Is there possibility of Japanese emperor lineage can be traced back to Korean / Chinese origin?

by [deleted]

Back in 4 - 6 Centuries these technicians, expected as Korean peninsula / Chinese continent origin settled in Japan had taught Kanji, Buddhism and architecture technologies which contributed to establishment of old Japanese culture and regime. It is said that some of them had enjoyed social status high as adviser serving for emperor, which is so close to authority that leave possibility of them integrating their influence into the emperor lineage. Or maybe, this may be the least possibility but emperor lineage itself could be originated from continent directly. What is historian's view on this?

Nelson_Mac

Sure, there's always a possibility but I think it's remote.

The immigrants who came after the 6th century came to a land that already had a state and a ruler. Emperor Keitai (r507-531) was born ca 450/485 AD in Omi province and grew up in northern Japan. He is the first ruler that almost all historians agree is a real historical figure. So the immigrants that arrive after this date can't be the source of the imperial family.

The immigrants who came to Japan before the 3rd century came to a land that was divided among various different states (or small village-states). But the entity that united most of the land was the state of Yamatai. We know that Himiko of Yamatai did not claim descent from China. (If she did, she would have used that to buttress her authority. After all she asked for backing from the Wei dynasty in China.) And that after Himiko's death her niece Iyo took over. Iyo sent missions to China as well and there's a record of it in 266 AD in the Book of Jin (the dynasty that succeeded Wei).

So the possibility of Japan being taken over by a immigrant family that came from China or Korea must take place in the period between 266 AD and 507 AD.

This means that there is a 240 year window of opportunity.

Egami Namio in the 1960s hypothesized that a horse riding people came from the Korean peninsula and took over Japan in this window. Sort of like how the Germans migrated at the end of the Roman Empire from Germania into Gaul (France). However, because no records (either written or archaeological) were found to back up this hypothesis, this hypothesis is pretty much dead today.

In fact recent archaeological evidence is now pointing to a continuity of culture from the 2nd century AD to the 5th century and after.

Recent archaeological evidence is also discovering some sites that were mentioned in the Japanese legends. The most important is probably the original Izumo shrine as described in the Kojiki and Izumo Fudoki.

Here's the museum that is showcasing the archaeological dig (it's in Japanese): http://www.izm.ed.jp/

So this is making people rethink that maybe the legends have some historical truth behind them. (Kind of like the discovery of Troy, prior to it everyone thought Troy was just a legend, now people know that Troy actually existed.)

There's always the possibility that the records are not telling the whole truth. But for me, at this point, I really see no reason to doubt the broad outline of the origin story of the imperial family in the legends (that they came from Kyushu and conquered/settled near Nara) until new evidence pops up to contradict it.

lukeweiss

I am befuddled by your query. I am not really sure what you are talking about.
There is no record of Korean advisors in Japan teaching writing and technical skills in the 4th-6th centuries CE.
The establishment of the imperial line in Japan is a terribly turbid business. It is not really clear who the emperors and empresses were until the 8th century, when writing more clearly emerged.
All else is idle speciation.
See farris' Japan to 1600 for a very nice concise history of the period in question.