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Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan

By: Sengoku Daimyo
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  • Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan is a Japanese history podcast where we will be going through a chronological history of Japan. We will start with prehistory and continue up through the Meiji period. Episodes are released as soon as they are available--working on a monthly release schedule.
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Episodes
  • Queen Himiko

    Queen Himiko
    Mar 15 2020
    We're finally here! Queen Himiko. In this episode we tell the story of Queen Himiko--or at least what we know of it. From her rise to power as the paramount of the Wa to her missions to the Wei court in Luoyang and dealing with the commandery in Daifang. This was a particularly tumultuous time in northeast Asia, and the story dives into not just the Wa, but their interaction with the other polities that were developing into their own states and kingdoms on the peninsula. For more go to: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-13 Rough Transcript (Auto-transcription courtesy of listener, Zach) Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua, and this is episode 13, The Life of Queen Himiko. Now before we get started, I just want to give a brief shout out to Tyler, Sean, and Louis for their donations on Ko-Fi. We really appreciate your support in keeping the site and this podcast going. Alright, so I realize we've talked about her somewhat, but this episode will be going over the life and times of Queen Himiko, Paramount of Wa. And though this episode drops on the 15th, I can't tell you how cognizant I was of just what was going on as I was putting this episode together, especially as I was doing most of the reading and writing on March 8th, International Women's Day. And oh my, what a great reminder that was for what we are doing here. The first named sovereign of Japan. And it's a woman. Not that we won't get our fair share of them in this early period, there clearly wasn't the stigma that came later with the more patriarchal leanings of Confucian and Chinese philosophy, let alone the later practice of simply ignoring women altogether, listing them simply as "daughter" in many of the official genealogies. I'm also excited though, because there's just so much research still going on trying to detail her life and times. Just earlier this year, there was a conference still looking at whether the Yamataikoku was actually Yamato, or if it was somewhere down in Kyushu. Now Queen Himiko is a character that has sparked imaginations of countless individuals. There was a period in Japan where there was literally a Himiko craze, it drove all sorts of books, manga, and other media about her. Much of it greatly embellished. Even today, she'll show up sometimes as a heroic figure, and sometimes as a villainous tyrant. Most of these are caricatures, with only the loosest of connections to reality. Like if George Washington were used as the game's final boss, chomping away with his wooden teeth and throwing cherry bombs. But however she might be depicted, and whatever we know about her, there is one thing we can be certain of. She was a human being. That means she had all the same emotions and basic concerns of anyone, with just as much capacity to be kind as she could be cruel. She was likely much more complex than the small snapshot we have can adequately portray her. But we'll do what we can to touch on her and on the other members of the WA who are named in the Chronicles. Alright, so let's dig in, shall we? Our tale starts in media res. Nasome stood looking out over the bow of his ship at the ocean waves, the boat rocking back and forth, while the men at the oars helped pull the craft through the water, wind whipped across the surface, catching the spray from the waves and misting everyone in salt air. At least the weather was warm, and there were no ominous clouds gathering on the horizon. This boat was made to ply the ocean, and was much more seaworthy than its Chinese counterparts. Below decks, the precious cargo was locked safely away, cargo fit for a king, or even an emperor. Only a few weeks ago the monsoon rains had pummeled the archipelago, and they still might be a threat, even in the later season, but so far the Jisai's powers had worked, and they had relatively clear skies. They had already been traveling for more than a month, and probably had at least one more month before they hit their target, the Chinese commandery of Daifang. To get there, they would need to head towards Guya, and then make their way along the western coast past Mahan and north to Daifang. From there, they would get a pilot and strike out across to the Shandong Peninsula, and eventually to their end goal, Luoyang, the capital of the Wei state. Years ago there had been turmoil in the archipelago, with states fighting each other and vying for dominance. There were precious few resources to be spent on missions like this one. Even after they had unified under Queen Himiko of Yamato, there was enough chaos on the Korean peninsula that would have sown doubt in anyone's mind regarding just whom one should deal with. The renewed Yan kingdom until recently held uneasy sway over Liaodong and the peninsula, including the Chinese Han commanderies, and their loyalties vacillated between the neighboring state of Wei and the southeastern state of Wu. Meanwhile the Samhan, Mahan, Jinhan, and Byonhan were starting to ...
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    45 mins
  • The Japanese Chronicles

