About Japan?

1. The Origin of the Nation and the Country

The origin of the Japanese nation can be examined from two aspects: physical structure and the origin of the Japanese language. The Japanese nation is the main body of Japanese civilization and the creator of Japanese civilization. However, the "nation" mentioned here is different from the concept of "race" in anthropology and the narrow concept of "nation" in ethnology, but refers to a broader concept. Therefore, the "Japanese nation" mentioned in this book also includes the Ainu minority in Japan.

As for the origin of the Japanese nation or the origin of the Japanese, the academic community is still undecided. From the perspective of physical structure, various opinions can be roughly divided into three categories: (1) "The theory of racial replacement", which believes that one or even two racial replacements occurred in the Japanese archipelago. For example, in the 1880s, the excavation scholar Koganei Yoshisei believed that the aborigines who lived in the Japanese archipelago during the Jomon Period were the Ainu. After the Jomon Period, they were driven north by other races from the mainland. (2) The "mixed race theory" believes that the "original Japanese" (Japanese from the Paleolithic Age) mixed with other races that immigrated from the mainland or Southeast Asian islands after the Jomon Period, and gradually formed the modern Japanese. Medical scientist Kiyono Kenji first proposed the "hybrid theory", which was still the mainstream in academic circles until the 1930s. (3) The "Evolution Theory" (or "Continuity Theory") believes that due to changes in lifestyle, the physical constitution of the Japanese in the Jomon Period gradually evolved, becoming people from the Yayoi Period, people from the Kofun Period, and even modern Japanese. It attaches more importance to the inheritance of the race and neither agrees with the "race replacement theory" nor pays much attention to the impact of mixed blood on the composition of the Japanese nation. After World War II, Speaker Hasebe and Professor Nao Suzuki of the Anthropology Laboratory of the University of Tokyo held this view, which still has an influence on the academic community today.

Judging from the physical structure of Japanese people in various eras, there is no doubt that they belong to the Mongolian race. Archeology has proven that there were people living in the Japanese archipelago 100,000 or even 200,000 years ago (that is, the early or middle Paleolithic Age). However, since no human bone fossils from this period have been found, it is impossible to understand their physical characteristics. At present, the earliest human bone fossil discovered in the Japanese archipelago is the "Ushikawa Man" discovered in Ushikawa Town, Toyohashi City in 1957. He lived around the Paleolithic Age and has the characteristics of "Neanderthal". Except for "Ushikawa Man", the Paleolithic human bone fossils discovered in Japan, such as "Mikari Man", "Hamaboku Man", "Minatogawa Man" and "Seigaku Man", all lived no more than 30,000 years ago. Has entered the "newcomer" stage. Their physical characteristic is their short stature. For example, the "Minatogawa Man" discovered in Okinawa, about 18,000 years ago, has a male height of about 155 centimeters. Female approx. 144 cm. Compared with the late Paleolithic human bone fossils discovered in mainland China, they are more similar to the shorter "Liujiang Man" found in Guangxi, China, than the taller "Singding Cave Man" in North China. It is believed that during the Ice Age when sea levels were low and land bridges appeared, part of the "Old Mongolians" (widely distributed in Southeast Asia) migrated from southern mainland China to Okinawa and western Japan, forming the above-mentioned "proto-Japanese" . They were the mother body of the Japanese people during the Jomon period.

