Yūryaku

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 Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, 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. which prompted Ōhatsuse to kill them both individually with a sword. 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. Emperor Richū's widow Kusaka no Hatabi no hime was appointed Empress with three concubines in March 457. The Emperor arbitrary and capriciously killed so many men and women that he was referred to as Emperor of Great Wickedness by the public. On a more positive side, Yūryaku greatly encouraged agriculture during his reign and had his consort plant mulberry trees and cultivate silkworms. While the Empress herself never bore Yūryaku any children, he had three sons and two daughters with his concubines. It records that Emperor Yūryaku was told by Amaterasu 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.

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

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, a type of Impulse-control disorder." ( – 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" until the reign of Emperor Kanmu between 737 and 806 AD. 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 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, 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 Nihon Shoki, 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 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 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 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 Kojiki.

King Bu

It is theorized that Emperor Yūryaku may be synonymous with King Bu as written in the Chinese records. According to the Book of Song, 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. It is 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. Although the kings of Wa repeatedly requested that the Emperors of the Song dynasty recognize their military control over Baekje, 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 in check, and avoid opposition from Goguryeo 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. 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 in 479 as being factual. This is solely based on the description in the title of included in . 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.

Consorts and children Spouse/Concubine

Emperor Nintoku

Consort(Hi) JapaneseRōmajiEnglish籠もよ み籠持ち 堀串もよ み堀串持ち この岳に 菜摘ます児 家聞かな 告らさね そらみつ 大和の国は おしなべて 我こそ居れ しきなべて 我こそ座せ 我こそば 告らめ 家をも名をもKo mo yo mi ko mochi Fukushi mo yo mi fukushi mochi Kono oka ni na tsumasu ko Ie kikana Norasane Soramitsu Yamato no kuni wa Oshinabete ware koso ore Shikinabete ware koso mase Ware koso ba norame Ie o mo na o moYour basket, with your pretty basket, Your trowel, with your little trowel, Maiden, picking herbs on this hill-side, I would ask you : Where is your home? Will you not tell me your name ? Over the spacious Land of Yamato It is I who reign so wide and far, It is I who rule so wide and far. I myself, as your lord, will tell you Of my home, and my name.