The Foundation of the Country of Japan
On the eleventh day of the second month of the year Kanoto-Tori (660 BCE), Iwarebiko no Mikoto, the scion of the Sun Goddess – Amaterasu, founds the country of Japan, proclaiming himself its First Emperor – Tenno. In the year of Kanoe-Saru (661 BCE) Iwarebiko marries Tatara–Isuzu Hime, the daughter of Kotoshironushi, the grandson of Amaterasu’s little brother Susanowo. Thus, the two great lines, Amaterasu and Susanowo, of Yamato and Izumo come together to initiate the Japanese Imperial dynasty.
In the Age of the Gods, the most highly honoured royals were called Mikoto, meaning Augustness, written by employing the kanji characters (尊) or (命) – though they have the same phonetics, the former is of higher rank than the latter. With the advent of the Age of the Men, sovereigns were given the title Sumera-Mikoto (meaning Uniting as a Whole), written with the two kanji characters (天皇), which is read/pronounced – Tennō and can be translated as Emperor or Empress. However, it was not until the end of the 7th century that the Tennō title (which still holds sway) was formally introduced in the country. Prior to this, titles such as Sumera-Mikoto, Ōkimi, Mikado have also been applied.
Emperor Jimmu standing. The hawk seen in the background is the bird sent to help him in his conquest by his ancestress Amaterasu.
Kashihara Temple in Nara, built in 1889 by Emperor Meiji in honour of Emperor Jimmu
Iwarebiko lived to be 127, and reigned for seventy-six years. Posthumously, he was renamed ‘Jimmu Tennō’ – The Divine Might Emperor. He was buried to the north of the Mt Unebi and is enshrined with his Empress Tatara-Isuzu in Kashihara Temple, located in Kashihara City, in Nara Prefecture. The shrine was constructed in 1889 by Emperor Meiji and is believed to be the site where Emperor Jimmu’s palace once stood. If this legend has some historical ground, then it is acceptable that some Western scholars place the life of Jimmu Tennō around 40 – 10 BCE.
The 11th February has been established as the Kenkoku Kinen no Hi – Japan’s National Foundation Day.
Iwarebiko, aka Emperor Jimmu, was the fourth son of Ugayafukiaezu and Tamayori. Not satisfied that the east of the country had not yet been colonised by the heavenly rulers, the siblings gathered a battalion and moved in the direction of Yamato. This conquest expedition costed the lives of Itsuse, the eldest brother and Mikenu, the third son. The second son, Inahi went to live with their mother Tamayori in the oceans, where she took abode after the death of Ugayafukiaezu. The battalion departed from Takachihō Palace on year 667 BCE. On the way, they stop at Toyo, Okada, then Aki in the Main Island. In 666 BCE they arrive at Kibi and proceed to Naniwa (present day Ōsaka). They moored at Tadetsu Port in Kusaka Village, where they were attacked by the army of General Nagasunebiko.
The entrance to Kamayama Jinja, where it is believed Itsuse no Mikoto is buried
Itsuse is killed and they redraw their plans, as it is assumed that disgrace had befallen upon them because they had been acting presumptuously, moving against the Sun, instead of having Her protection covering their backs. They decide to circumnavigate the Peninsula of Kii, but Mikenu dies at the sea. They moor their ships at Arasaka Village in Kumano, where Yatagarasu, a crow of a body eight-foot-long and three legs appears and helps them to cross the mountainous Kumano. At the Uda Village they meet several belligerent tribes, against whom the heavenly soldiers fight bloody battles. Having succeeded in defeating all enemies, they now meet again General Nagasunebiko at the village of Nagasune. Amaterasu sends a golden hawk that perches atop Iwarebiko’s arrow during the battle against Nagasunebiko blinding all soldiers and giving the victory to Iwarebiko. But then, Iwarebiko meets Nigihayahi; the legitimate claimant to the throne of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni.
Emperor Jimmu builds the new Yamato Court Capital City at the Yamato Sanzan (the Three Mountains of Yamato: Mt Kagu, Mt Unebi and Mt Miminashi). At its centre he constructs the magnificent palace of Kashiha-bara (later it becomes Kashihara) which occupies a plot of about one square kilometre. The three elder brothers of Iwarebiko – Itsuse, Mikenu and Inahi – are enshrined in San-no-Miya, located in the district of Chūō-ku, Kobe City, Hyōgo Prefecture.
In 694 CE, Empress Jitō, the 41st monarch of Japan, moved the capital to Fujiwara-kyō, in Kashihara, Japan’s first planned capital city, where it remained as the imperial capital for sixteen years. It was built in the same area of Jimmu’s capital. Excavated documents have revealed that it was Emperor Tenmu, the 40th monarch of Japan and husband to Empress Jitō, who planned and commissioned the Fujiwara Capital. He saw the building of a new consolidated capital necessary for his aim of establishing a strong centralised government. Emperor Tenmu however, passed away before its completion and Empress Jitō, who succeeded him, carried out his will and completed the project. At about 28 square kilometres in area, Fujiwara Capital was the largest capital of Japan’s ancient times. It was also the first Japanese capital where streets were built in a checkerboard grid pattern, a design trait modelled after Chinese capital. Fujiwara Capital was so vast that the three mountains of Yamato Sanzan were confined within its city’s walls.
The imperial palace stood right at the center of the capital and this placement was a characteristic which set Fujiwara apart from subsequent capital cities of Japan. Large amounts of building materials were transported from various parts of the country for the construction of the palace and it was the first palace in Japan to have tiled roof. The site is now a preserved area with ongoing excavation works. The mound where the Imperial Audience Hall once was can still be seen today and mock pillars have been placed at spots where excavations have revealed foundation supports.