From 10,000 years ago to the 3rd century BC, it was the Jomon period in Japan. Since the ice age has passed and the sea level has risen, the Japanese archipelago is isolated from the mainland. It is generally believed that people in the Jomon Period had little contact with the mainland. So far, the remains of several Jomon people have been discovered. Judging from their physical structure, although the Jomon people also have physical differences due to different times and environments, most of them retain the typical physical signs of "ancient Mongolians", such as short stature, short face, flat nose, etc. Obviously different from modern Japanese. However, beginning in the late Jomon period, immigrants from mainland Asia entered Japan. By the Yayoi period, immigration from the mainland increased dramatically. In 1953, Kyushu University professor Naora Nobuo① discovered more than 200 well-preserved Yayoi remains in Doihama, Yamaguchi Prefecture, at the northwest end of Honshu. Their physical structure is obviously different from that of the Jomon people. They are characterized by their tall stature (average about 162-163 cm) and long face, which are closer to modern Japanese. According to the research of many scholars, it is believed that the mainland immigrants during the Yayoi period came from the Korean Peninsula and Northeast China. Northeastern Asia such as Eastern Siberia in Mongolia belongs to the "New Mongolian" system. They first lived in the western end of Honshu and Kitakyushu, and then gradually spread eastward, passing through the Kinki region and spreading to the Kanto region. During the process of diffusion, they continued to mix with the original inhabitants (the descendants of the Jomon people). However, scholars have very different estimates of the number of mainland immigrants and the impact of mixed race on Japan's national composition. Scholars who hold the "evolution theory" believe that these mainland immigrants from Northeast Asia, due to the lack of follow-up, gradually were absorbed by the original resident groups in the process of mixing, and their influence was not significant. Scholars who hold the "mixed blood theory" ② use contemporary population statistics and mimetic modeling methods to estimate that the immigration process lasted for nearly a thousand years (from the 3rd century BC to the 7th century AD), and the number of new immigrants from the mainland could reach hundreds of thousands. Even millions, accounting for 40% to 90% of the population in some areas, they believe that the impact of mixed blood is far beyond ordinary people's imagination. Natural anthropologist Kazuro Haihara ③ holds this view. Admittedly, they also acknowledge regional differences and believe that most of the new immigrants from Northeast Asia during the Yayoi period lived in the Kitakyushu region.

Part of it has spread to Kinki and Kanto regions, while the remote Tohoku region, Hokkaido, northwest Kyushu, and outlying island areas have less or almost no influence from immigrant mixed blood, and the descendants of the Jomon people are still the main residents. Therefore, The Ainu people living in Hokkaido are believed to be direct descendants of the Jomon people who were not affected by mixed blood. Therefore, during the Yayoi period, a dual structure of Japanese people was formed, namely the Yayoi people of the immigration system (mainly distributed in western Japan) and the Yayoi people of the Jomon system (mainly distributed in eastern Japan). Moreover, investigations into the types of fingerprints, earwax, and tooth crowns, as well as investigations into the genetic factors of blood and viruses that have emerged in recent years, also seem to support this "double structure" theory. Of course, during the Yayoi period, there may also have been immigrants from the Jiangnan region of China who entered Japan directly or via the South Island region. However, there are still few relevant studies by Japanese scholars.

In the Kofun period (3rd century to 6th century) after the Yayoi period, immigrants from the mainland continued to enter the mouth and continued to spread to various parts of eastern Japan. Mixing with the original inhabitants also continued. However, the Japanese "dual structure" still exists. This is still the case to this day. It's just that the influence of the Jomon system is shrinking day by day. Therefore, from the perspective of physical structure, the Japanese nation is by no means a single nation, but a "mixed nation" formed by the continuous mixing of population groups from Southeast Asia and population groups from Northeast Asia over a long history.

From the perspective of the origin of the Japanese language, what is directly related to the origin of the Japanese nation is the origin of Nihon Ma and which language system it belongs to. Because under the conditions at that time, only when people of a certain language arrived and lived in the Japanese archipelago, that language could become the source of Japanese. By exploring the origin of the Japanese language, it can also be proved that the Japanese nation is a "mixed nation".

Many Japanese scholars have long noticed that the grammatical structure of Japanese has many similarities with the grammatical structure of the Altaic language family, including Korean. For example, the object or complement is placed before the verb predicate, and the sentence composition sequence is subject-object-verb predicate; adding particles or auxiliary verbs after the word indicates grammatical meaning; the difference between genderless and singular and plural nouns, etc. This shows that Japanese and various languages ??of the Altaic family (including Korean) may be languages ??of the same system that are differentiated from Japanese languages. Therefore, the Japanese nation may also be related to people living in Northeast Asia in terms of racial kinship. The peoples of the Altaic language family are somewhat related. However, they also noticed that there are some differences between Japanese and Altaic languages. For example, there is a lack of phonological correspondence between word pronunciations, so the Altaic language family cannot be the only source of Japanese.

