Himiko and Yamatai

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Princess Himiko and the Yamatai Kingdom

There are many legends around this ancient queen of the land of WA during the Yayoi period.

Her country is located in Kyushu or in the Nara plain ...
The Chiefdom of Yamatai

In the city of Saga, Kyushu, there is a memorial park for her with a village replica in the style of the 3rd century.

The famous site from Yoshinogari 吉野ヶ里（よしのがり） at the Ariake Sea is near by.


. WASHOKU
Saga prefecture 佐賀県 　

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Himiko or Pimiko (卑弥呼, 卑彌呼 d. ca. 248)

She was an obscure shaman queen of Yamataikoku in ancient Wa (Japan). Early Chinese dynastic histories chronicle tributary relations between Queen Himiko and the Cao Wei Kingdom (220-265), and record that the Yayoi period people chose her as ruler following decades of warfare among the kings of Wa. Early Japanese histories do not mention Himiko, but historians associate her with legendary figures such as Empress Consort Jingū, who was Regent (ca. 200-269 ) in roughly the same era as Himiko.

Scholarly debates over the identity of Himiko and the location of her domain Yamatai have raged since the late Edo period, with opinions divided between northern Kyūshū or traditional Yamato province in present-day Kinki. "The Yamatai controversy", writes Keiji Imamura (1996:188), is "the greatest debate over the ancient history of Japan."

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Yamataikoku, やまたいこく【邪馬台国／耶馬台国】

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Dougill John wrote:

When the Yoshinogari area in northern Kyushu was excavated in 1986, the extent of the ruins led to great excitement that it might be the site of an ancient Yamatai kingdom mentioned in Chinese chronicles. People flooded to visit, and in 1992 it was decided to turn it into a historical park celebrating the Yayoi era (300 BC – 300 AD).

Look here for many photos :
source : www.greenshinto.com


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3rd century structure unearthed in Nara Pref.
(Nov. 12, 2009)

NARA--
The remains of a large early-to- mid-third century structure have been unearthed at the Makimuku ruins in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, the local municipal board of education announced Tuesday.
The Makimuku ruins may have stood in Yamataikoku, an ancient country led by the female ruler Himiko that some experts believe was located in what is now the Kinki region. Others think it was part of what is now the Kyushu region.
The recently discovered remains stretch 19.2 meters from north to south at their largest point, and at least 6.2 meters from east to west.

The discovery is significant to the history of Japan's formation as a country--according to the Sakurai Municipal Board of Education, the remains are an early example of a royal palace. Based on their age and location, some researchers speculate they may have been the center of Yamataikoku and Himiko's palace.
The board's researchers discovered pillar holes in the ground while conducting a search east of a group of remains unearthed by March. Considering the structure's balance and the shapes of the holes, the board believes the dimensions of the structure were 19.2 meters from south to north and 12.4 meters from east to west. Each pillar is about 32 centimeters in diameter. It is likely the structure had an elevated floor.

The excavated site is located in a hilly development area. At least four structures, including the most recently discovered one, were found to have been built in a line from a central axis, indicating careful planning.
Dating back to the third or fourth century, the Makimuku ruins are one of the nation's largest settlement ruins. Earthenware items produced in various regions from Kanto to Kyushu have been unearthed there.
The ruins also are the site of the oldest keyhole-shaped Japanese tomb, Hashihaka tomb, which is believed to have been Himiko's, and may have been the birthplace of the Yamato Kingdom.

Taichiro Shiraishi, director of the Osaka Prefectural Chikatsuasuka Museum, said the excavated remains of the large structure may have been the central facility for Yamataikoku politics and religion.
source : The Yomiuri Shimbun

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Hashihaka Kofun 箸墓古墳
possible grave of Himiko in the Nara area, Sakurai.
Nearby, food in memory of Himiko is prepared:

Himiko senbei 卑弥呼せんべい
Yamataikoku manjuu 邪馬台国饅頭



In Saga, Kyushu, they sell
「吉野ケ里名物　やぐらまんじゅう」

Yagura manjuu やぐらまんじゅう Yagura manju
Himiko manjuu 卑弥呼まんじゅうや / 卑弥呼饅頭 Himiko manju
Himiko senbei 卑弥呼せんべい / 卑弥呼煎餅 Himiko sembei


WAGASHI ... Sweets SAIJIKI



Specialities near Yoshinogari, Saga



akamai aisu 赤米アイス red rice icecream
from Yoshinogari





Yoshino gaarikku 吉野ガーリック giant garlic from Yoshino





Yoshinogari kodaimen 吉野ヶ里古代麺 noodles the old style




Yoshinogari saburee 吉野ヶ里 サブレー Sablee from Yoshinogari


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H A I K U



火の国の拳の奥に卑弥呼佇つ
hi no kuni no ken no oku ni Himiko tatsu

in the background of power
in the land of fire
there is Himiko

Anai Futoshi 穴井太 (1926 - 1997)

hi no kuni, an old name for Kyushu, 肥の国, including parts of Nagasaki, Saga and Kumamoto prefectures.


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よく通る声は卑弥呼ぞ枯蘆原
yoku tooru koe wa Himiko zo kare ashiwara

the voice that carries well
is from Himiko -
withered reeds in the marsh

Koshigawa Miyako 越川都



kare ashiwara 枯蘆原（かれあしわら）
withered reeds in the marsh
kigo for all winter


Tr. Gabi Greve
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. WASHOKU
Food from Saga prefecture 佐賀県 　


Daruma Pilgrims in Japan

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