The Wajinden (倭人伝; "Treatise on the Wa People") are passages in the 30th fascicle of the Chinese history chronicle Records of the Three Kingdoms that talk about the Wa people, who would later be known as the Japanese people . It describes the mores , geography, and other aspects of the Wa, the people and inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago at the time. The Records of the Three Kingdoms was written by Chen Shou of the Western Jin dynasty at the end of the 3rd century (between the demise of Wu in 280 and 297, the year of Chen Shou's death).
48-633: There is no independent treatise called "Wajinden" in the Records of the Three Kingdoms , and the description of Yamato is part of the Book of Wei , vol. 30, "Treatise on the Wuhuan , Xianbei , and Dongyi ". The name "Wajinden" comes from Iwanami Bunko who published the passages under the name Gishi Wajinden (魏志倭人伝) in 1951. Therefore, some believe that it is meaningless unless one reads not only
96-706: A full translation of fascicle 29. Rafe de Crespigny , in addition to his translation of Sun Jian's biography (Fascicle 46), also translated excerpts of the Records of the Three Kingdoms in his translation of the Zizhi Tongjian that deals with the last years of the Han dynasty, as does Achilles Fang , who translated the Zizhi Tongjian fascicles that deal with the Three Kingdoms period proper. The Zizhi Tongjian fascicles in question draw heavily from Records of
144-451: A mound was built and 100 people were buried there. After that, a male king was established, but the whole country did not accept him, and more than 1,000 people were killed. After the death of Himiko, a 13-year-old Toyo , a girl of Himiko's clan or sect, was appointed as ruler and the country was pacified. Zhang Zheng, who had been dispatched to Japan earlier, presented Toyo with a proclamation, and Toyo also sent an envoy to Wei. In addition,
192-418: A note or even offer a correction. In regard to historical events and figures, as well as Chen Shou's original text, he added his own commentary. Crucially, he cited his sources in almost every case. The Records of the Three Kingdoms was the main source of inspiration for the 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms , one of the four great Classic Chinese Novels . As such the records is considered one of
240-735: A proclamation. Iyo sent 20 men, including the Wa taifu Yayako, the Gentleman of the Household Leading the Virtuous, to escort Zhang Zheng back to China and to present slaves and gifts of 5,000 white pearls, two large blue beads, and 20 brocades with different designs. It is important to note that the Wei imperial decrees were dated to the time they were written, not the time they arrived in Wa, which typically took two years to arrive. Following
288-453: A single work. Pei collected other records to add information he felt should be added. He provided detailed explanations to some of the geography and other elements mentioned in the original. He also included multiple accounts of the same events. Sometimes, the accounts he added contradicted each other, but he included them anyway since he could not decide which version was the correct one. If Pei added something that sounded wrong, he would make
336-679: Is considered the best. The edition of Records of the Three Kingdoms that forms the Bainaben version is based on a copy from the Shaoxi period (紹熙; 1190–1194) of Southern Song dynasty . A punctuated edition of the Records of the Three Kingdoms was published in 1959 by Zhonghua Book Company in Beijing, and is available in Japan. In addition, Kodansha published a kanbun version named Wakokuden (倭国伝) in 2010 featuring syntactic markers to aid
384-448: The Book of Shu in the Records was composed by Chen Shou himself based on his earlier personal notes about events in Shu and other primary sources he collected, such as his previously compiled writings of Zhuge Liang . The Records of the Three Kingdoms used the year 220 CE—when the last emperor of the Han dynasty was forced to abdicate to Cao Pi—as the year in which the Wei dynasty
432-456: The Book of Wei by Wang Chen , Xun Yi , and Ruan Ji ; and the Book of Wu by Wei Zhao , Hua He , Xue Ying , Zhou Zhao ( 周昭 ), and Liang Guang ( 梁廣 ). Additionally, Yu Huan had completed his privately compiled history of Wei, the Weilüe . Chen Shou used these texts as the foundation of the Records of the Three Kingdoms . However, since the state of Shu lacked an official history bureau,
480-685: The Records and its annotations in full, but also by familiarizing with the Confucian classics that form the worldview to understand it.". The Wajinden represents the first time a comprehensive article about the Japanese archipelago has been written in the official history of China. The Dongyi treatise in the Book of the Later Han is chronologically earlier than the Wajinden , but the Wajinden
528-399: The Records of the Three Kingdoms describes the location and boundaries of Samhan and Wa to the south of Daifang Commadery: The Han (Korea) is south of Daifang, bounded by the sea to the east and west, connecting with Wa to its south, with an area of 4,000 li . There are three Han, the first is called Mahan , the second is called Jinhan , the third is called Byeonhan . The Book of