    The Japanese Chronicles
    Mar 31 2020
    CW: This episode deals with ancient Japanese stories that contain depictions of sex, misogyny, and death. The Chronicles of Japan finally get into the Japanese Chronicles! This episode starts our foray into the Japanese Chronicles: The Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, with a look at what's behind the Chronicles and one of the first real stories: The creation of the archipelago and the kami, or gods, of Heaven. We'll start with a discussion of the main chronicles for this time and go on to discuss the story of Izanagi and Izanami, the two gods who are said to have created Japan and are the progenitors of most of the later kami. We'll examine all of this and look at some of the possible cultural information that can be gleaned from these stories. For more go to: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-14 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo’s Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua, and this is episode 14: The Japanese Chronicles In the beginning, the world was void, with only clumps of primordial substance floating on the oily surface of the water. Izanagi and Izanami stood upon the Bridge of Heaven, gazing down at the oceans. Wondering if there was any land, they took the Spear of Heaven and plunged it into the waters, which swirled and congealed upon the tip. That congealed matter became Onogoro Island, a small island in what would become the Seto Inland Sea. It was here that Izanagi and Izanami came and built their house and gave birth to the other islands and the gods of Heaven. That is the basic description given for the creation of the first piece of land that would eventually become Japan. The actual text differs somewhat depending on the source and is traditionally preceded by the creation of the initial kami. Alright, so this episode we are diving into some of the less historical parts in the native Japanese records. We’ll look at the accounts of the kami—the gods of Japan—in the early Chronicles. These are the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, known collectively as the Kiki—which is basically just the last character of the name of each chronicle put together. By the way, quick shout out to the Nihon Shoki because as we are recording this it is just turning 1300 years old, so Happy Birthday! That’s right, it was completed and submitted to the court in 720 and we are recording in 2020, so 1300 years ago. It came a few years after the Kojiki, and is believed to have been compiled by the same author, O no Yasumaro. In the case of the Kojki, Yasumaro was apparently just transcribing the oral history being recited by Hieda no Are, who had been tasked with memorizing the stories of the Imperial lineage several decades prior. The Nihon Shoki, on the other hand, appears to be the compilation of extant written records. By the way, content warning right up front on this on: The Kojiki is often lewd and vulgar in its descriptions of sex, violence, and other matters, and this may include some rather racy tales. The Nihon Shoki, takes a slightly more technical approach, but there are still some things that modern listeners may find objectionable. I will do my best to ensure there is a warning up front at each episode, but I just want to make sure everyone is aware. Today, we’ll mostly talk about the context of these Chronicles and then we will talk about the Japanese Creation story. And like many such tales it is going to deal primarily with procreation, aka sex. However, this was also a patriarchal society, and we’ll be running into those attitudes in this as well. Before we dive into that stuff, though, let’s make sure we have our context. Now these Chronicles weren’t the oldest histories written down, but they are the oldest ones still extant. The earliest was probably a set of records compiled around 620, and said to have been presented by the famous (and possibly fictional) Shotoku Taishi, and saved from a fire during a coup d’etat in 645, and it is possible that there were other copies or early drafts which may have fed into the stories of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. There are also a few later accounts that can be looked at for clues. Things like the Fudoki and the Kogo Shui, which were written later but may contain some stories or details that the chroniclers just didn’t think was important for their purposes. There is also the Kujiki, which John Bentley believes was written in the 8th century, but other scholars place in in the 9th or 10th. Early Japanese scholars thought it was the original National History rescued from that fire in 645. Bentley doesn’t go quite that far, but does suggest it as another important early historical text. I will try to bring it into the conversation where appropriate. This means that all of this is being written down several centuries after Queen Himiko and her time. The first part of the narrative that some consider to be “historical”, though, was probably from around her time, ...
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    48 mins
  • Trouble in Paradise

