“Assassination and murder followed more than one thousand were thus slain” according to Gishi no Wajinden. Upon her death, the male ruler who took her place did not last long and the chiefdoms fell into disunity and fighting. One thousand female and male attendants were sacrificed for burial along with their queen. When Queen Himiko died, her people constructed a large burial mound (about 100 meters in diameter) for her. Queen Himiko’s realm and that of the country of Kuna were at odds, but the outcome of that conflict is not known, only that she sought Chinese imperial support and that she died likely in the year following that. In 239 A.D., an emperor of Gi granted the Yamatai kingdom a honorable title “ Sin Gi Wa O” along with a gift of 100 bronze mirrors. Thus Ito held an important role in international relations.ĭuring her reign, Queen Himiko sent envoys to Gi to limit the influence of a rival power, the “king” of Kunu whose country of Kuna ( Kuna no Koku) lay to the south of Wa. A high leader was especially sent to to the region] north of the queen’s land. The Wajinden also hints to us how Himiko ruled: Experts have identified Ito to be Itoshima peninsula and the Hirabaru mound site is thought to contain the grave of Ito‘s king or queen (because it contained 39 bronze mirrors and other rich burial grave goods associated with rulers of the highest order). One of them was Ito where “there have been kings for generations, subject to the queen’s kuni they rule”. The Wajinden records that 29 different kuni or “countries” existed and that three of these were ruled by “kings”. Yamatai, Himiko’s headquarters, model by Osaka Prefectural Museum of Yayoi Culture
She was seldom seen in public and was attended by “one thousand attendants, but only one man”. Shrouded in mystery, Queen Himiko was said to have controlled the kingdoms by sorcery and magic. Gishi no Wajinden described her as a having “occupied herself with magic and sorcery, bewitching the people”.
Queen Himiko may have held the ceremonial role of a shaman priestess, prophetess or perhaps, a pre-eminent shrine maiden with proxy access to the gods for the people. We confer upon you, therefore, the title “Queen of Wa Friendly to Wei”.” Your loyalty and filial piety we appreciate exceedingly. You live very far away across the sea yet you have sent an embassy with tribute. “Herein we address Himiko ( Pimiko is used), Queen of Wa, whom we now officially call a friend of Wei … have arrived here with your tribute, consisting of four male slaves and six female slaves, together with two pieces of cloth with designs, each twenty feet in length. As such, Queen Himiko was recognized as the ruler of Wa : to the Wei emperor, Cao Rui’s court, and the delegation was received as presenting tribute to the Chinese emperor. Queen Himiko was known to the Chinese because her government had sent a diplomatic mission in the year 238 A.D. when Queen Himiko came to the throne. Towards the end of 2nd century, around 30 small chiefdoms had allied with each other to form a confederated kingdom or state known as “Yamatai country” ( Yamatai koku) with Queen Himiko at the helm. Gishi no Wajinden noted decades of warfare had ensued until “the people agreed upon a woman for their ruler”, i.e. asserted that Yamatai kingdom was the strongest of those countries. Yamatai country was victorious after years of warfare. Historians equate these “countries” with chiefdoms.
Thirty of these countries were known to have had direct contact with China. Depending on the season they come and offer tribute”. They are subdivided into more than a hundred ‘countries'. “In the middle of the Lo-lang sea there are the Wa people. 432 CE Hou Han Shu (Book of Later/Eastern Han) accounts had described the land of Wa (Japan) as such: Yamatai kingdom’s Queen Himiko (Illustration copyright: Newton Graphic Science Magazine “Nihon no ruutsu”)Įarlier Chinese ca. Queen Himiko was the queen of Yamatai kingdom or “country” (or state) who symbolized the unity of the Yayoi people.