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Emperor Yūryaku

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Emperor Yūryaku ( 雄略天皇 , Yūryaku-tennō ) (417/18 – 479) was the 21st Emperor of Japan , according to the traditional order of succession . According to the Kojiki , this Emperor is said to have ruled from the Thirteenth Day of the Eleventh Month of 456 ( Heishin ) until his death on the Seventh Day of the Eight Month of 479 ( Kibi ). He is the first archaeologically verifiable Japanese emperor.

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93-471: The Japanese have traditionally accepted this sovereign's historical existence, and a mausoleum (misasagi) for Yūryaku is currently maintained. The following information available is taken from the pseudo-historical Kojiki and Nihon Shoki , which are collectively known as Kiki ( 記紀 ) or Japanese chronicles . These chronicles include legends and myths, as well as potential historical facts that have since been exaggerated and/or distorted over time. It

186-730: A Japanese sword sharpener at the end of the Taisho period . If Yūryaku's name can be corroborated to this sword then it can be interpreted that the power of the Great King had already extended from Kyushu to Togoku by the latter half of the 5th century. There is no evidence to suggest that the title tennō (meaning "emperor") was used during the time to which Yūryaku's reign has been assigned. Instead, his title could have possibly been Sumeramikoto or Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi ( 治天下大王 ) , meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven", or ヤマト大王/大君 "Great King of Yamato". The name Yūryaku -tennō

279-458: A broader definition; Douglas Allchin, a historian of science, contends that when the history of scientific discovery is presented in a simplified way, with drama exaggerated and scientists romanticized, this creates wrong stereotypes about how science works, and in fact constitutes pseudohistory, despite being based on real facts. Robert Todd Carroll has developed a list of criteria to identify pseudo-historic works. He states that: Pseudohistory

372-572: A calendrical shift of exactly two cycles of the sexagenary cycle, or 120 years. Not all records in the Nihon Shoki are consistently shifted according to this pattern, making it difficult to know which dates are accurate. For example, according to the Song Shu, the Wa paid tribute to Liu Song dynasty in 421, and until 502 (Liu Song ended in 479), five monarchs sought to be recognized as Kings of Wa . However,

465-482: A false interpretation of records, namely physical ones, often by unqualified or otherwise amateur archeologists. These interpretations are often baseless and seldom align with established consensus. Nazi archaeology is a prominent example of this technique. Frequently, people who engage in pseudoarchaeology have a very strict interpretation of evidence and are unwilling to alter their stance, resulting in interpretations that often appear overly simplistic and fail to capture

558-539: A form of proto-Turkish. The theory may have been partially devised in order to legitimize Arabic and Semitic loanwords occurring in the Turkish language by instead asserting that the Arabic and Semitic words were derived from the Turkish ones rather than vice versa. A large number of nationalist pseudohistorical theories deal with the legendary Ten Lost Tribes of ancient Israel. British-Israelism , also known as Anglo-Israelism,

651-521: A halberd with a red banner, symbolising his office of royal messenger. Soon enough, the thunder struck, and Sugaru enlisted the help of priests to enshrine the kami into a portable carriage, to be brought in the Emperor's presence, as a great serpent. But, said Emperor neglected to practice proper ritual purification and religious abstinence. The thunder kami then showed his displeasure through thundering and threatening fiery eyeballs, and Emperor Yūryaku fled into

744-508: A historical figure and that his existence was invented by early Christians. This argument currently finds very little support among scholars and historians of all faiths and has been described as pseudohistorical. Likewise, some minority historian views assert that Muhammad either did not exist or was not central to founding Islam . The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (1982) by Michael Baigent , Richard Leigh , and Henry Lincoln

837-612: A lenient verdict." Scottish Orientalist scholar and journalist James Murdoch regards Yūryaku as a "much maligned person who was a strong if somewhat ferocious ruler." The Emperor is also described as a "mighty hunter" who at one point had the God "Hitokotonushi" accompany him in the chase. A cognitive analysis "as deciphered in the Nihon shoki" was conducted in 2024 by the National Institute of Japanese Literature . In this analysis Emperor Yūryaku

930-613: A matriarchy preceded the patriarchy. The Goddess Movement and Riane Eisler's The Chalice and the Blade cite Venus figurines as evidence that societies of paleolithic and neolithic Europe were matriarchies that worshipped a goddess. This belief is not supported by mainstream academics. Excluding the Norse colonization of the Americas , most theories of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact have been classified as pseudohistory, including claims that