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#1732773320780576-459: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms , though the Romance also includes a number of characters and stories that are fictional. However, most of the historical facts were drawn from Chen's Records . The Records of the Three Kingdoms has not been fully translated into English. William Gordon Crowell alludes to a project to translate Chen Shou's work with Pei Songzhi's commentary in full, but it
624-542: The Wajinden contains "many biases (distorted descriptions) due to the internal politics and diplomacy of Cao Wei at the time when Himiko sent her envoy and the world view of the historian. Of the printed versions of the Wajinden that have survived, the one included in the Bainaben (百衲本; "patchwork") version of the Twenty-Four Histories from the 20th century during the Republican period of China
672-692: The "Jingū-ki" in Nihon Shoki quotes the now-lost Imperial Diaries of Jin (晉起居注) that the queen of Wa presented tribute through interpreters in October of 266. The extant Book of Jin notes that the Wa made a tribute in November of 266 in the annals of the Emperor Wu of Jin . The embassy was recorded elsewhere in the Book of Jin in the "Biography of the Four Barbarians" (四夷傳), although
720-629: The "continuous theory" and the "radiation theory" (see Yamatai ). There is a description about Wa in Fan Ye 's Book of Later Han written in the 5th century. Its contents have much in common with the Wajinden, but it also includes details that are absent from Wajinden such as the approximate time-frame of the Civil War of Wa , which the Book of Later Han records to be during the reign of Emperor Huan and Ling (146–189). The passages about Wa in
768-484: The 7th century Book of Sui are seen as a compilation of similar passages from the Weilüe , Wajinden , Book of Later Han , Book of Song , and the Book of Liang . As such, many passages from Wajinden can be found in the Book of Sui with minor modifications. Notably, the Book of Sui updated the distances found in Wajinden . Records of the Three Kingdoms The Records of
816-417: The Japanese archipelago in the 3rd century. However, it is not necessarily an accurate representation of the situation of the Japanese archipelago at that time, which has been a cause of controversy regarding Yamatai On the other hand, there are also some researchers such as Okada Hidehiro who cast doubt on the value of the Wajinden as a historical document. Okada stated that there were large discrepancies in
864-537: The Japanese reader. The Wajinden was written without paragraphs, but it is divided into six paragraphs in the Chinese-language versions and the Kodansha version. In terms of content, it is understood to be divided into three major sections. Originally, there was a male king for 70 to 80 years, but there was a prolonged disturbance in the whole country (considered as the so-called " Civil War of Wa "). In
912-516: The Later Han 's treatise on the Dongyi makes the positional relationship of Samhan more concrete: Mahan is to the west, consisting of 54 chiefdoms, bordering Lelang to the north and Wa to the south. To the east is Jinhan, with twelve chiefdoms, bordering Yemaek to the north. Byeonhan is south of Jinhan, consisting of twelve chiefdoms of its own, also bordering Wa in the south. There are various theories about official names. An excerpt of [REDACTED]
960-457: The Three Kingdoms is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty ( c. 184 – 220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regarded as to be the authoritative source text for these periods. Compiled following the reunification of China under the Jin dynasty (266–420) ,
1008-417: The Three Kingdoms consist of 65 fascicles divided into three books—one per eponymous kingdom—totaling around 360,000 Chinese characters in length. The Book of Wei , Book of Shu , and Book of Wu receive 30 fascicles, 15 fascicles, and 20 fascicles respectively. Each fascicle is organised in the form of one or more biographies. The author Chen Shou was born in present-day Nanchong , Sichuan , then in
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#17327733207801056-567: The Three Kingdoms . Further excerpts of the Records can be found in various sourcebooks dealing with East Asian history. Below is a table containing the known English translations of the Records of the Three Kingdoms that have been published in academia: Daifang Commandery The Daifang Commandery was an administrative division established by the Chinese Han dynasty on the Korean Peninsula between 204 and 220. It
1104-490: The Wa ruler was not specified to be a queen. It is probable that Toyo made a tribute to Emperor Wu of Jin , who overthrew the Wei. After the record of Toyo's tribute in the mid-3rd century, there would be no record of Japan in Chinese historical books for nearly 150 years until the tribute of King San (one of the five kings of Wa ) in 413. The Gwanggaeto Stele fills in this gap, stating that in 391 people from Wa crossed
1152-569: The control of southern natives caused their revolt. The armies of Lelang and Daifang eventually stifled it. Daifang Commandery was inherited by the Jin dynasty . Due to the bitter civil War of the Eight Princes , Jin became unable to control the Korean peninsula at the beginning of the 4th century. Zhang Tong (張統) broke away from Jin in Lelang and Daifang. After Luoyang , the capital of Jin,