    Trouble in Paradise
    Apr 15 2020
    CW: Anatomy discussions and scatalogical humor. Issues in the Heavenly Plain as Susanowo goes up to see his sister, Amaterasu. This eventually led to the famous story of the Heavenly Rock Cave, and the origin stories of many of the clan deities. For more information, see https://www.sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-15 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo’s Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua, and this is episode 15: Trouble in Paradise. So I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and not going too stir crazy right now. This Coronavirus situation has a lot of us staying at home, right now, and we are no exception here at Sengoku Daimyo HQ. It put a certain emphasis on part of our story, today, as we discuss one of the OG self-isolators—Amaterasu and her retreat into the Heavenly Rock Cave Before we get into this one, a quick content warning. The Japanese chronicles often refer to areas of anatomy that some people consider sensitive topics. I will do my best to present them in a straightforward manner, without intent to be overly vulgar, but neither shall we get so academic as to avoid the subject. Human anatomy is natural and we will do our best to treat it as such. In addition, this particular section has a couple of, shall we say, scatological references as well. Finally, I want to emphasize that we are dealing with the stories here in the context of the time they were written and what that tells us both about the people who wrote them down and any hints at earlier life and tradition. This is not an attempt to discuss any particular Shinto beliefs, other than in the context of possibly helping us to make sense of what we are reading. With that said, let’s get into it. So of all the deities birthed by Izanagi and Izanami, two seem to shine above the rest—no pun intended—and they dominate the next part of the chronicles. The first is probably known to many of you: Amaterasu no Ohokami no Mikoto, the sun goddess. Her birth takes different forms—in some accounts she is born from the union of Izanagi and Izanami, and in others, she is born after Izanami’s death, through the power of Izanagi himself. Whatever her origin story, she is immediately recognized as a glorious and wondrous deity and set up to govern the High Plain of Heaven—something that I’m sure has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that that sovereigns of the 8th century were claiming her as their own, personal ancestral kami, or ujigami . Meanwhile, she has a brother born about this time: Susanowo no Mikoto. Where Amaterasu is beautiful and immediately honored by the gods, Susanowo is wild and tempestuous, with a beard 8 spans long. He rages and weeps and causes destruction, and so he is eventually exiled to the Nether World. Now the actual origin story for these deities comes in a few different flavors, but generally they are connected. Typically there are three kami who are born together—Amaterasu, Susanowo, and Tsukuyomi, the moon god. We’ll examine a few different accounts of these three kami, their origins, and how they are interrelated with one another, and the rest of the narrative. In the Nihon Shoki’s main narrative, Izanagi and Izanami intentionally give birth to a kami that would rule the cosmos. This is the sun goddess, Ohohirume no Muchi, also identified as Amaterasu no Ohokami, or even Amaterasu Ohohirume no Mikoto. They immediately decided that she was too brilliant for the world, and so they send her off to Takama no Hara, the High Plain of Heaven. Next they create a partner for her—Tsukuyomi, the moon god. He is created specifically to help her rule in the heavens… And that is just about it. He really doesn’t factor into the story much after that. Well, that’s not quite true, there is one story, but we will get to that in due time. And I have to admit, despite his lack of presence I find Tsukuyomi intriguing on several different levels. I mean, obviously the sun and moon go together, that is hard not to see, but the gender choice is interesting. You see, in much of China, and even the world, the Sun tends to be male—Apollo, Ra, etc. Meanwhile, the moon is often female, likely because of its waxing and waning being compared to women’s menstruation cycles. In Chinese Yin Yang theories the sun is associated with the yang—fiery, hot, and bright, while the Moon is associated with Yin, the feminine, cold, and dark. In the Japanese tradition, though, this is precisely the opposite—the Sun is female and the Moon is male. That would seem to put at least the origins of these stories some time before the wholesale import of Chinese thought and philosophy. Not only is Tsukuyomi, the moon, male, but his origin story is pretty much exactly the same as Amaterasu’s in most of the variations. In the Nihon Shoki, he’s explicitly created by Izanagi and Izanami, along with Amaterasu. In the Kojiki, as well as one of the ...
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    49 mins
World Social Sciences
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Documentary style with historical recordings and archeological evidence provided in an objective view.

This is a truly hostorical documentary with minimal to no opinionated perspective. The provision of historical recordings, archeological evidences, linguistic developement, and surrounding cultural behavorial influences are very well done. Some story minded examples are given but thos is not a story. I highly appreciate its accuracy and objective approach to clarifying sources that can be openly questioned. The absence of opinionated personal perspective bias is rare to find. This should be considered a Master Class of Japanese cultural sociological developement. Minimal to no political and warfare coverage.

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