1023-434: A tree and be roasted to death" due to misplaced affection. Another account states that he killed one of his servants during a hunt because his servant did not understand how to cut up animal meat. Yūryaku also allegedly removed a high official to a distant post so he could help himself to the man's wife. The Emperor arbitrary and capriciously killed so many men and women that he was referred to as Emperor of Great Wickedness by

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1116-580: A type of Impulse-control disorder ." The Emperor's interest in poetry is amongst the more well-documented aspects of his character and reign. Poems attributed to him are included in the Man'yōshū , and a number of his verses are preserved in the Kojiki and the Nihonshoki . Archaeological research has also confirmed that large keyhole-shaped tombs belonging to the chiefs of local ruling families disappeared from around

1209-461: A work of pseudohistory will adopt a position of historical relativism , insisting that there is really no such thing as historical truth and that any hypothesis is just as good as any other. Many works of pseudohistory conflate mere possibility with actuality, assuming that if something could have happened, then it did. Notable examples of pseudohistory include British Israelism , the Lost Cause of

1302-540: Is a book that purports to show that certain historical figures, such as Godfrey of Bouillon , and contemporary aristocrats are the lineal descendants of Jesus . Mainstream historians have widely panned the book, categorizing it as pseudohistory, and pointing out that the genealogical tables used in it are now known to be spurious. Nonetheless, the book was an international best-seller and inspired Dan Brown 's bestselling mystery thriller novel The Da Vinci Code . Although historians and archaeologists consider

1395-454: Is a revised sequence of events that deviates from the standard timeline of world history accepted by mainstream scholars. An example of an "alternative chronology" is Anatoly Fomenko 's New Chronology , which claims that recorded history actually began around AD 800 and all events that allegedly occurred prior to that point either never really happened at all or are simply inaccurate retellings of events that happened later. One of its outgrowths

1488-619: Is an academic fringe theory that postulates the belief that the bulk of European Jewry is of Central Asian ( Turkic ) origin. In spite of the mainstream academic consensus which conclusively rejects it, this theory has been promoted in Anti-Semitic and some Anti-Zionist circles, they argue that Jews are an alien element in both Europe and Palestine . Holocaust denial in particular and genocide denial in general are widely categorized as pseudohistory. Major proponents of Holocaust denial include David Irving and others, who argue that

1581-503: Is intended to forge a national identity distinct from modern Bulgaria , which regards North Macedonia as an artificial nation. The theory is controversial in Greece and sparked 2018 mass protests there. A particular item of dispute is North Macedonian veneration of Alexander the Great ; mainstream scholarship holds that Alexander had Greek ancestry, he was born in an area of ancient Macedonia that

1674-621: Is not known, this regent is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine ( misasagi ) in Habikino, Osaka . As designated by the Imperial Household Agency as Yūryaku's mausoleum , its formal name is Tajihi no Takawashi-no-hara no misasagi . Aside from this shrine in Osaka, there is another burial site named Kawachi Otsukayama Kofun ( 河内大塚山古墳 ) where Yūryaku is a possible burial candidate. Those in doubt of this theory though, point to

1767-457: Is not traditionally listed. Pseudohistory Pseudohistory is a form of pseudoscholarship that attempts to distort or misrepresent the historical record , often by employing methods resembling those used in scholarly historical research . The related term cryptohistory is applied to pseudohistory derived from the superstitions intrinsic to occultism . Pseudohistory is related to pseudoscience and pseudoarchaeology , and usage of

1860-571: Is now Greece, and he ruled over North Macedonia but never lived there and did not speak the local language. To placate Greece and thereby facilitate the country's entry into the European Union and NATO , the Macedonian government formally renounced claims of ancient Macedonian heritage with the 2018 Prespa Agreement . Dacianism is a Romanian pseudohistorical current that attempts to attribute far more influence over European and world history to

1953-539: Is purported history which: Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke prefers the term "cryptohistory". He identifies two necessary elements as "a complete ignorance of the primary sources" and the repetition of "inaccuracies and wild claims". Other common characteristics of pseudohistory are: The following are some common categories of pseudohistorical theory, with examples. Not all theories in a listed category are necessarily pseudohistorical; they are rather categories that seem to attract pseudohistorians. An alternative chronology

