DOCSLIB.ORG

Origins of the Japanese Languages. a Multidisciplinary Approach”

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Origins of the Japanese Languages. a Multidisciplinary Approach” MASTERARBEIT / MASTER’S THESIS Titel der Masterarbeit / Title of the Master’s Thesis “Origins of the Japanese languages. A multidisciplinary approach” verfasst von / submitted by Patrick Elmer, BA angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) Wien, 2019 / Vienna 2019 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / A 066 843 degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt / Masterstudium Japanologie UG2002 degree programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Betreut von / Supervisor: Mag. Dr. Bernhard Seidl Mitbetreut von / Co-Supervisor: Dr. Bernhard Scheid Table of contents List of figures .......................................................................................................................... v List of tables ........................................................................................................................... v Note to the reader..................................................................................................................vi Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... vii 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Research question ................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Methodology ......................................................................................................... 3 2. Previous research ......................................................................................................... 6 2.1. Ainu ...................................................................................................................... 6 2.2. Altaic and Koreanic ............................................................................................... 7 2.3. Koguryŏic .............................................................................................................. 9 2.4. Austronesian ....................................................................................................... 10 2.5. Mixed language ................................................................................................... 11 2.6. Japonic proto-language and Ryūkyūan ................................................................ 12 2.7. Minor theories .................................................................................................... 12 2.8. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 13 3. Genealogy ................................................................................................................... 14 3.1. Mitochondrial DNA ............................................................................................ 16 3.2. Y-DNA Haplogroups .......................................................................................... 18 3.3. Language transfer during the Jōmon-Yayoi transition ........................................ 22 4. Chinese sources .......................................................................................................... 25 4.1. The Wa and their language ................................................................................. 25 4.2. The Wa and their lands ....................................................................................... 27 4.3. First mention of the Wa ..................................................................................... 28 4.4. Gold seals and their inscriptions .......................................................................... 31 4.5. The Wa people and Wu Taibo ............................................................................ 33 5. Japonic spoken on the Korean peninsula .................................................................. 35 5.1. Japonic toponyms on the Korean peninsula ........................................................ 35 5.2. Japonic speakers on the Korean peninsula ........................................................... 38 5.2.1. Koguryŏ ....................................................................................................... 39 5.2.2. Paekche ........................................................................................................ 40 5.2.3. Kaya ............................................................................................................. 42 5.2.4. Silla .............................................................................................................. 43 5.3. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 45 iii 6. Geography and archaeology ....................................................................................... 47 6.1. The political center in the Late Yayoi Period ...................................................... 47 6.2. Eastward move of the capital ............................................................................... 49 6.3. Farming/language dispersal hypothesis ................................................................ 50 6.4. Introduction of wet-rice agriculture to Japan ...................................................... 51 6.5. Japanese rice vocabulary ....................................................................................... 53 6.6. The route of the Austronesian elements of the Japanese language ...................... 54 6.7. Rice and millet agriculture in the Korean peninsula ............................................ 57 6.8. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 60 7. Mythology .................................................................................................................. 61 7.1. Creation myth ..................................................................................................... 62 7.2. The three noble children ..................................................................................... 64 7.2.1. Susanowo, Amaterasu and their offspring .................................................... 64 7.2.2. The heavenly rock cave ................................................................................ 64 7.2.3. Food production .......................................................................................... 65 7.3. White rabbit of Inaba .......................................................................................... 66 7.4. Heavenly descent ................................................................................................. 