The dark history of human sacrifice in Japan

Everything comes at a price. Throughout Japanese history, this often includes the horrible price of human life. Sometimes, a lot of life. From ancient times to not long ago, the Japanese people were willing to kill and die for things like serving in the afterlife or helping to build strong bridges. This is the dark history of the sacrifice of Japanese humans.

The tomb of Emperor Suinin, Nara Prefecture

On the feet (and the rest of the body) of the clay

according to kojiki, The legendary Emperor Suinin is 10 feet tall and 2 inches tall. His father once defeated an enemy so much that the opposition army stained himself out of fear. And, reportedly, he ended the horrible funeral.

Both kojiki and Nihon Shoki, The two oldest texts in Japan say that after the death of Suinin’s brother, Yamato-Hiko No Mikoto, the royal tomb is usually surrounded with the prince’s waiter, who was buried alive in his neck and died. Many survived for several days, crying as they were dismantled by wild dogs and birds.

Finally, Suinin no longer accepts it, according to Nihon Shoki, “It is a very painful thing to force those who love him in their lives to follow him in death… From this time on, please consultant so that the followers of the dead will stop.”

However, many royals still want someone to do all kinds of things for them in the afterlife, such as their cooking and laundry. Therefore, a nomi no sukune suggests using human figures instead of live sacrifice Can knak Clay figure.

Can knak The numbers predate Suinin, but it was from his time that we began to see the graves protected by clay humans. They are the work of about 100 master potters summoned by Sukune from Izumo.

By the way, this is the same nomi no sukune The invented suo wrestling In a game, when he broke the opponent’s back, he gave the descriptive name “Koshioreda” (the realm of Broken Backs).

Although the account should be taken with a pile of cemetery salt, Chinese text Sanguo Zhi ((Records of the Three Kingdoms) Written in the 3rd century AD, it mentions the legendary queen comedy queen and how her 100 servants followed her to the grave. However, there is no mention of whether they are willing to do so.

Clay haniwa in Hayao Miyazaki Prefecture

Projects of the Dead

Despite apparently living to the mature age of 109, Emperor Nintoku is considered a true historical figure, known for his kindness and kindness. Despite orders for the death of two men due to dreams.

In Book XI Nihon Shokia God visited a sleeping Nintoku and told him that Kowakubi from Koromono-ko from Musashi and Kawachi must be sacrificed to the deities of the Kita River (Modern Shiga and Fukui Preftures) to stop its flooding.

Koromono-ko found a way out without irritating the gods, but Kowakubi cried and trembled, accepted his own destiny and drowned himself, calmed the river and strengthened the embankment.

This story is read as a celebration of cleverness and quick thinking. The event is now considered the first in Japan Hitobashira (Human Pillar): The practice of incorporating human death into bridges, castles, river embankments, etc.

Sometimes people are killed and placed inside the walls of the tunnel to prevent the tunnel from collapsing. Others were killed and placed in sunken coffins near the dam and bridge. They are lucky. The unfortunate people are buried alive in the foundations of houses and castles to protect them from fires and other disasters.

In Tohoku, this practice survived for centuries, but eventually died from humanity.

“In some cases, these sacrifices are given to the name of the little castle.” Tohoku expert Nyri A. Bakkalian. “That’s why a bunch of local fortifications in the Sintai Domain are nicknamed as nicknames gagyu-jo, Or bow to the cattle castles, as they were obviously built after the cattle were buried on site. ”

Shortly before suicide in 1912, portrait of Nogi Maresugi | Photo C/O National Diet Library

Follow the dead until the 20th century

There are stories about Hitobashira Survival was good by the 20th century, but many of these accounts remained unproven. No such luck junshiwhich one Technically it is a self-sacrifice. This is a form of ritual suicide performed by the retainer of his master after his death. During the Edo period, it was a period of nearly constant peace.

Prior to this, when Japan continued to war, the main work of the samurai I want to live. But after peace was integrated, the warrior began to think and think about what it really meant to be a warrior without war. They concluded that the ancient tradition of Zhushi was maintained – After the Dead – is the best way to prove they are still warrior.

Junshi’s last record example From more than 100 years ago, General Noji Maresuk committed Seppuku after the death of the emperor in 1912. From a perspective, that was the same year when the electric blanket was invented, and the first electric traffic light was developed.

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