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2046-454: Is quite clear that everything this man wrote about Arthur and his successors, or indeed about his predecessors from Vortigern onwards, was made up, partly by himself and partly by others". The Shakespeare authorship question is a fringe theory that claims that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were actually written by someone other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon . Another example of historical revisionism

2139-445: Is recorded in the Kiki that Yūryaku was born to Oshisaka no Ōnakatsuhime ( 忍坂大中姫 ) sometime in 417 or 418 AD, and was given the name Ōhatsuse no Wakatakeru ( 大泊瀬稚武皇子 ) . As the fifth and youngest son of Emperor Ingyō he was never given the title of "Crown Prince" due to his two older living brothers. Ōhatsuse was thrown into a fit of rage when he learned that his brother Emperor Ankō

2232-495: Is solely based though, on the description in the title of Shoban Shokugu Illustrated Scrolls ( 諸番職貢図巻 ) included in Ainichi Ginro Sho Ga Zuroku ( 愛日吟盧書画続録 ) . The fourth and final appointment allegedly made by King Bu (Yūryaku) falls outside of his recorded timeline. As the Kiki states that Emperor Yūryaku died in 479, the last given year of 502 AD would be implausible. While the actual site of Yūryaku's grave

2325-529: Is still prevalent among Wiccans, but is gradually declining. The belief that Ancient India was technologically advanced to the extent of being a nuclear power is gaining popularity in India. Emerging extreme nationalist trends and ideologies based on Hinduism in the political arena promote these discussions. Vasudev Devnani , the education minister for the western state of Rajasthan , said in January 2017 that it

2418-533: Is the Tartary conspiracy theory. Other, less extreme examples, are the phantom time hypothesis , which asserts that the years AD 614–911 never took place; and the New Chronology of David Rohl , which claims that the accepted timelines for ancient Egyptian and Israelite history are wrong. In the eighth century, a forged document known as Donation of Constantine , which supposedly transferred authority over Rome and

2511-497: Is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history . The book is also called the Nihongi ( 日本紀 , "Japanese Chronicles") . It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical record of ancient Japan . The Nihon Shoki was finished in 720 under

2604-545: Is the thesis, found in the writings of David Barton and others, asserting that the United States was founded as an exclusively Christian nation. Mainstream historians instead support the traditional position, which holds that the American founding fathers intended for church and state to be kept separate . Confederate revisionists (a.k.a. Civil War revisionists), " Lost Cause " advocates, and Neo-Confederates argue that

2697-579: Is thought to be the same person as Ōhatsuse-wakatakeru-no-mikoto as mentioned in the Nihon Shoki , an alias of Emperor Yūryaku. As each inscription contains the name of an official position, this suggests that a system similar to the Bemin was already in place. While the Eta Funayama Sword also apparently mentions the name "Waka Takiru", many characters on that sword are illegible possibly due to polishing by

2790-501: Is used to refer to the Contest of Homer and Hesiod , a purportedly historical narrative describing an entirely fictional contest between the Greek poets Homer and Hesiod . The pejorative sense of the term, labelling a flawed or disingenuous work of historiography, is found in another 1815 attestation. Pseudohistory is akin to pseudoscience in that both forms of falsification are achieved using

2883-643: The Kesshi Hachidai (" 欠史八代 , "eight generations lacking history") because no legends (or a few, as quoted in Nihon Ōdai Ichiran ) are associated with them. Some studies support the view that these emperors were invented to push Jimmu's reign further back to the year 660 BCE. Nihon Shoki itself somewhat elevates the "tenth" emperor Sujin , recording that he was called the Hatsu-Kuni-Shirasu (" 御肇国 : first nation-ruling) emperor. The tale of Urashima Tarō

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2976-520: The Book of Mormon to be an anachronistic invention of Joseph Smith, many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) believe that it describes ancient historical events in the Americas. Searches for Noah's Ark have also been categorized as pseudohistory. In her books, starting with The Witch-Cult in Western Europe (1921), English author Margaret Murray claimed that