68 7.4.1. Ninigi ........................................................................................................... 68 7.4.2. Ko no Hana Sakuya Hime............................................................................ 69 7.5. The magical fish hook ......................................................................................... 70 7.6. The eastern expedition by Emperor Jinmu .......................................................... 72 7.7. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 73 8. Ethnology ................................................................................................................... 74 8.1. The Wa frontiers ................................................................................................. 74 8.1.1. The Kona chiefdom ..................................................................................... 75 8.1.2. The Kumaso people ..................................................................................... 76 8.1.3. The Hayato people ....................................................................................... 80 8.1.4. The immigration of the Kumaso and Hayato people ................................... 81 8.1.5. Language of the Kumaso and Hayato people ............................................... 82 8.2. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 83 9. Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 85 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 87 Appendix A: Abstract (English) ....................................................................................... 99 Appendix B: Abstract (German) ...................................................................................... 99 iv List of figures Figure 1: Simplified chart of selected mtDNA haplogroup frequencies .................................... 16 Figure 2: Location of DNA samples (Adachi et al. 2014:409) .................................................. 17 Figure 3: Migration of the major Y-DNA haplogroups. Dotted and dashed lines display alternative routes of migration (from Wang and Li 2013:4) ...................................................................... 18 Figure 4: Simplified chart of selected Y-DNA haplogroup frequencies ..................................... 19 Figure 5: Na Gold Seal; mirrored image of the base (Inscription: 漢委奴國王) ........................ 31 Figure 6: Dian Seal; mirrored image of the base (Inscription: 滇王之印) ................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The University of Chicago Tears in the Imperial Screen
    THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO TEARS IN THE IMPERIAL SCREEN: WARTIME COLONIAL KOREAN CINEMA, 1936-1945 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE DIVISION OF THE HUMANITIES IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CIVILIZATIONS BY HYUN HEE PARK CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AUGUST 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ...…………………..………………………………...……… iii LIST OF FIGURES ...…………………………………………………..……….. iv ABSTRACT ...………………………….………………………………………. vi CHAPTER 1 ………………………..…..……………………………………..… 1 INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2 ……………………………..…………………….……………..… 36 ENLIGHTENMENT AND DISENCHANTMENT: THE NEW WOMAN, COLONIAL POLICE, AND THE RISE OF NEW CITIZENSHIP IN SWEET DREAM (1936) CHAPTER 3 ……………………………...…………………………………..… 89 REJECTED SINCERITY: THE FALSE LOGIC OF BECOMING IMPERIAL CITIZENS IN THE VOLUNTEER FILMS CHAPTER 4 ………………………………………………………………… 137 ORPHANS AS METAPHOR: COLONIAL REALISM IN CH’OE IN-GYU’S CHILDREN TRILOGY CHAPTER 5 …………………………………………….…………………… 192 THE PLEASURE OF TEARS: CHOSŎN STRAIT (1943), WOMAN’S FILM, AND WARTIME SPECTATORSHIP CHAPTER 6 …………………………………………….…………………… 241 CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………….. 253 FILMOGRAPHY OF EXTANT COLONIAL KOREAN FILMS …………... 265 ii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Newspaper articles regarding traffic film screening events ………....…54 Table 2. Newspaper articles regarding traffic film production ……………..….. 56 iii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure. 1-1. DVDs of “The Past Unearthed” series ...……………..………..…..... 3 Figure. 1-2. News articles on “hygiene film screening” in Maeil sinbo ….…... 27 Figure. 2-1. An advertisement for Sweet Dream in Maeil sinbo……………… 42 Figure. 2-2. Stills from Sweet Dream ………………………………………… 59 Figure. 2-3. Stills from the beginning part of Sweet Dream ………………….…65 Figure. 2-4. Change of Ae-sun in Sweet Dream ……………………………… 76 Figure. 3-1. An advertisement of Volunteer ………………………………….. 99 Figure. 3-2. Stills from Volunteer …………………………………...……… 108 Figure.
    [Show full text]
  • Unexpected Nasal Consonants in Joseon-Era Korean Thomas
    Unexpected Nasal Consonants in Joseon-Era Korean Thomas Darnell 17 April 2020 The diminutive suffixes -ngaji and -ngsengi are unique in contemporary Korean in ​ ​ ​ ​ that they both begin with the velar nasal consonant (/ŋ/) and seem to be of Korean origin. Surprisingly, they seem to share no direct genetic affiliation. But by reverse-engineering sound change involving the morpheme-initial velar nasal in the Ulsan dialect, I prove that the historical form of -aengi was actually ​ ​ maximally -ng; thus the suffixes -ngaji and -ngsaengi are related if we consider ​ ​ ​ ​ them to be concatenations of this diminutive suffix -ng and the suffixes -aji and ​ ​ ​ ​ -sengi. This is supported by the existence of words with the -aji suffix in which the ​ ​ ​ initial velar nasal -ㅇ is absent and which have no semantic meaning of ​ ​ diminutiveness. 1. Introduction Korean is a language of contested linguistic origin spoken primarily on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. There are approximately 77 million Korean speakers globally, though about 72 million of these speakers reside on the Korean peninsula (Eberhard et al.). Old Korean is the name given to the first attested stage of the Koreanic family, referring to the language spoken in the Silla kingdom, a small polity at the southeast end of the Korean peninsula. It is attested (at first quite sparsely) from the fifth century until the overthrow of the Silla state in the year 935 (Lee & Ramsey 2011: 48, 50, 55). Soon after that year, the geographic center of written Korean then moved to the capital of this conquering state, the Goryeo kingdom, located near present-day Seoul; this marks the beginning of Early Middle Korean (Lee & Ramsey: 50, 77).