As a result, some scholars gradually noticed that there may be some affinity between Japanese and the "Austronesian language family" (i.e., the Malay and Polynesian languages). "Austronesian" is distributed from the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean through Malaysia. Indonesia is a large language family that extends eastward to the South Pacific Islands and to some non-Han ethnic minorities in southern China. The similarities between "Austronesian" and Japanese are: there are 5 vowels (vowels), namely (a) (i) (u) (e) (o), no double vowels are used; words end with a vowel ;The voiced sound is different from the beginning of a word, etc. This shows that some ethnic groups in Southeast Asia who use "Austronesian" may have influenced the composition of the Japanese nation. However, archaeological evidence that proves that these peoples directly entered the Japanese archipelago from the South Pacific or Southeast Asia is very rare. Some scholars speculate that Austronesian languages ??may have passed through southern China and then been introduced to Japan.

In recent years, many scholars believe that Japanese should be regarded as a "mixed language", that is, Japanese is a mixture of several languages ??over a long history. Some scholars, based on comprehensive research results from linguistics, archeology and ethnology, believe that the formation of Kandai Japanese went through the following process: Thousands of years before the Jomon Period, in the deciduous forest belt of Northeast Asia , there may be a basic language called "Proto-Northeast Asian". The Japanese language of the early Jomon period may have come from this system, and some features of the Altaic language family in Japanese may have come from it. By the late Jomon period or early Yayoi period, immigrants engaged in paddy farming entered Japan from the Korean Peninsula or directly from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. In this way, not only the Altaic languages ??continued to be introduced from the Korean Peninsula, but also Wu from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Vietnamese language was introduced to Japan. (Some scholars believe that both Wu and Yue languages ??belong to the southern system, Vietnam belongs to the Austronesian language family or the Thai language family, and Wu language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family.) Some characteristics of the Austronesian language family in Japanese may come from this. Entering the Kofun period, immigrants from mainland China increased, and the influence of Chinese on Japanese became stronger. It was the mixture of these linguistic elements that formed ancient Japanese.

Japanese is a "hybrid language" that is a mixture of northern and southern Asian continental languages. This can also prove that the Japanese nation is a mixture of northern and southern Asian continental population groups. A mixed nation", and finally became a unified Yamato nation.

Similar to the formation of the Japanese nation, the formation of the Japanese state also went through a very long historical process. Since the emergence of historical documents in Japan was relatively late, we can only trace the origin of this process with the help of historical documents from Japan's neighboring countries, especially China, and archaeological excavation data in Japan.