3069-785: The Ceaușescu regime portrayed the Dacians as insurgents defying an "imperialist" Rome; the Communist Party had formally attached "protochronism", as Dacianism was known, to Marxist ideology by 1974. The consensus among academics is that no unambiguously and strictly matriarchal society is known to have existed, though many societies are known to have or have had some matriarchal features, in particular matrilineality , matrilocality , and/or matrifocality . Anthropologist Donald Brown 's list of human cultural universals ( viz. , features shared by nearly all current human societies) includes men being

3162-680: The Confederate States of America 's prime motivation was the maintenance of states' rights and limited government, rather than the preservation and expansion of slavery . Connected to the Lost Cause is the Irish slaves myth , a pseudo-historical narrative which conflates the experiences of Irish indentured servants and enslaved Africans in the Americas . This myth, which was historically promoted by Irish nationalists such as John Mitchel , has in

3255-691: The Dacians than that which they actually enjoyed. Dacianist historiography claims that the Dacians held primacy over all other civilizations, including the Romans ; that the Dacian language was the origin of Latin and all other languages, such as Hindi and Babylonian ; and sometimes that the Zalmoxis cult has structural links to Christianity. Dacianism was most prevalent in National Communist Romania , as

3348-457: The Great King was established and a centralized system centered on the Great King began. This is further supported by a major discovery that occurred in 1968 when the iron Inariyama burial-mound sword was extracted from a tomb. In 1978, X-ray analysis revealed a gold-inlaid inscription that comprises at least 115 Chinese characters. The given year on the sword is denoted as " xin-hai " ("Year of

3441-691: The Holocaust , the Holodomor , the Armenian genocide , the Assyrian genocide , the Greek genocide and other genocides did not occur, or accounts of them were greatly exaggerated. Most Afrocentric (i.e. Pre-Columbian Africa-Americas contact theories , see Ancient Egyptian race controversy ) ideas have been identified as pseudohistorical, alongside the " Indigenous Aryans " theories published by Hindu nationalists during

3534-836: The Mufti of Jerusalem , gave Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders the idea for the Holocaust. Historians across the world, along with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the German government, characterized the claim as historically baseless. The PLO and the Zionist Union said the statement was politically motivated because it wrongly places blame for the Holocaust on Palestinian nationalists , whom Netanyahu opposes, while implicitly absolving Hitler. The Christ myth theory claims that Jesus of Nazareth never existed as

3627-529: The Nihon Shoki only shows three successive emperors in this time period; Emperor Ingyō , Ankō , and Yūryaku . Nihon Shoki 's records of events regarding Baekje after Emperor Yūryaku start matching with Baekje records, however. The lifetimes of those monarchs themselves, especially for the Emperors Jingū , Ōjin , and Nintoku , have been exaggerated. Their lengths of reign are likely to have been extended or synthesized with others' reigns, in order to make

3720-557: The Planet Nibiru known as the Anunnaki visited Earth in ancient times in search of gold, and that they genetically engineered humans to serve as their slaves. He claims that memories of these occurrences are recorded in Sumerian mythology , as well as other mythologies all across the globe. These speculations have likewise been categorized as pseudohistory. The ancient astronaut hypothesis

3813-462: The witch trials in the early modern period were actually an attempt by chauvinistic Christians to annihilate a secret, pagan religion , which she claimed worshipped a Horned God . Murray's claims have now been widely rejected by respected historians. Nonetheless, her ideas have become the foundation myth for modern Wicca , a contemporary Neopagan religion. Belief in Murray's alleged witch-cult

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3906-508: The "dominant element" in public political affairs, which is the contemporary opinion of mainstream anthropology . Some societies that are matrilineal or matrifocal may in fact have patriarchal power structures, and thus be misidentified as matriarchal. The idea that matriarchal societies existed and they preceded patriarchal societies was first raised in the 19th-century among Western academics, but it has since been discredited. Despite this however, some second-wave feminists assert that

3999-554: The 1990s and 2000s. The "crypto-history" developed within Germanic mysticism and Nazi occultism has likewise been placed under this categorization. Among leading Nazis, Heinrich Himmler is believed to have been influenced by occultism and according to one theory, developed the SS base at Wewelsburg in accordance with an esoteric plan. The Sun Language Theory is a pseudohistorical ideology which argues that all languages are descended from

4092-425: The 1st and 4th century have reigns longer than 70 years, and aged 100. This could be due to the writers' attempt to overwrite the history of Himiko , and fabricate a fictitious figure of Empress Jingū to replace her. Many records in the Nihon Shoki show clear signs of taking records from other sources but shifting the dates. An example is the records of events during Jingū and Ōjin's reigns, where most seem to have