1200-750: The death of Sun Hao in 284. One abstract regarding the chronology is translated as follows: In the 24th year (of Jian'an), the Former Lord became the King of Hanzhong, and he appointed (Guan) Yu as the General of the Vanguard. In the same year, (Guan) Yu led his men to attack Cao Ren at Fan. Lord Cao sent Yu Jin to aid (Cao) Ren. In autumn, great rains caused the Han River to flood. (Yu) Jin and all seven armies he oversaw were inundated. During
1248-529: The distance in Wajinden exactly as they were written would land a hypothetical traveller past the Japanese archipelago and into the Pacific Ocean . As such, there is considerable debate over the locations of the Wa chiefdoms named in the Wajinden , primarily Yamatai. The prevailing theories are the " Honshu Theory " and the " Kyushu Theory ". The interpretations of the journey to Yamatai are split into
1296-480: The earliest extant native record being the Kojiki of 712. The text forms the foundation on which the 14th-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong is based. In addition, Chen Shou's literary style and vivid portrayal of characters have been a source of influence for the novel. The Records include biographies of historical figures such as Cao Cao and Guan Yu who feature prominently in
1344-401: The end, the confusion was finally quelled by appointing Himiko, a woman, as the ruler. Himiko was described to be a shaman queen who held her people under a spell. She was elderly and had no husband. Her younger brother assisted her in the administration of the kingdom. She had 1,000 attendants, but only one man was allowed in the palace to serve food and drink and to take messages. The palace
1392-652: The fifth century, the Liu Song dynasty historian Pei Songzhi (372–451) extensively annotated Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms using a variety of other sources, augmenting the text to twice the length of the original. This work, completed in 429, became one of the official histories of the Three Kingdoms period, under the title Sanguozhi zhu (三国志注 zhu meaning "notes"). Bibliographical records indicate that up until Pei's own Liu Song dynasty, Chen Shou's three books had circulated individually rather than as
1440-439: The location and mileage and that it lacked credibility. Takaraga Hisao said, "The Wajinden is not complete, and it cannot be regarded as a contemporaneous historical material because of the lack of total consistency and the long transcription period. Although it is certain that the Book of Wei predates the Records of the Three Kingdoms , there are many errors in the surviving anecdotes. In addition, Yoshihiro Watanabe stated that
1488-499: The main record. For example, the biography of Liu Yan begins with discussing his ancestor Liu Yu 's enfeoffment at Jingling (present-day Tianmen , Hubei ) in around 85 CE. The first event to receive detailed description throughout the work is the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184. Many biographies make passing mention of the event, but more concrete information such as correspondence and troop movements during
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1536-469: The most influential historical and cultural texts in Chinese history. In addition, the records provide one of the earliest accounts of Korea and Japan. Chen's Records set the standard for how Korea and Japan would write their official histories as well. Chen's Records is the chronologically final text of the "Four Histories" ( 四史 ), which together influenced and served as a model for Korean and Japanese official histories. The Records are important to
1584-522: The original text and an English translation (romanizations mainly follow J. Edward Kidder). Other than the chiefdoms mentioned on the journey from Daifang to the Queen's domain in Yamatai, there are other distant countries that are only known by name. In addition, mention is made of a Kona chiefdom south of Yamatai ruled by a male king that lies outside of the Queen's control. An excerpt of [REDACTED]
1632-408: The original text and an English translation follows: Excerpts from [REDACTED] the original text and an English translation: Contains excerpts from [REDACTED] the original text . and an English translation (decree enumerating the tributes received and the gifts and titles bestowed to Wa in reciprocation omitted) When Himiko died, a large mound was built. The diameter of the mound
1680-643: The passages on the Wa but also the whole of the Treatise on the Dongyi ("Eastern Barbarians"). Yoshihiro Watanabe, a researcher of the Three Kingdoms, states that the accounts about the Korean Peninsula and Japan were not based on Chen Shou's first-hand experience, but was written based on rumors and reports from people who had visited the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and its authenticity is questionable. He further recommended that "the worldview and political situation of Chen Shou be examined not only by reading
1728-647: The research of early Korean ( 삼국지 Samguk ji ) and Japanese history (三国志 Sangokushi). It provides, among other things, the first detailed account of Korean and Japanese societies such as Goguryeo , Yemaek and Wa . The passages in Fascicle 30 about the Wa, where the Yamatai-koku and its ruler Queen Himiko are recorded, are referred to as the Wajinden in Japanese studies . The Japanese did not have their own records until more than three centuries later, with
