I realize I am likely over simplifying. What I mean by Viking is a strategy of accumulating wealth through trade, navigation, and costal raiding.
But I see a lot of similarities between Japan and Scandinavia. Portions of rich farmland, a lot of water, mountainous and perhaps harder to traverse, and a cultural importance placed on the sea.
My question is if Japan had a period of Vikings as a profession. I would imagine there would be a lot to gain by trading by sea and raiding.
As a broader topic, how common is costal raiding throughout history? Are there other Vikings out there that we don't hear about often? Am I just misguided in my understanding of Vikings?
Specifically in Japan, raiders from the outlying islands (such as Tsushima) were a constant menace to Chinese and Korean trade. These pirates were referred to as WakÅ. (lit. "Dwarf Pirates" in Chinese, but derived from the Chinese name for the Japanese, Wajin, or dwarf people.) They are first mentioned on the Korean Gwanggaeto Stele, which dates back to the year 404 CE, and continued until the Ming dynasty cracked down on them beginning in 1553, although by this time they were primarily of foreign origin.
These raiders were primarily not government sponsored, especially in the later years, and the Scandanavian system of state-sponsored raiding was not paralleled in any meaningful way.
There is an AskHistorians Podcast episode on the subject of Japanese pirates. Number 12 I think