4185-556: The 22nd year of his reign (477 AD) Yūryaku moved the temple of Toyoukeohokami (present: Gaiku temple ) from Tamba to Yamada in Ise. In 463, Yūryaku Tennō invited the thunder god of the Mimuro hill to come to the Imperial Palace, and ordered Chiisakobe no muraji Sugaru to fetch the deity. He obliged, thinking the supernatural being would have no reason to refuse the invitation, and rode carrying

4278-558: The Americas were actually discovered by Arabs or Muslims. Gavin Menzies ' book 1421: The Year China Discovered the World , which argues for the idea that Chinese sailors discovered America, has also been categorized as a work of pseudohistory. Josiah Priest and other nineteenth-century American writers wrote pseudohistorical narratives that portrayed African Americans and Native Americans in an extremely negative light. Priest's first book

4371-467: The Chinese records. According to the Book of Song , Bu dispatched envoys to Emperor Shun of Song ( a Southern Chinese dynasty ) in both 477 and 478 AD. The first envoy was to inform the Chinese emperor that King Kō ( Emperor Ankō ) had died, and his older brother had become king. It is written that he called himself "King of Wa ", and the military commander of several different Kingdoms. Its written that in

4464-622: The Confederacy , the Irish slaves myth , the witch-cult , Armenian genocide denial , Holocaust denial , the clean Wehrmacht myth , the 16th- and 17th-century Spanish Black Legend , and the claim that the Katyn massacre was not committed by the Soviet NKVD . The term pseudohistory was coined in the early nineteenth century, which makes the word older than the related terms pseudo-scholarship and pseudoscience . In an attestation from 1815, it

4557-647: The Emperors of the Song dynasty recognize their military control over Baekje , their efforts were denied. The reason for this is thought to be that the Song dynasty placed importance on Baekje, which was located in a strategically important area. By not offering recognition the Song Emperors could put the Northern Wei in check, and avoid opposition from Goguryeo which was in conflict with Wa. Scholar Francis Brinkley notes that

4650-582: The Gods , which won popular acclaim, but scholarly disdain. Christopher Knight has published numerous books, including Uriel's Machine (2000), expounding pseudohistorical assertions that ancient civilizations possessed technology far more advanced than the technology of today. The claim that a lost continent known as Lemuria once existed in the Pacific Ocean has likewise been categorized as pseudohistory. Furthermore, similar conspiracy theories promote

4743-526: The Komitopules , which ruled the First Bulgarian Empire in late 10th and early 11th centuries AD, is presented as "Macedonian", ruling a "medieval Macedonian state", because its capitals were located in what was previously the ancient kingdom of Macedonia . North Macedonian historians often replace the ethnonym "Bulgarians" with "Macedonians", or avoid it. North Macedonian scholars say the theory

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4836-513: The Metal Pig") according to the Chinese sexagenary cycle , in which the name of the year is recycled every 60 years. While this year is generally regarded in Japan to correspond to 471 AD, at least one historian suggests that 531 is a more likely date. The person buried in the tomb is given the name "Wowake", who was thought to be an influential warrior in the region. King Waka Takiru in the transcription

4929-596: The Soviet Union economically, particularly during World War II . Scholars point to overwhelming evidence that Stalin directly helped plan mass killings, that many prisoners were sent to gulags or executed extrajudicially, and that many prisoners did no productive work, often being isolated in remote camps or given pointless and menial tasks. In 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that Amin Al-Husseini ,

5022-441: The bad rulers. It describes episodes from mythological eras and diplomatic contacts with other countries. The Nihon Shoki was written in classical Chinese , as was common for official documents at that time. The Kojiki , on the other hand, is written in a combination of Chinese and phonetic transcription of Japanese (primarily for names and songs). The Nihon Shoki also contains numerous transliteration notes telling

5115-517: The calendar system of the Nihon Shoki changes from before and after Yūryaku's reign. As his name is mentioned at the beginning of the Man'yōshū and Nihon Ryōiki , this is seen as a historical turning point. Previously the Japanese archipelago had been a confederation of powerful ruling families from various regions. This appeared to have changed with the appearance of Emperor Yuryaku as the autocratic rule of