1776-541: The sea to invade Baekje and Silla , and battled with Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo . According to the Wajinden , the Wa people made the mountainous island as their state, and paid tribute to the continent through the Daifang Commandery that was established by the Han dynasty near present-day Seoul . As for the route from Daifang Commandery to Japan, the passages relating to the Korean peninsula in fascicle 30 of
1824-518: The state of Shu Han . After the Conquest of Shu by Wei in 263, he became an official historian under the government of the Jin dynasty , and created a history of the Three Kingdoms period. After the Conquest of Wu by Jin in 280, his work received the acclaim of senior minister Zhang Hua . Prior to the Jin dynasty, both the states of Cao Wei and Wu has already composed their own official histories:
1872-413: The uprising can be found in fragmentary form in at least four fascicles: the biographies of Cheng Yu , Yu Jin , Liu Bei , and Sun Jian . The three books in the Records of the Three Kingdoms end at different dates, with the main section of the Book of Wei ending with the abdication of Cao Huan in 265, the Book of Shu ending with the death of Liu Shan in 271, and the Book of Wu ending with
1920-424: The work chronicles the political, social, and military events within rival states Cao Wei , Shu Han and Eastern Wu into a single text organized by individual biography. The Records are the primary source of information for the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms , considered to be one of the four classic novels emblematic of written vernacular Chinese . While large subsections of
1968-537: The work have been selected and translated into English, the entire corpus has yet to receive an unabridged English translation. The Book of Han and Records of the Three Kingdoms join the original Han-era universal history Records of the Grand Historian to constitute the first three entries in the Twenty-Four Histories canon, with each work cementing the new genre's literary and historiographical qualities as established by Sima Qian . The Records of
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2016-604: Was apparently discontinued. Parts of that project are published by Robert Joe Cutter and William Gordon Crowell under the title Empresses and Consorts: Selections from Chen Shou's Records of the Three States With Pei Songzhi's Commentary ( University of Hawaii Press , 1999), which includes the translations for fascicles 5, 34, and 50. Other translations include Kenneth J. Dewoskin's Doctors Diviners and Magicians of Ancient China: Biographies of Fang-Shih ( Columbia University Press , 1983), which includes
2064-685: Was conquered by Goguryeo in 314. Gongsun Kang , a warlord in Liaodong , separated the southern half from the Lelang commandery and established the Daifang commandery sometime between 204 and 220 to make administration more efficient. He controlled southern natives with Daifang instead of Lelang. In 238 under the order of Emperor Ming of Cao Wei , Sima Yi defeated the Gongsun family and annexed Liaodong, Lelang and Daifang to Wei. A dispute over
2112-409: Was established. The Records refer to the rulers of Wei as 'Emperors' and those of Shu and Wu as 'Lords' or by their personal names. Due to the biographical rather than primarily annalistic arrangement of the work, assigning dates to the historical content is both imprecise and non-trivial. Certain fascicles contain background information about their subjects' forebears which date back centuries before
2160-420: Was more than a hundred paces, and there were more than a hundred servants who were sacrificed . A male king succeeded her, but the whole country refused to obey him. They fought in deadly feuds with each other, killing more than 1,000 people at the time. A 13-year-old female relative of Himiko named Iyo , was installed as ruler, and the whole country was finally pacified. Zhang Zheng and others admonished Iyo with
2208-479: Was occupied by the Xiongnu in 311, he went for help to Murong Hui , a Xianbei warlord, with his subjects in 314. Goguryeo under King Micheon annexed Lelang and Daifang soon after that. The Daifang Commandery was located around Hwanghae and its capital was Daifang County. However, the controversy over its location is not resolved yet. According to a Chinese official chronicle, the Book of Jin (晉書), it had
2256-412: Was strictly guarded by a guard of soldiers. Himiko sent a messenger to Wei through Daifang Commandery in 238, and was appointed by the emperor as the King of Wa, Ally to Wei. In 247, Daifang dispatched Zhang Zheng (張政) to negotiate a peace between Wa and Kununokuni . According to the description in Wajinden , he exchanged messengers with the countries of the Korean Peninsula. When Himiko died in 247,
2304-467: Was written earlier. The book describes the existence of a country in Wa (some say later Japan) at that time, centered on the country of Yamatai , as well as the existence of countries that did not belong to the queen, with descriptions of their locations, official names, and lifestyles. This book also describes the customs, flora and fauna of the Japanese people of the time, and serves as a historical record of
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