Yamatohime-no-mikoto

Princess Yamatohime praying

Yamatohime-no-mikoto (倭比売命 or 倭姫命) is a Japanese figure who is said to have established Ise Shrine, where the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu Omikami is enshrined. Yamatohime-no-mikoto is recorded as being the daughter of Emperor Suinin, Japan's 11th Emperor.[1] (note that 'Yamatohime' is this figure's name; -no-mikoto is an honorific applied to the names of nobles or gods.)

Traditional historical view

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Legend says that about 2,000 years ago, Emperor Suinin ordered his daughter, Princess Yamatohime-no-mikoto, to set out and find a suitable permanent location from which to hold ceremonies for Amaterasu Ōmikami. Prior to this, Amaterasu Ōmikami had been worshiped within the Imperial Palace at Yamato, before a temporary location was created in the eastern Nara Basin. Yamatohime-no-mikoto is said to have set out from Mt. Miwa and wandered for 20 years through the regions of Ōmi and Mino in search of a suitable location.

The shrines she and her sister Toyosukiiri-hime [ja] brought Amaterasu through until Ise are called Moto-Ise Shrines [ja]

When she arrived at Ise, she is said to have heard the voice of Amaterasu Ōmikami saying that she wanted to live forever in the richly abundant area of Ise, near the mountains and the sea, and it was here that Yamatohime-no-mikoto established Naiku, the Inner Shrine.[2]

Jien records that during the reign of Emperor Suinin, the first High Priestess (Saiō, also known as saigū) was appointed to serve at Ise Shrine.[3]

Later, during the reign of Emperor Keikō, she gave her dress then holy sword Kusanagi-no-tsurugi to Yamato Takeru.[4]

Alternate historical perspectives

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The legendary burial ground of Yamatohime-no-mikoto near Ise Shrine designated by the Imperial Household Agency

Some sources[5][6] point out the parallels between Yamatohime-no-mikoto and Queen Himiko, a female ruler of Japan referred to in 3rd-century Chinese sources, namely the Records of Three Kingdoms and the Wajinden. Himiko was recorded as an unmarried queen and priestess, whose name means "sun child", or "sun daughter". Parallels can be drawn between Yamatohime-no-mikoto's role as both princess and priestess and the descriptions of Himiko, as well as the meaning of Himiko's name and that of the role of Yamatohime-no-mikoto as priestess and descendant of the sun goddess, or "daughter of the sun". Queen Himiko is recorded as having ruled the land of "Yamatai", whereas Yamatohime-no-mikoto left her home of Yamato to establish Ise Shrine.

The nature of Queen Himiko has been a point of great debate since the late Edo period, with other theories linking her with Empress Jingū or even a real person upon whom the myth of the sun goddess Amaterasu was built.[7] As the earliest extant Japanese sources of information about Yamatohime-no-mikoto date from the Kojiki in the early 8th century, it remains difficult to see how the historical figure of Yamatohime-no-mikoto can be delineated in fuller depth or with a sense of better verified accuracy.

Ceremonies

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A Shinto ceremony is conducted on May 5 and November 5 each year at the sanctuary of Yamatohime-no-miya, near Ise Shrine, to celebrate the contribution of Yamatohime-no-mikoto in the establishment of the shrine.[8]