It is generally believed that in the early to middle Yayoi period (about the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD), many "native small countries" had appeared in Kitakyushu and Kinai areas. The official history of China, "Hanshu Geography" records: "There are Japanese people in the Lelang Sea, and they are divided into more than a hundred countries. They come to see the clouds according to their age." Although the "more than a hundred countries" are not exact numbers, they also reflect From the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD, there were many small countries in the Japanese archipelago. "Book of the Later Han·Japanese Biography" records: Since Emperor Wu destroyed North Korea, there were thirty or so countries that established post offices in the Han Dynasty. "Although it cannot be said that all these small countries on the Japanese archipelago have the conditions to establish relations with the Han Dynasty, the number of "thirty countries" is much less than that of "more than a hundred countries". This probably reflects that these small countries are gradually moving towards The "Book of the Later Han·Japanese Biography" specifically mentions the "Japanese Nu Kingdom", saying: "In the second year of Jianwu Zhongyuan (AD 57), the Japanese Nu Kingdom paid tribute and congratulated people, making people call themselves themselves. Doctor, this is the southernmost boundary of the Japanese country. Guangwu gave him a seal and ribbon. "The seal mentioned in it was given to the Japanese king by Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty in 57 AD. It was discovered in February 1784 (old calendar) on Shiga Island, Fukuoka Prefecture. It is about 2.3 centimeters in length and width and 0.8 in thickness. Centimeter gold seal, snake-shaped button, five characters "Han Wei Nu King" in Chinese inscriptions. For a long time, some people have doubted whether this seal is a relic of the Han Dynasty. However, in recent years, "Seals of the King of Dian" have been discovered in China. " (1957), "Guangling King's Seal" (1981), "Wen Emperor's Seal" (1983) and other Han Dynasty seals. The "Han Wei Slave King" gold seal is different from these Han Dynasty seals in terms of button type, shape, weight or font. This can be concluded that the "King of Han Weinu" gold seal is indeed a relic of the Han Dynasty, and it can also prove that the Chinese historical records of the state of Japan at that time are generally correct. In addition, judging from the archaeological excavation data in Japan, it is found in northern Kyushu. In the Kinki area, centered on the coast of Osaka Bay, some settlement sites belonging to this period were discovered. Most of these settlement sites were surrounded by trenches, and some evidence of the presence of a small number of people were unearthed from these settlement sites. Burial objects with certain authority, such as bronze mirrors, bronze swords, bronze spears, bronze swords, bronze utensils, jade wares, etc. Iron weapons used in war, such as iron arrowheads, were also unearthed in some archaeological sites. Excavation data shows that these communities have distinctions between superior and inferior, and have engaged in war with others. ④ Therefore, each colony may be a "native small country", and there were indeed "more than a hundred countries" in the Japanese archipelago at that time. The Chinese historical book "Three Kingdoms·Wei Zhi·Japanese Biography" records the social and political conditions of the later regional power Yamatai Kingdom, which existed from the 2nd century AD to the late 3rd century AD. In the country of Ma Tai, there has been a distinction between superior and inferior. "There is a difference between superior and inferior, and there is a hierarchy of submission." There are also class distinctions. There are aristocratic ruling classes called "guo daren" and "lords", and some are subordinate to "lords". The ruled class "subordinates" of "lords" also have more humble "shengkou" who can be used as gifts, and "servants" who can be used as burial objects. The Yamatai Kingdom has formed a national institution. The supreme ruler of the country is the king. , "The country originally regarded men as kings." After the civil strife, "the emperor established a woman as king, named Himihu." During the reign of Queen Himihu, she had auxiliary ministers "who had male brothers to rule the country." Queen Himihu lives in the city, and there is a standing army guarding her. "Officials at the central level, as well as "big rate", "big Japanese" and "big officials" in charge of politics, trade and diplomacy. Yamatai country has a rent and tax system, "to collect rent and tax, there are palaces"; there are also penalties, "If he violates the law, he will lose his wife in a minor case, and his family and family will be destroyed in a serious case. "Yamatai Kingdom also supervises and controls other small countries in the same area, such as 21 small countries from "Sima Kingdom" to "Slave Kingdom" and "Idu Kingdom". Queen Himihu sent envoys to Cao Wei many times, and was favored by Emperor Wei Ming After the death of Queen Himihu, she was conferred the title of "King of Japan". There was a grand funeral ceremony, "a large tomb was built, with a path of more than a hundred steps, and more than a hundred slaves were buried there. "The records about the Yamatai Kingdom in "Three Kingdoms·Wei Zhi·Japanese Biography" show that the Yamatai Kingdom is already a class state that controls a considerable area,⑥although its class differentiation and state institutions are not yet mature.

China The historical book "The Book of Jin: The Benji of Emperor Wu" also records the last time the female king sent envoys to pay tribute in the second year of Emperor Wu's reign (AD 266). However, from then on, it was not until the "Book of Song: The Biography of the Kingdom of Japan" recorded the Song Gaozu Liu. In the second year of Yu's reign (AD 421), the king of Japan was given the praise of Numa. For nearly a century and a half, Chinese historical records lacked information on Japan's situation. It was during this period that the Kinai region rose up to control most of Japan. Due to the lack of documentary records, details about the rise of Yamato and its activities to unify Japan are unknown, but according to a small amount of epigraphic materials that have been preserved to this day, it is known that the Yamato kingship has a strong military character. The seven swords presented to Yamato by King Shogo of Baekje are still preserved at Ishigami Shrine in Tenri City, Nara Prefecture. The inscription on the sword indicates that the sword was given by King Baekje to thank Yamato for sending troops across the sea to attack Silla and rescued Baekje. The inscription on the Monument of Goguryeo King Jae Dae (King Gwanggaeto), which is now preserved in Ji'an County, Jilin Province, my country, recorded in AD 414, records that the Kingdom of Yamato sent troops across the sea to jointly attack Silla with Baekje. Silla asked for help from Goguryeo and defeated the Yamato army.

