{{Reflist Historiography of Japan Historiography of Korea Japan–Korea relations Korea under Japanese rule Theories of history