Genealogy

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Genealogy of early Japanese emperors and empresses
Nunakawahime[9] Ōkuninushi[10][11]: 278 
(Ōnamuchi)[12]		Kamotaketsunumi no Mikoto[13]
Kotoshironushi[14][15] Tamakushi-hime[13] Takeminakata[16][17] Susa Clan[18]
1 Jimmu[19]1Himetataraisuzu-hime[19]Kamo no Okimi[14][20]Mirahime [ja]
2 Suizei[21][22][23][24][25][26] 2Isuzuyori-hime[24][25][26][20][27]Kamuyaimimi[21][22][23]
3 Annei[28][14][24][25][26]〔Ō clan[29][30]〕〔Aso clan[31]〕3 Nunasokonakatsu-hime[32][14]Kamo clan
TakakurajiMiwa clan
4 Itoku[28][14]Ikisomimi no mikoto [ja][28]Ame no Murakumo [ja]
4Amatoyotsuhime no Mikoto [ja][28]Amaoshio no mikoto [ja]
5 Emperor Kōshō[28][14][33]5Yosotarashi-hime[14]Okitsu Yoso [ja]
6 Emperor Kōan[14]Prince Ameoshitarashi [ja][33]Owari clan
6Oshihime [ja][14][33]〔Wani clan〕[34]
7 Emperor Kōrei[35][14][33][36] 7Kuwashi-hime[36]
8 Emperor Kōgen[37][36]8Utsushikome [ja][37]Princess Yamato Totohi Momoso[35]Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto[38]Wakatakehiko [ja]
9Ikagashikome[a] [40][41]
Hikofutsuoshi no Makoto no Mikoto [ja][41]9 Emperor Kaika[37]Prince Ohiko [ja][42]〔Kibi clan〕
Yanushi Otake Ogokoro no Mikoto [ja][41]10 Emperor Sujin[43][44]10Mimaki-hime[45]〔Abe clan〕[42]
Takenouchi no Sukune[41]11 Emperor Suinin[46][47]11Saho-hime[48]12Hibasu-hime [ja][49]Yasaka Iribiko[50][51][52]Toyosukiiri-hime [ja][53]Nunaki-iri-hime [ja][35]
Yamatohime-no-mikoto[54]
〔Katsuragi clan〕13Harima no Inabi no Ōiratsume [ja]12 Emperor Keiko[47][49]14Yasakairi-hime [ja][50][51][52]
Otoyo no mikoto [ja]
Futaji Irihime [ja][55]Yamato Takeru[56][57]Miyazu-himeTakeinadane [ja] Ioki Iribiko13Emperor Seimu[56][57]
14Emperor Chūai[56][57] [58]15Empress Jingū[59] Homuda
Mawaka
15Emperor Ōjin[59]16Nakatsuhime[60][61][62]
16Emperor Nintoku[63]


