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Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
WEI CHRONICLE
I
Ironically, the first written historical accounts of Japan come not from Japan itself, but from neighboring China. The Wei Chronicle was written by a Chinese emissary who visited Japan in the 3rd century. Historians believe that the author landed in the Yamato region of Japan, just south of Kyoto, or perhaps in northern Kyushu.
The Wei Chronicle is not overly complimentary of the Japanese. First of all, the author of the Wei chronicle was not impressed with the physical appearance of the Japanese. He calls Japan “the land of Wa,” using a Chinese character which means “dwarf.” The Wei author further dismisses the Japanese as “eastern barbarians."
The political disunity of ancient Japan is evident in the Wei Chronicle. Japan is described as a divided land of small, warring states. The Japanese people themselves are reserved and obsessed with formalities. They drink to excess and regard foreigners with a distinct air of distrust.
The Wei Chronicle also mentions Himiko, the “Sun Daughter” who was apparently the most powerful ruler in the area. Although Japan eventually developed a patriarchal system of male emperors, there were many female rulers in early Japan. Himiko was evidently a sorceress of a fertility cult in western Japan.