Takenouchi no Sukune
{{Short description|Legendary Japanese hero-statesman}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Takenouchi no Sukune
{{lang|ja|武内宿禰}}
| image = Takeshiuchi Sukune.jpg
| office = Ōomi
| caption = Takenouchi no Sukune drawn by Kikuchi Yosai
| birth_date = 84 AD
| death_date = Unknown
| children = {{Plainlist|
- Hata no Yashiro
- Kose no Okara
- Soga no Ishikawa
- Heguri no Tsuku
- Ki no Tsuno
- Kume no Matio-hime
- Nonoiro-hime
- Katsuragi no Sotsuhiko
- Wakugo no Sukune}}
| father = {{Interlanguage link|Yanushi Otake Ogokoro no Mikoto|ja|屋主忍男武雄心命}}
}}
{{Nihongo|Takenouchi no Sukune|武内宿禰}} or Takeshiuchi no Sukune was a legendary Japanese hero-statesman of the 1st century, and a Shinto kami.
He is recorded in Japan's earliest literary texts, the Kojiki (ca. 712) and the Nihon Shoki (720).
Life
Takenouchi no Sukune was supposedly the son of Princess Kagehime, and is said to be grandson to {{Nihongo|Prince Hikofutsuoshinomakoto|彦太忍信命}}. Descended from Emperor Kōgen, Takenouchi no Sukune served under five legendary emperors, Emperor Keikō, Emperor Seimu, Emperor Chūai, Emperor Ōjin, and Emperor Nintoku, but was perhaps best known for his service as Grand Minister (Ōomi) to the Regent Empress Jingū, with whom he supposedly invaded Korea. While Jingu was regent to her son, Ojin, Takenouchi was accused of treason. He underwent the "ordeal of boiling water" as a way to prove his innocence.
In addition to his martial services to these emperors, he was reputedly also a saniwa, or spirit medium.
He is said to have been the grandson of HIkofutsuoshinomakoto in the Nihon Shoki, where as the Kojiki states that he was the son of Hikofutsuoshinomakoto.{{Cite web |title=Takeuchi no Sukune • . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史 |url=https://historyofjapan.co.uk/wiki/takeuchi-no-sukune/ |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=. A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史 |language=en-GB}}
Possible connections to Korea
Japanese historians have theorized a possible inference to Takenouchi no Sukune found in ancient Korea's Samguk Sagi where a name called "Udojugun (于道朱君/우도주군)" is mentioned.{{Cite book |title=Samguk Sagi |chapter=Chapter 45 - Battle of Seok Uro}} In the book, it states that during the time a Japanese envoy "Galnago (葛那古/갈나고)" stayed in Silla, a royal named "Seok Uro (昔于老/석우로)" accompanied him. However after a while, the two started to banter where Seok Uro threatened to "make the emperor of Japan a salt making slave and his wife who cooks rice" as a heavy joke. After relaying the message to the emperor himself (referred to as Emperor Ookimi[?]/大王/オオキミ), a general named Udojugun was sent to the Korean peninsula and declared war against Silla.
According to scholars, Udojugun and Takenouchi no Sukune might have been the same individual as Takenouchi no Sukune's pronunciation would have been closer to "Utusukune (内宿禰)" in Old Japanese. In addition, Wakan Sansai Zue also mentions Takenouchi no Sukune's accomplishments during the Silla-Wa War (新羅・倭戦争) further adding credence to his involvement during the Silla period.{{Cite book |title=Wakan Sansai Zue |volume=13 |chapter=異國人物 - 神功皇后征三韓}} As a similar sounding name appears in Korean records while also having historical documents that support his authenticity to an extent, scholars deduced that though not completely accurate, Takenouchi no Sukune can be considered an individual who had truly existed.
According to world-renowned linguist and Japanese language expert Alexander Vovin, due to Amenohiboko being of Korean origin, Empress Jingū and her son and successor, Emperor Ōjin might have been native speakers of the Korean language.{{Cite book |last=Vovin |first=Alexander |title=Immigrants or Overlords? Korean Influences on Japan in the Archaic Period: a Linguistic Perspective |date=2012-06-14 |publisher=Institut für Kulturund Geitestesgeschichte Asiens |pages=29 |language=en}} Vovin states that since Takenouchi no Sukune was able to interact with Korean kingdoms during their rule, he stated that Takenouchi no Sukune may also have been of foreign origin as not only did he have jurisdiction over Japan-Korean affairs, but was also the father of many clan founders that have heavy connections with Korea.