    [Show full text]
  • Y-Chromosome Polymorphisms in Southern Arabia Alicia M
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 11-8-2006 Y-chromosome polymorphisms in southern Arabia Alicia M. Cadenas Florida International University DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI14052526 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Forensic Science and Technology Commons Recommended Citation Cadenas, Alicia M., "Y-chromosome polymorphisms in southern Arabia" (2006). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1962. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1962 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida Y-CHROMOSOME POLYMORPHISMS IN SOUTHERN ARABIA A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in FORENSIC SCIENCE by Alicia M. Cadenas 2006 To: Interim Dean Mark Szuchman College of Arts and Sciences This thesis, written by Alicia M. Cadenas, and entitled Y-Chromosome Polymorphisms in Southern Arabia, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved. Fernando G. Noriega George T. Du can Rene J. Herrera, Major Professor Date of Defense: November 8, 2006 The thesis of Alicia M. Cadenas is approved. Interim 'ean Mark Szuchman College of Arts and Sciences Dean George Walker University Graduate School Florida International University, 2006 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee members Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • A Brief Summary of Japanese-Ainu Relations and the Depiction of The
    The road from Ainu barbarian to Japanese primitive: A brief summary of Japanese-ainu relations in a historical perspective Noémi GODEFROY Centre d’Etudes Japonaises (CEJ) “Populations Japonaises” Research Group Proceedings from the 3rd Consortium for Asian and African Studies (CAAS) “Making a difference: representing/constructing the other in Asian/African Media, Cinema and languages”, 16-18 February 2012, published by OFIAS at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, p.201-212 Edward Saïd, in his ground-breaking work Orientalism, underlines that to represent the “Other” is to manipulate him. This has been an instrument of submission towards Asia during the age of European expansion, but the use of such a process is not confined to European domination. For centuries, the relationship between Japan and its northern neighbors, the Ainu, is based on economical domination and dependency. In this regard, the Ainu’s foreignness, impurity and “barbaric appearance” - their qualities as inferior “Others” - are emphasized in descriptive texts or by the regular staging of such diplomatic practices as “barbarian audiences”, thus highlighting the Japanese cultural and territorial superiority. But from 1868, the construction of the Meiji nation-state requires the assimilation and acculturation of the Ainu people. As Japan undergoes what Fukuzawa Yukichi refers to as the “opening to civilization” (文明開化 bunmei kaika) by learning from the West, it also plays the role of the civilizer towards the Ainu. The historical case study of the relationship between Japanese and Ainu from up to Meiji highlights the evolution of Japan’s own self-image and identity, from an emerging state, subduing barbarians, to newly unified state - whose ultramarine relations are inspired by a Chinese-inspired ethnocentrism and rejection of outside influence- during the Edo period, and finally to an aspiring nation-state, seeking to assert itself while avoiding colonization at Meiji.
    [Show full text]
  • The Languages of Japan and Korea. London: Routledge 2 The
    To appear in: Tranter, David N (ed.) The Languages of Japan and Korea. London: Routledge 2 The relationship between Japanese and Korean John Whitman 1. Introduction This chapter reviews the current state of Japanese-Ryukyuan and Korean internal reconstruction and applies the results of this research to the historical comparison of both families. Reconstruction within the families shows proto-Japanese-Ryukyuan (pJR) and proto-Korean (pK) to have had very similar phonological inventories, with no laryngeal contrast among consonants and a system of six or seven vowels. The main challenges for the comparativist are working through the consequences of major changes in root structure in both languages, revealed or hinted at by internal reconstruction. These include loss of coda consonants in Japanese, and processes of syncope and medial consonant lenition in Korean. The chapter then reviews a small number (50) of pJR/pK lexical comparisons in a number of lexical domains, including pronouns, numerals, and body parts. These expand on the lexical comparisons proposed by Martin (1966) and Whitman (1985), in some cases responding to the criticisms of Vovin (2010). It identifies a small set of cognates between pJR and pK, including approximately 13 items on the standard Swadesh 100 word list: „I‟, „we‟, „that‟, „one‟, „two‟, „big‟, „long‟, „bird‟, „tall/high‟, „belly‟, „moon‟, „fire‟, „white‟ (previous research identifies several more cognates on this list). The paper then concludes by introducing a set of cognate inflectional morphemes, including the root suffixes *-i „infinitive/converb‟, *-a „infinitive/irrealis‟, *-or „adnominal/nonpast‟, and *-ko „gerund.‟ In terms of numbers of speakers, Japanese-Ryukyuan and Korean are the largest language isolates in the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Sijo: Korean Poetry Form
    Kim Leng East Asia: Origins to 1800 Spring 2019 Curriculum Project Sijo: Korean Poetry Form Rationale: This unit will introduce students to the sijo, a Korean poetic form, that predates the haiku. This popular poetic form has been written in Korea since the Choson dynasty (1392-1910). The three line poem is part of Korea’s rich cultural and literary heritage. Common Core English Language Art Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. Common Core Standards: L 3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts. L 5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in meaning. English Language Arts Standards » Standard 10: Range, Quality, & Complexity » Range of Text Types for 6-12 Students in grades 6-12 apply the Reading standards to the following range of text types, with texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods.
