I'm aware Emishi is a very broad term and could be applied to any native Japanese group (most notably the Ainu). I'm specifically looking for books on the Ezo tribe that was involved in the Thirty-Eight Year War with the Yamato people in the 700s AD. Really, I'd prefer a book that covers all the Honshu based native tribes, but that seems far-fetched to even exist, let alone in English. As a follow up question: Nihongi was written just before the Thirty-Eight Year War. Does it refer to the Ezo (or any Honshu based Emishi), Ainu, or Jōmon people at all?
Hey! Will first start off with some recommended books/work:
Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan Military, 500-1300 by William Wayne Farris has a chapter that focuses on the ‘Emishi’ (I will use this term to make things less confusing, but as of note there are discussions/debates on what terms (such as Ezo) are appropriate) subjugation campaigns, colonization, and pacification of the 8th-10th century.
Capital and Countryside in Japan 300-1180 edited by Joan Piggot, has some fantastic essays that touch on the topic. In particular the essays ‘They Classical Polity and Its Frontier’ by Takahashi Tomio, and ‘East and West in the Late Classical Age’ by Koyama Yasunori, would be of interest. These are more scholarly work, so not the greatest introduction to the topic, but if you are looking for some essays that dive deeper, these are great. The essay by Takahashi does take note of both the ‘Emishi’ (referring to non-Yamato people from Northeastern Honshu frontier), and the ‘Kumasi’/‘Hayato’ of (referring you non-Yamato people of Western Japan frontier).
There are also some good academic journal articles on the topic you can access online (with places such as JSTOR) on the topic. Karl Fridays’ articles ‘Pushing Beyond the Pale: The Yamato Conquest of the Emishi and Northern Japan’ from the Journal of Japanese Studios Vol. 23, No. 1 is a good place to start on this topic, covering a wide range of info such as who the Emishi were, how did the Yamato court view them, and the subjugation campaigns.
If you want to dive into the anthropological & genetic side of ‘who the Emishi were’ and ‘how are they related to modern day Ainu’, I’d recommend the articles ‘Emishi, Ezo and Ainu: An Anthropological Perspective’ from the International Research Centre for Japanese Studies. No 1. 1990. Pp 35-48 by Hanihara Kazuhiro, and the‘Ethnic Derivation of the Ainu Inferred from Ancient Mitocondrial DNA Data’ from the American Journal of Physical Anthropology by Noboro Adachi, Tsuneo Kakuda, et al. Both of these are available online.
Now regards to the question if the Nihongi/Nihon Shoki mentions the Emishi, the answer is yes. Here are some quotes from the Nihongi on the matter:
”The T’ang Emperor inquired of them, saying - “In what quarter is the Land of these Emishi situated?” The Envoys answered respectfully, saying - “It lies to the north-east.” The Emperor inquired of them, saying - “How many tribes of Emishi are there?” The Envoys answered respectfully, saying - “There are three kinds. The most distant are called Tsugarum, the next Ara-Emishi, and the nearest Nigi-Emishi. These now here are Nigi-Emishi… they bring tribute yearly to our country’s Court.” -(Translation/Quote provides from the Hanihara Kazuro article mentioned above)
And
”The T’ang Emperor inquired of them, saying: - “In their (Emishi’s) country are there the five kinds of grain?” The (Japanese) Envoys answered respectfully, saying - “No, they sustain life by eating flesh.” The Emperor inquired of them, saying - “Have they houses in their country?” The Envoys answered respectfully, saying - “No, they have their dwelling under trees in the recesses of the mountains.” The Emperor went on to say: - “When we look at the unusual bodily appearance of these Emishi, it is trange in the extreme…” -(Translation/Quote provides from the Hanihara Kazuro article mentioned above)
As well as:
”We hear that the Eastern savages are of a violent disposition, and are much given to oppression: their hamlets have no chiefs, their villages no leaders, each is greedy territory, and they plunder one another. Moreover, there are in the mountains malignant Deities, on the moors there are malicious demons, who beset the highways and bar the roads, causing much annoyance. Amongst the Eastern savages the Yemishi are the most powerful, their men and women live together promiscuously, there is not distinction of father and child. In winter they dwell in holes, in summer they live in nests. Their clothing consists of furs, and they drink blood. Brothers are suspicious of one another. In ascending mountains they are like flying birds; in going through the grass they are like a fleet wolves. When they receive a favor they forget it, but if an injury is done to them they never fail to revenge it…. Ever since antiquity they have no been steeped in the kingly civilizing influences.” -(Translation/Quote provides from the Karl Friday article mentioned above)
Hope this helps!
*Edit: Sorry that I can’t format the quotes in the reddit quote boxes, am on my phone and not sure how to do it on here.