Legacy
Twenty-eight Japanese clans are said to be descended from Takenouchi no Sukune, including Takeuchi and Soga. He is a legendary figure, and is said to have drunk daily from a sacred well, which helped him live to be 280 years old. He is enshrined as a Kami at the Ube shrine, in the Iwami district of the Tottori Prefecture and at local Hachiman shrines.
His portrait has appeared on the Japanese yen, and dolls of him are popular Children's Day gifts.
- First convertible silver yen bill (1889-1958)
- First five yen bill (1899-1939)
- Third five yen bill (1916-1939)
- Second one-yen bill (1943-1958)
- Second 200 yen bill (1945-1946)
Family
- Father: {{Interlanguage link|Yanushi Otake Ogokoro no Mikoto|ja|屋主忍男武雄心命}} ({{Lang|ja|屋主忍男武雄心命}}, ?–?)
- Mother: {{Interlanguage link|Yamashita no Kage-himo|ja|影媛}} ({{Lang|ja|影媛}}), sister of Kiinokuni no Miyatsukuko Uzuhiko (Ujihiko) ({{Lang|ja|山下影日売}})
- Wife(s): unknown
- Son: {{Interlanguage link|Hata no Yashiro|ja|羽田矢代}} ({{Lang|ja|羽田矢代}}, ?–?), ancestor of the Hata clan ({{Lang|ja|波多氏}}) related to Hata clan ({{Lang|ja|秦氏}}).
- Son: {{Interlanguage link|Kose no Okara|ja|許勢小柄}} ({{Lang|ja|許勢小柄}}, ?–?), ancestor of the Kose clan ({{Lang|ja|巨勢氏}}).
- Son: {{Interlanguage link|Soga no Ishikawa|ja|蘇我石川}} ({{Lang|ja|蘇我石川}}, ?–?), ancestor of the Soga clan ({{Lang|ja|蘇我氏}}).
- Son: Heguri no Tsuku ({{Lang|ja|平群木菟}}, ?–?), ancestor of the {{Interlanguage link|Heguri clan|ja|平群氏}} ({{Lang|ja|平群氏}}).
- Son: {{Interlanguage link|Ki no Tsuno|ja|紀角}} ({{Lang|ja|紀角}}, ?–?), ancestor of the {{Interlanguage link|Ki clan|ja|紀氏}} ({{Lang|ja|紀氏}}).
- Daughter: {{Interlanguage link|Kume no Matio-hime|ja|久米能摩伊刀比売}} ({{Lang|ja|久米能摩伊刀比売}}, ?–?)
- Daughter: {{Interlanguage link|onoiro-hime|ja|怒能伊呂}} ({{Lang|ja|怒能伊呂比売}}, ?–?)
- Son: {{Interlanguage link|Kazuragi no Sotsuhiko|ja|葛城襲津彦}} ({{Lang|ja|葛城襲津彦}}, ?–?), ancestor of the Katsuragi clan (葛城氏).
- Son: {{Interlanguage link|Wakugo no Sukune|ja|若子宿禰}} ({{Lang|ja|若子宿禰}})
Family tree
{{Generations of Jimmu}}
Artwork
File:Empress Jingu and Minister Takenouchi by Utagawa Kunisada I.jpg|Empress Jingū (above) and Takenouchi no Sukune (below) Fishing at Chikuzen
File:Takeuchi and the infant emperor.jpg|Minister Takeuchi carrying the infant Emperor Ōjin.
Made by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
File:Empress Jingu and Takenouchi no Sukune Fishing at Chikuzen LACMA M.84.31.260.jpg|Empress Consort Jingū and Takenouchi fish in Chikuzen.
Print of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1876)
File:De regent Takeuchi no Sukune-Rijksmuseum RP-P-1958-369.jpeg|The Regent Takeuchi no Sukune.
Print of Totoya Hokkei (1822)
File:Daijin Takenouchino Sukune.jpg|Daijin Takenouchi no Sukune by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
External links
- Encyclopedia of Shinto: [http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=548 Biographical note]
- Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: [http://www.sinister-designs.com/graphicarts/takenouchi2.html Ukiyo-e image (1883)]
- Nippon Kindai Banknote:[http://kjp-banknote.zening.info/en/yen1a.htm Banknote portrait (1916)]
- Takenouchi no Sukune Meets Dragon King of the Sea, Dallas Museum of Art, bronze sculpture:[https://web.archive.org/web/20110725215318/http://dallasmuseumofart.org:8080/emuseum/media/view/Objects/3145828/406?t:state:flow=e8345f50-b33b-4bf9-83c8-e226a8426160]
Notes
{{notelist}}