To see how Japan’s Imperial Family rose to power, we need to journey to the Kofun
Period, 250 AD to 538.
Kofun stands for these large burial mounds that the ancient Japanese constructed, tombs
for their dead kings.
At the time, there were a bunch of clans competing for land, each with their own leaders, and
they left tombs all over the place.
Burial mound tombs existed in the previous period, the Yayoi, but the tombs during the
Kofun put the practice on Adderall.
They were hundreds of meters long!
At first, people just dug tombs into existing hills.
But you know, good hills are hard to find these days, so they just went ahead and created
the mounds by hand, thousands of hands.
Early in the Kofun Period, we started seeing these gigantic, curious-looking mounds pop
up, all around the same area.
They had a distinct keyhole shape when viewed from above, and they had similar burial objects
within.
A new and powerful people had emerged, and these kofun were their symbols.
This type of tomb spread quickly, showing us a major power wrapping its tendrils around
Japan.
These people were the Yamato, one of many clans vying for power.
We now know that the Yamato state was not a unified state, but a loose confederation
of clans, with the Yamato clan at the top.
Each clan handled its own affairs.
The keyhole tombs became a sign of membership into the Yamato club.
This is why I love people with massive egos, and if you’re a history fan, you should
too.
It was the narcissists in history that built lasting monuments and commissioned books written
about them, providing us with tons of information.
Let’s hear it for the egomaniacs that gave us these tombs.
They are not just impressive to look at, they are a major source of knowledge about life
in the Kofun Period.
Why did these tombs become symbols of power?
Well, the largest tomb is that of Emperor Nintoku, which is 821 meters long.
It supposedly took 20 years and thousands of men to complete.
You had to be a powerful leader to mobilize enough men and resources to complete these
massive projects.
Around a mound, they placed hundreds of clay figures called haniwa.
At first, these were just clay cylinders.
Later, they depicted all kinds of things like animals, houses, people.
These are invaluable because they allow us a glimpse into the Kofun life, see their clothing
and architecture.
So what was the purpose of these figures?
Well, there’s a story explaining it.
When Emperor Suinin’s son died, they buried him, and buried his attendants alive.
“For several days they died not, but wept and wailed day and night.
At last they died and rotted.
Dogs and crows gathered and ate them.”
This sounds pretty brutal, right?
Emperor Suinin thought so.
When his wife died a few years later, he asked his advisors to come up with some loophole
so he wouldn’t have to bury her attendants, after which the Emperor heard huge sighs of
relief from behind.
Why the Emperor couldn’t simply ban live burials, I can’t say.
The advisors had workers make clay figures to replace the live people, starting a trend
that continues to this day.
Satisfied, the Emperor declared that thenceforth future burials would be conducted with clay
figures in place of people.
Now this whole origin story of the haniwa is colorful, but it’s just a legend.
The real purpose was likely to strengthen the sides of the mounds and prevent erosion.
The Yamato state eventually encompassed most of Japan from Kyushu to the southern Tohoku
region.
They exerted their influence not only through military means, but also through strategic
marriages with the elites of powerful clans.
At this time, there was an influx of immigrants from the Korean Peninsula, who brought over
new techniques for farming and making tools.
The Yamato successfully employed and organized these skilled immigrants to boost their agriculture
and wealth.
The Yamato bestowed titles of nobility to the heads of powerful clans.
You could only get a high position in the Yamato Court if you had a title.
And people with the highest ranked titles could hold the highest government positions.
It soon became clear.
The head of the Yamato clan was the Emperor, and only a Yamato may sit upon the Chrysanthemum
Throne.
As the Imperial Family’s power grew, they organized the clans under them to oversee
occupational tasks to benefit the Emperor.
For example, the Mononobe clan was responsible for maintaining weapons for the Imperial Family.
This all makes it seem like the Emperor was super powerful, but not quite.
The Yamato state was more of a confederation.
The Emperor largely left the clans to handle their own affairs, and the clans had complete
control over their lands.
Some of the powerful clans actually owned more land than the Imperial Family.
The Imperial Family was still settling into its role as Japan’s ruling house, not yet
dominating their subordinate clans.
Over the next few periods, they would try to rectify this and pass laws to solidify
their grip over the people of Japan.