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Book Title: Nihon shoki and the Creation of the "Emperor System" : Fujiwara no Fuhito's Project

Author: Oyama Seiichi / Translators: YEON Min Su and SOE Gak Su
Northeast Asian History Foundation | 148 mm x 225 mm | 293 pages | KRW 12,000 | June 27, 2012
ISBN 978-89-6187-272-0 93910
 

This is a Korean translation of Japanese-language title required by professor Oyama Seiichi (大山誠一) (NHK Publishing, Inc. 2009). This book is to investigates the true nature of the Emperor System in Japan. The establishment of the Emperor System in Japan is inseparable from the compilation of Nihon shoki The Chronicles of Japan which claimed the historical legitimacy of imperial rule. The present book is a criticism of Nihon shoki.

Throughout the history of Japan, there have been endless controversies over the questions of what the Emperor is and what the Emperor System is. It is a common view that the Japanese Emperor's political power has not, in effect, been exercised. One of the Japanese perceptions surrounding then emperor is that while he does not have political power in reality, this it ironically makes controlling the emperor equivalent to gaining political power. This perception has been manifested in nepotism, a result of those seeking power marrying women from the imperial family. This is why the man in power af the time needed the emperor to be deified, and the imperial authority so established was of a religious nature, although there is no supporting doctrine. This book offers an investigative look into the Japanese Emperor and the political order based on the Japanese Emperor, that is, when and how the Emperor System in Japan was established, and what the imperial authority that excludes secularism means.

Contents

*Foreword

*Translators' Notes

I. The Nihon shoki Porject

 Chapter 1 The Birth of Prince Shotoku

    1. Reexamination of Historical Records on Prince Shotoku
       Kume Kunitake's Comments / Tsuda Sokichi's Comments / Reexamination: Historical Records of the Horyusa
       Line 1–9Pharmacist Statue Halo Inscriptions / Reexamination: Historical Records of the Horyusa Line 2–Main
       Buddha Statue Halo Inscriptions / Reexamination: Historical Records of the Horyusa Line 3–9 Inscriptions on
       Cheonsugugsujang /When Did Japanese-style Posthumous Epithets Start? / Reexamination: Historical
       Records of the Horyusa Line 4–Sankyeonguiso /Epigraph as History
       / Reexamination of the Iyoyunooka's Epitaph

    2. The Prince Shotoku Faith as Bondage
        The Denied Existence of Prince Shotoku / The Emergence of a Wooden Inscribed Slip of the Nagaya Royal
        Family / The Establishment of the Image of Prince Shotoku/ The Compilation of Nihon shoki and Doji
        / Fujiwara no Fuhito and King Nagaya / The Mystery of February 22 / The Revengeful Spirit of King Nagaya's
        Family / The Fight of Empress Gomyo / The Establishment of the Prince Shotoku Faith

    3. Epidemics and Changes in Regal Power
       The Biggest Event in the History of Japan / Did the Death Toll Account for 14% of the Population?
       /Epidemics and Regal Power in Crisis /Who Has Real Power?/ What Does Buddhism Mean to the Japanese?
       / Buddhism in Indian Thought / The Japanese Traditional Religious View and Buddhism
       /The Imperial Family as Part of the Fujiwara Clan

 Chapter 2  The Falsehoods of Nihon shoki

    1. The Falsehoods of the Account of the Spread of Buddhism
       Surroundings of the Falsehoods / Debunking the Account of the Spread of Buddhism / Imitating China
       / The Buddhism Worship Controversy Is Fiction / Doji's Smart Scheme / The Stories Made Up by the Editors
       of Nihon shoki / When Was Buddhism Introduced to Japan? / The Reality of the Spread of Buddhism
 

    2. Who is the Wa King in Sui Shu (The Book of Sui)?
       Suiko Was Not a Great King? / The Wa King Hai Sei Sei Met / The Credibility of
       Sui Shu / The Wa King in Sui Shu/ Who Is the Wa King in Sui Shu? / The Wa King in Nihon shoki is
 

 Chapter 3 The Soga Dynasty That Really Existed

    1. The Throne of Falsehood
       Questioning the Credibility of the Great Kings of All Times / The Name of the Great King
       / The Lineage of Great Kings / Yomei Was Not a Great King, Either /
       "Kyedoilkwon" in Nihon shoki / Inconvenient History / Sushun Was Not a Great King, Either

