Himiko and Japan's Elusive Chiefdom of Yamatai : : Archaeology, History, and Mythology / / J. Edward Kidder.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Asian Studies Backlist (2000-2014) eBook Package
• VerfasserIn: Kidder, J. Edward,
• Place / Publishing House: Honolulu : : University of Hawaii Press, , [2007]; ©2007
• Year of Publication: 2007
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (448 p.) :; 45 illus.

The third-century Chinese chronicle Wei zhi (Record of Wei) is responsible for Japan's most enduring ancient mystery. This early history tells of a group of islands off the China coast that were dominated by a female shaman named Himiko. Himiko ruled for more than half a century as head of the largest chiefdom, traditionally known as Yamatai, until her death in 248. Yet no such person appears in the old Japanese literature. Who was Himiko and where was the Yamatai she governed? In this, the most comprehensive treatment in English to date, a senior scholar of early Japan turns to three sources-historical, archaeological, and mythological-to provide a multifaceted study of Himiko and ancient Japanese society.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Illustrations and Tables -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- CHAPTER 1. Ancient Texts and Sources -- CHAPTER 2. The Wei Zhi and the Wa People -- CHAPTER 3. The Initial Problem and Three Centuries of Compounding It -- CHAPTER 4. Travel by Land and Water to Neighboring Countries -- CHAPTER 5. Han Commanderies, Korean Kingdoms, and Wei China -- CHAPTER 6. Japan in Transition from Yayoi to Kofun -- CHAPTER 7. The Izumo-Yamato Contention -- CHAPTER 8. Himiko, Shamans, Divination, and Other Magic -- CHAPTER 9. Mirrors and Himiko's Allotment -- CHAPTER 10. The Japanese View of the Wei Zhi Years -- CHAPTER 11. The Endless Search for Yamatai -- CHAPTER 12. Makimuku and the Location of Yamatai -- List of Abbreviations -- Notes -- Wei Zhi Text -- Select Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author