    [Show full text]
  • Supernatural Elements in No Drama Setsuico
    SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS IN NO DRAMA \ SETSUICO ITO ProQuest Number: 10731611 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10731611 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 4 8 1 0 6 - 1346 Supernatural Elements in No Drama Abstract One of the most neglected areas of research in the field of NS drama is its use of supernatural elements, in particular the calling up of the spirit or ghost of a dead person which is found in a large number (more than half) of the No plays at present performed* In these 'spirit plays', the summoning of the spirit is typically done by a travelling priest (the waki)* He meets a local person (the mae-shite) who tells him the story for which the place is famous and then reappears in the second half of the.play.as the main person in the story( the nochi-shite ), now long since dead. This thesis sets out to show something of the circumstances from which this unique form of drama v/as developed.
    [Show full text]
  • Drastic Demographic Events Triggered the Uralic Spread to Appear in Diachronica
    Drastic demographic events triggered the Uralic spread To appear in Diachronica Riho Grünthal (University of Helsinki) Volker Heyd (University of Helsinki) Sampsa Holopainen (University of Helsinki) Juha Janhunen (University of Helsinki) Olesya Khanina (Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences) Matti Miestamo (University of Helsinki) Johanna Nichols (University of California, Berkeley; University of Helsinki; Higher School of Economics, Moscow) Janne Saarikivi (University of Helsinki) Kaius Sinnemäki (University of Helsinki) Abstract: The widespread Uralic family offers several advantages for tracing prehistory: a firm absolute chronological anchor point in an ancient contact episode with well-dated Indo-Iranian; other points of intersection or diagnostic non-intersection with early Indo-European (the Late PIE-speaking Yamnaya culture of the western steppe, the Afanasievo culture of the upper Yenisei, and the Fatyanovo culture of the middle Volga); lexical and morphological reconstruction sufficient to establish critical absences of sharings and contacts. We add information on climate, linguistic geography, typology, and cognate frequency distributions to reconstruct the Uralic origin and spread. We argue that the Uralic homeland was east of the Urals and initially out of contact with Indo-European. The spread was rapid and without widespread shared substratal effects. We reconstruct its cause as the interconnected reactions of early Uralic and Indo-European populations to a catastrophic climate change episode and interregionalization opportunities which advantaged riverine hunter-fishers over herders. Keywords Uralic; Finno-Ugric; Indo-European; Yamnaya; Indo-Iranian; Siberia; Eurasia; Seima-Turbino, 4.2 ka event; linguistic homeland Note: In-text references have not yet been fully deanonymized. 2 Drastic demographic events triggered the Uralic spread (Contents, for convenience) Main text (pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Mitochondrial DNA from Pre-Historic
    Grand Valley State University ScholarWorks@GVSU Masters Theses Graduate Research and Creative Practice 4-30-2011 Ancient Mitochondrial DNA From Pre-historic Southeastern Europe: The rP esence of East Eurasian Haplogroups Provides Evidence of Interactions with South Siberians Across the Central Asian Steppe Belt Jeremy R. Newton Grand Valley State University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/theses Part of the Cell Biology Commons, and the Molecular Biology Commons Recommended Citation Newton, Jeremy R., "Ancient Mitochondrial DNA From Pre-historic Southeastern Europe: The rP esence of East Eurasian Haplogroups Provides Evidence of Interactions with South Siberians Across the Central Asian Steppe Belt" (2011). Masters Theses. 5. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/theses/5 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research and Creative Practice at ScholarWorks@GVSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@GVSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ANCIENT MITOCHONDRIAL DNA FROM PRE-HISTORIC SOUTH- EASTERN EUROPE: THE PRESENCE OF EAST EURASIAN HAPLOGROUPS PROVIDES EVIDENCE OF INTERACTIONS WITH SOUTH SIBERIANS ACROSS THE CENTRAL ASIAN STEPPE BELT A thesis submittal in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science By Jeremy R. Newton To Cell and Molecular Biology Department Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI April, 2011 “Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to every person who has motivated, directed, and encouraged me throughout this thesis project. I especially thank my graduate advisor, Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Making and Breaking