    2. Soga Dynasty
       Soga no Umako's Power / Reviewing the Mausoleum / Two Crossing Realities / The Logic of Nihon shoki
       / Surrounding the Ginmei Mausoleum (The Ancient Tomb of Umeyama) / What Was the Purpose of Kitasihime's
       Moving of the Grave? / Kinmei as the Soga Family

 Chapter 4 Problems with Regal Power

    1. The Establishment and Development of Regal Power
       The Truth Explained / Difficulties in Nihon shoki as a Historical Record /The Jomon Period as the Basis
       of Japanese Culture/ The Establishment of the "Yamato Throne" / The Wall That Divides the East and the West
       / The Structure of the Yamato Throne /Gatsuragi Clan as Partner / The Development and Fall of the Yamato
       Throne / From the Yamato Throne to the ‘Yamato’ Throne / Omi as an Outpost / The Advent of the Keitai
       Dynasty / Keitai as a Man/ Kinmei is in the Soga Family / Bidatsu and Osanaga Clan
 
    2. After Umako
       Who Will Succeed to Soga no Umako? / The Soga Clan and the Osanaga Clan / From Jomei to Emishi·Iruka
       / The Coup in 645 / Why Umayado? / Justifying the Isshi Incident / King Umayado and Tenji-Tenmu

II. The Dream of the Descent of the Sun Goddess' Grandson

 Chapter 1 Path to the Establishment of the Emperor System

    1. The Great King Who Couldn not Become an Emperor
       Is It Possible to Imitate the Chinese Emperor? / What Is the Emperor's Power? / The Relative Power of "The
       Great King Who Rules All Under Heaven" / Where Is Real Power?

    2. Creation of a Powerful Throne
       How Is Tenmu Assessed? / Baek Gang's Nightmare / The Incompetent Prince Oama / Mediocre Politicians
       / "The Yoshine Pact" and the Advent of a New Leader / Attempt at a Transcendent Throne
       / The Advent of Fujiwara no Fuhito
 

 Chapter 2 Fujiwara no Fuhito's Project

    1. Fujiwara no Fuhito's Roles
       Toward the Era of the Fujiwara Dynasty / The Memoir of Fuhito and Heukjakhyeonpaedo
 
    2. Project X–9 Enthroning Prince Kusakabe
       Kusakabe's Accession to the Throne That Ended as a Fantasy / Evidence of the Supreme Being
       / The Meaning of the Kakimotono Hitomaro Dirge / The Deification of the Emperor Begins

    3. Project Y–Enthroning Prince Karu
       Jito's Accession to the Throne and Fuhito's Scheme / The Death of Prince ?Takechi and Enthroning Prince
       Garu–9 Project Y Accomplished / Monmu's Accession to the Throne and the Advent of "Takamanohara"

    4. Project Z–Enthroning Prince Obito
       The Birth of Obito and the Death of Monmu / Princess Ahe as Empress / Genmei's Accession to the Throne
       and the Creation of ‘Bulgaesangjeon’

 Chapter 3 Establishment of the Myth of the Descent of the Sun Goddess' Grandson

    1. Path to the Myth of the Descent of the Sun Goddess' Grandson
       Myth-Making with Twists and Turns / The Existence of Differing Myths

    2. The Myths of Projects X and Y
       The Myth of Project X–9 The Genesis of the Emperor Myth / The Myth of Project Y–9 The Myth of the Chosen
       Amaterasu Line / Where Did the Descent Take Place?

    3. The Myth of Project Z
       The Myth of Project Z–Transition to Takamimusuhiro / Takamimusuhi was Fujiwara no Fuhito /
       What is Wrong with the Myth of the Takamimusuhi Line

    4. The Myth of Kojiki (The Records of Ancient Matters)
       Three Steps of the Establishment of the Myth of the Descent of the Sun Goddess' Grandson
       / Contradiction in the Kojiki Descent Myth /The Basic Line Is the Amaterasu Line/Kenmeijo's Revision
       / Who Was in Final Charge of the Kojiki Myth

 Chapter 4 Surrounding the Japanese Emperor System

       The Japanese Emperor System Is a Mystery / A Clear Explanation of the Empire System
       / The Imperial View of History / The Marxian View of History / Research on the History of Systems
       / Fukuzawa Yukichi's View on the Emperor / Why Controlled by Nihon shoki?
 

*Timelines

*Epilogue

*About the Author and the Translators