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This article is about a period in Japanese history. Many towns and villages as well as a Japanese city have the same name, see Yamato.
The Yamato period (大和時代, 'Yamato-jidai'?) is the period of Japanese history when the Japanese Imperial court ruled from modern-day Nara Prefecture, then known as Yamato Province.
While conventionally assigned to the period 250–710, the actual start of Yamato rule is disputed. The court's supremacy was challenged throughout the period from Bizen and Bitchū provinces in what is now known as Okayama prefecture, and it was only into the 6th century that the Yamato clans could be said to have any major advantage over their neighbouring clans. This period is further divided, by the introduction of Buddhism, into Kofun (250-538) and Asuka periods (538-710).
Chinese writing and Buddhism were introduced by Baekje, a Korean kingdom. After the fall of Baekje, the Yamato government sent envoys directly to the Chinese court, from which they obtained a great wealth of philosophical and social structure. In addition to ethics of government, they also adopted the Chinese calendar and many of its religious practices, including Confucianism and Taoism (Japanese: Onmyo). Prince Shotoku prescribed a new constitution for Japan based on the Chinese model.
early history
Archeological evidence indicates contacts between southern Korea and Japan from a very early period.
Until elements of Northeast Asian, Chinese, and Korean civilization were introduced to the Japanese archipelago in waves of migration, the latter was inhabited by the hunter-gatherer Jomon people consisting of Ainu and Malayo-Polynesian people. This view was popularized in Japan by Egami Namio's theory of a powerful horse-riding race from the north who brought about the dramatic change from Jomon to Yayoi culture.
Most scholars believe that there were massive transmissions of technology and culture from Korea to Japan which is evidenced by material artifacts in tombs of both states in the Proto-Three Kingdoms of Korea and Kofun eras, and the later wave of Baekje immigrants to Yamato.
A unified Yamato state may have coincided with large migration of Baekje people at the end of the fourth century, and Japan's Emperor Kammu's mother is known to be of Baekje descendant. The ruling classes of Yamato and Baekje were on amicable terms, and Yamato deployed its navy to aid Baekje in 660-663, against an invasion by Silla and the Tang of China.
Korean immigrants in Japan
The archeological record and ancient Chinese sources indicate that the various tribes and chiefdoms of Japan did not begin to coalesce into states until 300, when large tombs begin to appear. These tombs evidence an organized state structure because of the organized labor required. The fourth century, when there were no contacts between the Wa and China. Some describe the "mysterious century" as a time of internecine warfare as various chiefdoms competed for hegemony on Kyushu and Honshu. [1].
"Japan of the Kofun Period was very positive towards the introduction of Korean culture". Not only are there many material objects from China and Korea that were exported to Japan such as bronze mirrors, iron, and pottery, kofun key-hole shaped tombs and haniwa, two features once thought to be unique to Japan, have been discovered in Korea. Ceramic manufacturing in kilns and horse-riding are two important technologies transmitted to Japan by Korean immigrants. [2].
Many important figures in Emperor Ojin's reign were immigrants from the Korean kingdom of Baekje. In Emperor Kimmei's reign, according to the Nihongi, a Korean was in charge of taxes levied on shipments. The introduction of Chinese writing to Yamato was one Baekje's most important gifts to the court. [3].
The Inariyami sword, made in either Korea or China (tentatively dated 471 or 531) contains Chinese character inscriptions in styles used in Korea. These "Koreanisms" of written Chinese are also found on the Eta Funayama Sword dated to about the fifth century. [4]. Various inscriptions with the names of the authors such as bronze mirrors and swords have peninsular surnames or are explicitly Korean. Also, other Japanese artifacts display popular Baekje styles, such as the abbreviated form of "be" on swords, a stone monument in Tako and a Buddhist statute at Horyu-ji Temple. [5].
Korean missionaries actively developed the Buddhist tradition in Japan for 150 years after its introduction. Baekje monks trained and proseletyized Japanese converts and provided the distinctive Baekje version of the Norther Wei style Buddhist art. Monks from the Three Kingdoms of Korea were welcome guests in Japan, and some were called to tutor the crown princes of royal families. [6]. Japanese converts also began to travel to Baekje and China for further Buddhist studies.