In addition, from the early to mid-5th century, many human-shaped ancient tombs appeared in the Yamato Basin and the Kawachi Plain, which also shows that the Yamato Kingdom was a more powerful existence than the Yamatai Kingdom.

The Chinese historical book "Book of Song: Biographies of Japan" records the interactions between the five kings of Yamato in the 5th century (i.e., the "Five Japanese Kings" Zan, Zhen, Ji, Xing, and Wu) and the Liu Song Dynasty. They sent envoys to pay tribute and accepted the canonization of Emperor Liu Song. For example, King Zhen of Japan was named "General Anche and King of Japan", and 13 of his subordinates were also named "General Pingxi, Zhenglu, Guanche, and Fuguo General" respectively. According to the "Song Book·Japanese Biography", in the second year of Kaiming (478 AD) during the reign of Emperor Shun of Shun, the Japanese king Wu Zeng sent an envoy to the table. The table mentioned the activities of his ancestors in unifying Japan and said: "Since the past, you, our ancestors, have been Armed with armor, he traveled through the mountains and rivers, conquering the fifty-five kingdoms of Mao in the east, conquering the sixty-six barbarian kingdoms in the west, and crossing the sea to the ninety-five kingdoms in the north. "However, the Japanese state system during this period is not the same. detailed. However, during this period, Yamato not only gradually unified Japan, but also grew into a powerful country that could compete with Goguryeo and Baekje on the Korean Peninsula. Because while it was committed to accepting canonization from the Liu and Song Dynasties in Southern China, it also tried to establish a regional canonization system centered on it. "Book of Song: Biography of the Kingdom of Japan" records that King Zhen of Japan, Ji and Wudu requested the emperor of the Song Dynasty to confer titles such as "the envoy to control the military affairs of the six kingdoms of Japan, Baekje, Silla, Renna, Qin, Han, and Muhan". As a result, the Japanese kings Ji and Wu partially achieved their goals, and the Liu Song court recognized their military control over several other countries and regions besides Baekje.

It was after the 7th century AD that Japan became a country with a complete system. At the beginning of the 7th century, Queen Suiko and Prince Shotoku sent "Sui envoys" and overseas students to mainland China many times. In his interactions with the Sui Dynasty, he began to call the country "Japan" and the king "Emperor". They carefully studied the political system of the Sui Dynasty and began to implement the so-called "reform to push forward the ancient dynasty". Especially implemented in 645. After the "Dahua Reform", Japan frequently sent "envoys to the Tang Dynasty" and overseas students and monks to China to comprehensively study the various systems of the Tang Dynasty, implement economic, political and social reforms, and imitate the "Laws and Orders" of the Tang Dynasty with slight modifications. It revised Japan's "laws" and codified various reforms and systems, making Japan a relatively mature civilized country.

①In 1931, Nobuo Naolia discovered the waist bone fossil of the so-called "Akashi Monkey Man". , but recent research has proved that it does not belong to the "ape man", but to the "new man" stage of Ding Geng.

② Naoki Kojiro: "The Birth of Japan", Shogakukan, first edition in 1978, No. 5. Second printing, page 378.

③Haihara Kazuro: "The Formation of the Japanese", included in "General History of Japan" Volume 1, Iwanami Shoten first edition in 1993, page 96.

④ Sasaki Takaaki; "The Birth of Japanese History", Shueisha first edition in May 1991, pages 256--260

⑤ There have always been different opinions in the academic circles about the location of Yamatai Kingdom. It is thought to be in Kitakyushu, and some think it is in Yamato in the Kinai area. There are other theories, which are omitted here.

⑥Wang Jinlin: "Han and Tang Culture and Ancient Japanese Culture", Tianjin People's Publishing House, October 1996, page 1, page 5--12