See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ There are two ways this name is transcribed: "Ika-gashiko-me" is used by Tsutomu Ujiya, while "Ika-shiko-me" is used by William George Aston.[39]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Brown Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 253; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, pp. 95-96; Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 10.
  2. ^ "Ise Shrine: Naiku official homepage". Archived from the original on 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2006-09-04.
  3. ^ Brown, p. 253.
  4. ^ Kojiki, Nakatsumaki (Middle Volume) and Nihon Shoki, Chapter 7
  5. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica
  6. ^ Barnes, Gina (2007). State Formation in Japan: Emergence of a 4th-Century Ruling Elite. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1134384686. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  7. ^ Farris, William. (1999). "Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues in the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan," Monumenta Nipponica, 54:1, 123-126.
  8. ^ "Ise Shrine ceremony schedule". Archived from the original on 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  9. ^ Philippi, Donald L. (2015). Kojiki. Princeton University Press. pp. 104–112.
  10. ^ Atsushi, Kadoya; Tatsuya, Yumiyama (20 October 2005). "Ōkuninushi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  11. ^ Herbert, J. (2010). Shinto: At the Fountainhead of Japan. Routledge Library Editions: Japan. Taylor & Francis. p. 402. ISBN 978-1-136-90376-2. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  12. ^ Atsushi, Kadoya (21 April 2005). "Ōnamuchi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  13. ^ a b The Emperor's Clans: The Way of the Descendants, Aogaki Publishing, 2018.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns. Columbia University Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780231049405.
  15. ^ Atsushi, Kadoya (28 April 2005). "Kotoshironushi". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  16. ^ Sendai Kuji Hongi, Book 4 (先代舊事本紀 巻第四), in Keizai Zasshisha, ed. (1898). Kokushi-taikei, vol. 7 (国史大系 第7巻). Keizai Zasshisha. pp. 243–244.
  17. ^ Chamberlain (1882). Section XXIV.—The Wooing of the Deity-of-Eight-Thousand-Spears.
  18. ^ Tanigawa Ken'ichi [de] 『日本の神々 神社と聖地 7 山陰』（新装復刊） 2000年 白水社 ISBN 978-4-560-02507-9
  19. ^ a b Kazuhiko, Nishioka (26 April 2005). "Isukeyorihime". Encyclopedia of Shinto. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  20. ^ a b 『神話の中のヒメたち　もうひとつの古事記』p94-97「初代皇后は「神の御子」」
  21. ^ a b 日本人名大辞典+Plus, デジタル版. "日子八井命とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  22. ^ a b ANDASSOVA, Maral (2019). "Emperor Jinmu in the Kojiki". Japan Review (32): 5–16. ISSN 0915-0986. JSTOR 26652947.
  23. ^ a b "Visit Kusakabeyoshimi Shrine on your trip to Takamori-machi or Japan". trips.klarna.com. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  24. ^ a b c Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 32. ISBN 9780674017535.
  25. ^ a b c Ponsonby-Fane, Richard (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Ponsonby Memorial Society. p. 29 & 418.
  26. ^ a b c Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida (1979). A Translation and Study of the Gukanshō, an Interpretative History of Japan Written in 1219. University of California Press. p. 251. ISBN 9780520034600.
  27. ^ 『図説　歴代天皇紀』p42-43「綏靖天皇」
  28. ^ a b c d e Anston, p. 144 (Vol. 1)
  29. ^ Grapard, Allan G. (2023-04-28). The Protocol of the Gods: A Study of the Kasuga Cult in Japanese History. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-91036-2.
  30. ^ Tenri Journal of Religion. Tenri University Press. 1968.
  31. ^ Takano, Tomoaki; Uchimura, Hiroaki (2006). History and Festivals of the Aso Shrine. Aso Shrine, Ichinomiya, Aso City.: Aso Shrine.
  32. ^ Anston, p. 143 (Vol. 1)
  33. ^ a b c d Anston, p. 144 (Vol. 1)
  34. ^ Watase, Masatada [in Japanese] (1983). "Kakinomoto no Hitomaro". Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典 (in Japanese). Vol. 1. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten. pp. 586–588. OCLC 11917421.
  35. ^ a b c Aston, William George. (1896). Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697, Volume 2. The Japan Society London. pp. 150–164. ISBN 9780524053478.
  36. ^ a b c "Kuwashi Hime • . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史". . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  37. ^ a b c Anston, p. 149 (Vol. 1)
  38. ^ Louis-Frédéric, "Kibitsu-hiko no Mikoto" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 513.
  39. ^ Ujiya, Tsutomu (1988). Nihon shoki. Grove Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-8021-5058-5.
  40. ^ Aston, William George. (1896). Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697, Volume 2. The Japan Society London. p. 109 & 149–150. ISBN 9780524053478.
  41. ^ a b c d Shimazu Norifumi (March 15, 2006). "Takeshiuchi no Sukune". eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  42. ^ a b Asakawa, Kan'ichi (1903). The Early Institutional Life of Japan. Tokyo Shueisha. p. 140. ISBN 9780722225394.
  43. ^ Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida (1979). A Translation and Study of the Gukanshō, an Interpretative History of Japan Written in 1219. University of California Press. p. 248 & 253. ISBN 9780520034600.
  44. ^ Henshall, Kenneth (2013-11-07). Historical Dictionary of Japan to 1945. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7872-3.
  45. ^ "Mimakihime • . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史". . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  46. ^ Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida (1979). A Translation and Study of the Gukanshō, an Interpretative History of Japan Written in 1219. University of California Press. p. 248 & 253–254. ISBN 9780520034600.
  47. ^ a b Henshall, Kenneth (2013-11-07). Historical Dictionary of Japan to 1945. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7872-3.
  48. ^ "Sahobime • . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史". . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  49. ^ a b Memoirs of the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko (the Oriental Library), Issues 32-34. Toyo Bunko. 1974. p. 63. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  50. ^ a b "Yasakairihime • . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史". . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  51. ^ a b Kenneth Henshall (2013). Historical Dictionary of Japan to 1945. Scarecrow Press. p. 487. ISBN 9780810878723.
  52. ^ a b Memoirs of the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko (the Oriental Library), Issues 32-34. Toyo Bunko. 1974. pp. 63–64. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  53. ^ "Saigū | 國學院大學デジタルミュージアム". web.archive.org. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  54. ^ Brown Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 253; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, pp. 95-96; Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 10.
  55. ^ Kidder, Jonathan E. (2007). Himiko and Japan's Elusive Chiefdom of Yamatai: Archaeology, History, and Mythology. University of Hawaii Press. p. 344. ISBN 9780824830359.
  56. ^ a b c Packard, Jerrold M. (2000). Sons of Heaven: A Portrait of the Japanese Monarchy. FireWord Publishing, Incorporated. p. 45. ISBN 9781930782013.
  57. ^ a b c Xinzhong, Yao (2003). Confucianism O - Z. Taylor & Francis US. p. 467. ISBN 9780415306539.
  58. ^ Aston, William George. (1998). Nihongi, p. 254–271.
  59. ^ a b Aston, William. (1998). Nihongi, Vol. 1, pp. 224–253.
  60. ^ 文也 (2019-05-26). "仲姫命とはどんな人？". 歴史好きブログ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  61. ^ 日本人名大辞典+Plus, 朝日日本歴史人物事典,デジタル版. "仲姫命(なかつひめのみこと)とは？ 意味や使い方". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  62. ^ "Nunasoko Nakatsuhime • . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史". . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  63. ^ Aston, William. (1998). Nihongi, Vol. 1, pp. 254–271.

Books

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