Yamato links to the mainland and the Liu Sung Dynasty in 425 and 478 were facilitated by the maritime knowledge and diplomatic connections of Baekje. [7]. From 600 to 659, Japan sent seven emissaries to Tang Dynasty China. But for the next 32 years, Japan sent none, during a time period when Japan was formulating its laws based on Chinese texts. During this time period when Japan cut off diplomatic relations with China, Japan sent eleven emissaries to Silla of Korea.
Korean influence on Japanese laws is also attributed to the fact that Korean immigrants were on committees that drew up law codes. Eight of the 19 members of the committee drafting the Taiho Code were from Korean immigrant families while none were from China proper. Further, idea of local administrative districts and the tribute tax are based on Korean models. [8].
Chinese chronicles make note that the horse was absent on the islands of Japan and they are first noted in the chronicles during the reign of Nintoku, most likely brought by Korean immigrants. Irrigation, sericulture, and weaving were also brought to Japan by Korean immigrants who are mentioned in the ancient Japanese histories. [9]. One-third of the noble families on a list compiled in 815 had their origins in China or Korea: 170 of the 1200 listed were from China, 240 from different parts of Korea. [10]. These immigrants received noble titles from the rulers of the Yamato, and were valued as experts, especially on iron-working, horseriding and writing.
Iron working technology was introduced into Japan from Korea around 300. Korea was an important source of iron ingots to Japan and the Koreans were famous for the iron-working skills in that time period. [11].
Language
Little evidence remains of the languages spoken in the ancient Korean kingdoms. Chinese, Korean and Japanese wrote accounts of history mostly in Chinese characters, making original pronunciations difficult to trace. Some linguists believe that modern Japanese evolved from the version of Korean spoken in Goguryeo and Baekje of Korea, while modern Korean is closer to that of Silla.
The theory that the name of the former Japanese capital Nara came from the Korean word Nara ("country") is disputed. The Japanese word Nara may be related to the word Nadaraka, meaning a flat place, as the city is located on a small flat plain in the mountainous region of Nara prefecture.
Agriculture
Comparison of rice DNA from China, Japan, Korea, Okinawa, Vietnam, and other South East Asian countries indicates that rice from Korea was similar to Japan but significantly different from that of China or Okinawa. It was even more different from that of other Asian countries. The rice from Japan was similar to that of China and Okinawa while retaining similarities with that of Korea. This is interpreted to mean that rice had come from China by way of Okinawa and moved north through Japan into Korea. [citation needed]
Some scholars argue that instead of an external influence forcing Jomon people into settlements and an agricultural lifestyle, Jomon people already started farming to support themselves and relied on trade for gathering necessities. Chestnut trees and acorn trees were widely planted and these became staple foods. The rice farming introduced in the late Jomon period comprised less than a third of the crops, the remainder being crops like millet, Japanese millet, and wheat.
- Various Reasons Why Rice Came To Japan From Korea
Although this a topic better suited in the Yayoi section, it can be stated that the vast majority of western sources accept that rice was introduced into Japan via Kore. A western historian states that wet-rice was introduced from Korea to Northern Kyushu in the fourth-century B.C. [12]. Another western source states wet-rice cultivation and the hardy Oryza sativa japonica came to Japan from the Korean Peninsula. The Cambridge History of Japan lists several reasons as well: The most likely ultimate source of rice was from the Yangtze River valley. The editors state that the most convincing theory is that rice cultivation was transferred from the Yangtze to the Shantung Peninsula to Korea and then to Japan and discount simultaneous transfers from China to Korea and Japan or a Ryukyuan route. Another piece of evidence the editors promulgate is the fact that Korea and Japan have similar topographies and climates which correlates with easy latitudinal transfer of seed while a longitudinal transfer would be much more difficult. Korean stone implements, such as a type of grooved axe with square shaft found only in Korea was also found at the Itazuke site in Japan is another strong piece of evidence because if there had been direct Chinese transfer of rice cultivation techniques than Chinese-specific farming implements should also be found in northern Kyushu, which they have not. Further, no Yangtze indica rice has been discovered in Japan. If rice culture did come from directly from China there should be some evidence of indica rice as well, even as experimental plots or seeds which are notably absent from the archaeological record. Finally, rice culture in Korea has been radiocarbon dated to as early as the first half of the first millennium B.C.E. and thus because there are ample archaeological evidences of other transmissions of technology to Kyushu, the transfer of rice culture from Korea is heavily supported by the evidence. [13].