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Making and Breaking Stereotypes: East Asian International Students’ Experiences with Cross- Cultural/Racial Interactions A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Education by Zachary Stephen Ritter 2013 © Copyright by Zachary Stephen Ritter 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Making and Breaking Stereotypes: East Asian International Students’ Experiences with Cross- Cultural/Racial Interactions by Zachary Stephen Ritter Doctor of Philosophy in Education University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 Professor Richard Wagoner, Chair In response to recent budget cuts and declining revenue streams, American colleges and universities are admitting larger numbers of international students. These students add a great deal of cultural and intellectual diversity to college campuses, but they also bring racial stereotypes that can affect cross-racial interaction as well as campus climate. Forty-seven interviews with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean graduate and undergraduate international students were conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles, regarding these students’ racial stereotypes and how contact with diverse others challenged or reinforced these stereotypes over time. Results indicated that a majority of students had racial hierarchies, which affected with whom they roomed, befriended, and dated. American media images and a lack of cross-cultural/racial interaction in home countries led to negative views toward African-Americans and Latinos. Positive cross- racial interactions, diversity courses, and living on-campus did change negative stereotypes; however, a lack of opportunities to interact with racial out-groups, international and domestic student balkanization, and language issues led to stereotype ossification in some cases. This research shows that there is a need for policy and programmatic changes at the college level that promote international and domestic student interaction.
    [Show full text]
  • May 2020 1(4)
    What’s in this issue Welcome Message Eye on Japan Tokyo Days – report by Nadine Willems Piece of Japan Upcoming Events General Links Editor: Oliver Moxham, CJS Project Coordinator CJS Director: Professor Simon Kaner Contact Us Header photo by editor Welcome Message CJS ニュースレターへようこそ！ Welcome to the first May edition of the CJS e-newsletter. This week we are happy to bring you positive news from Japan on handling of the pandemic as infection rates continue to slow after a thankfully quiet Golden Week and the government finally accepts that the virus may not simply disappear by the end of May. We have inspiring stories of human kindness in Japan to keep spirits up, a brand new article from Nadine Willems on the trials of acquiring masks in lockdown Tokyo and a raft of cultural goodies on the theme of humanity versus nature in our Piece of Japan segment. You can find a message from CJS Director Professor Simon Kaner on the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures website and hear more from our SISJAC colleagues on their monthly e-bulletin. We hope you enjoy reading and as ever look forward to hearing from you on what you would like to see in future issues. Written by Oliver Moxham, CJS Project Coordinator and editor Editor’s note: Japanese names are given in the Japanese form of family name first i.e. Matsumoto Mariko Eye on Japan: Quiet Golden Week|Flattening the Curve|Castles in the Spotlight 日本の最新情報 As Golden Week passes by with World Heritage Sites on high alert for daring sightseers, it would seem that most heeded the calls to at least not travel, if not stay indoors.
    [Show full text]
  • The Myth of the Goddess of the Undersea World and the Tale of Empress Jingu’S Subjugation of Silla
    Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1993 20/2-3 The Myth of the Goddess of the Undersea World and the Tale of Empress Jingu’s Subjugation of Silla Akima Toshio In prewar Japan, the mythical tale of Empress Jingii’s 神功皇后 conquest of the Korean kingdoms comprised an important part of elementary school history education, and was utilized to justify Japan5s coloniza­ tion of Korea. After the war the same story came to be interpreted by some Japanese historians—most prominently Egami Namio— as proof or the exact opposite, namely, as evidence of a conquest of Japan by a people of nomadic origin who came from Korea. This theory, known as the horse-rider theory, has found more than a few enthusiastic sup­ porters amone Korean historians and the Japanese reading public, as well as some Western scholars. There are also several Japanese spe­ cialists in Japanese history and Japan-Korea relations who have been influenced by the theory, although most have not accepted the idea (Egami himself started as a specialist in the history of northeast Asia).1 * The first draft of this essay was written during my fellowship with the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, and was read in a seminar organized by the institu­ tion on 31 January 199丄. 1 am indebted to all researchers at the center who participated in the seminar for their many valuable suggestions. I would also like to express my gratitude to Umehara Takeshi, the director general of the center, and Nakanism Susumu, also of the center, who made my research there possible.
    [Show full text]