Art and architechture
Japan followed Chinese and Korean prototypes very closely in Buddhist arts during this period of time. [14]. The arts during the Asuka and Nara periods are similiar to contemperaneous art in China and Korea. One example of this is Tori Busshi's Shaka triad which reflects the style of early to mid-sixth century Chinese and Korean style. [15].
Early Buddhist architechture in Japan was so similiar to temples on the mainland that because of the lag of development from the mainland to the archipelago, surviving buildings provide scholars with examples of how Chinese and Korean architechture of the same era looked. [16]. Korean architechture of the time was a stylistic link between classical Chinese architechture and later Japanese buildings. The construction of the original and reconstructed Horyu-ji Temple was also strongly influenced by Baekje architechture. [17]. Also, Hoko-ji (Asuka-dera) Temple closely resembles a temple excavated in northern Korea in the area of the ancient Goguryeo kingdom while Shitennoji and Yamadadera Temples follow Paekche influence. The unusal lateral orientation of the main hall and pagoda of the Horyu-ji Temple is not found in sites in China or Korea. [18]. There are also foundations uncovered in the ancient capital of Baekje, Puyo, that exactly match the early Buddhist temples in Japan because Baekje architechts helped build those temples in Japan. [19].
Korean paintings in Goguryeo tombs had important influences in Japan. [[20]]. Decorated tombs and painted tumuli which date from the fifth century and later found in Japan are generally accepted as Korean exports to Japan. The Takamatsuzuka tomb even has paintings of woman dressed in distinctive Korean pleated skirts. [21]]. Another example of the close cultural contact between Korea and Japan was the recent discovery of a tomb in Nara Prefecture made from Baekje-style bricks with eartheware dated to the time when Silla united the Korean Peninsula. Kunihiko Kawakami, a professor of archeology at Kobe Yamate University, said, "It’s highly likely the tomb is that of the Baekje king Changseong, who fled to Japan with his father Seongwang in 631 and died in 674." Father and son were unable to return because of Baekje's fall in 660." [22].
History texts
Many Koreans and westerners and some Japanese raise questions about the completeness, objectivity, and reliability of the surviving version of these Japanese sources. They argue early parts of Kojiki and Nihongi were fabricated or exaggerated by the Yamato court to legitimize its rule.
Kojiki and Nihongi, Japanese history chronicles, state that the Yamato kingdom had always influenced events in Korea by sending in troops, sometimes as many as 100,000, and maintained an outpost in Korea. They also state that the Kammu's mother's clan was given the status of a retainer under the emperor after the Baekje kingdom fell. These claims are viewed by many different scholars as unsupported propaganda, later exaggerated to justify Japanese occupation of Korea in early 20th century.
Some Japanese historians and most western and Korean scholars agree that the Kojiki and Nihongi cannot be read as complete historical truth. Tsuda Sokichi, a Japanese scholar, concluded that the earlier sections of these histories were made up to justify imperial rule. Thus, a myth that Jingu conquered parts of Korea in the Kojiki is rejected as fairy tale inserted by Yamato scholars because of later tense relations between Silla and Yamato. Most scholars agree that the founding date of Japan as 660 B.C.E. and the first thirteen emperors of Japan are mythical and not based on historical fact. Additionally, the Nihongi attributes dates two sexagenary cycles or 120 years of history before they actually happened to make the relatively young Yamato state as respectable as contemporaneous Korean and Chinese states which shows another evidence of bias of the writers. (A sexagenary cycle of sixty years was used to keep a measure of time on a calendar.) [23]. Although the Nihongi and Kojiki state that Korean Kingdoms paid tribute to Yamato, it is not believed by most historians. [24]. [25].
The Nihongi is partly based on Korean history books which have now been lost. [26]. [27]. Korean sources used in the Nihongi are the Baekje-gi (Record of Baekje), Baekje Sinch'an (New Record of Baekje), and Baekje Pon'gi (Original Record of Baekje). Records written in Baekje may have been the basis for the quotes in the Nihongi but textual criticism shows that scholars fleeing the destruction of the Baekje Kingdom to Yamato wrote these histories and the authors of the Nihongi heavily relied upon those sources. [28]. The use of Korean place names in Nihongi is another piece of evidence that the history used Korean sources.
Many of the myths of these two histories also have many similiarities with traditions in China, Manchuria, and Korea. [29].
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