5208-435: The compilers of Nihon Shoki assigned the year 601 (a "xīn-yǒu" year in which Prince Shotoku's reformation took place) as a "modern revolution" year, and consequently recorded 660 BCE, 1260 years prior to that year, as the founding epoch. Most modern scholars agree that the traditional founding of the imperial dynasty in 660 BCE is a myth and that the first nine emperors are legendary. This does not necessarily imply that

5301-488: The complexity and nuance of the complete narrative. (These following examples can belong to a variety of the above mentioned categories, or ones not mentioned as well). Immanuel Velikovsky 's books Worlds in Collision (1950), Ages in Chaos (1952), and Earth in Upheaval (1955), which became "instant bestsellers", demonstrated that pseudohistory based on ancient mythology held potential for tremendous financial success and became models of success for future works in

5394-561: The construction style of the Kofun which may have begun several decades after Emperor Yūryaku's death. This has led some researchers to add Emperor Ankan as a burial candidate for the Kofun. Yūryaku is also enshrined at the Imperial Palace along with other emperors and members of the Imperial Family at the Three Palace Sanctuaries . He is additionally deified at the Katsuragi Ichigoshu Shrine ( 葛城一言主神社 ) in Gose, Nara . Unless otherwise noted (as BC), years are in CE  / AD   Imperial Consort and Regent Empress Jingū

5487-479: The court. Prior to Nihon Shoki , there were Tennōki and Kokki compiled by Prince Shōtoku and Soga no Umako , but as they were stored in Soga's residence, they were burned at the time of the Isshi Incident . The work's contributors refer to various sources which do not exist today. Among those sources, three Baekje documents ( Kudara-ki , etc.) are cited mainly for the purpose of recording diplomatic affairs. Textual criticism shows that scholars fleeing

5580-535: The crowd. Indian Science Congress ancient aircraft controversy is a related event when Capt. Anand J. Bodas, retired principal of a pilot training facility, claimed that aircraft more advanced than today's aircraft existed in ancient India at the Indian Science Congress . Courses critiquing pseudohistory are offered as undergraduate courses in liberal arts settings, one example being in Claremont McKenna College . Nihongi The Nihon Shoki ( 日本書紀 ) , sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan ,

5673-484: The destruction of the Baekje to Yamato wrote these histories and the authors of the Nihon Shoki heavily relied upon those sources. This must be taken into account in relation to statements referring to old historic rivalries between the ancient Korean kingdoms of Silla , Goguryeo , and Baekje . Some other sources are cited anonymously as aru fumi ( 一書 ; "some document"), in order to keep alternative records for specific incidents. Most emperors reigning between

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5766-411: The editorial supervision of Prince Toneri with the assistance of Ō no Yasumaro and presented to Empress Genshō . The book is also a reflection of Chinese influence on Japanese civilization. In Japan, the Sinicized court wanted written history that could be compared with the annals of the Chinese. The Nihon Shoki begins with the Japanese creation myth , explaining the origin of the world and

5859-433: The end of the 5th century when Yūryaku reigned. Outside of the Kiki , the reign of Emperor Kinmei ( c.  509  – 571 AD) is the first for which contemporary historiography has been able to assign verifiable dates. The conventionally accepted names and dates of the early Emperors were not confirmed as "traditional" though, until the reign of Emperor Kanmu between 737 and 806 AD. During this moment in history,

5952-427: The existence of confirmed events, often including various massacres, genocides, and national histories . Some examples include Holocaust denial , Armenian Genocide denial , as well as Nakba Denial in the 1984 work From Time Immemorial by Joan Peters . Mainstream historians have categorized psychohistory as pseudohistory. Psychohistory is an amalgam of psychology, history, and related social sciences and

6045-408: The first seven generations of divine beings (starting with Kuninotokotachi ), and goes on with a number of myths as does the Kojiki , but continues its account through to events of the 8th century. It is believed to record accurately the latter reigns of Emperor Tenji , Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō . The Nihon Shoki focuses on the merits of the virtuous rulers as well as the errors of

6138-406: The following year Emperor Shun appointed Bu the title of Grand Peacekeeper-General of the East . The full context of this latter passage describes how Bu's ancestors conquered countries, and expanded their power to the east and west. It describes how they crossed the sea to the north and reached the southern part of the Korean Peninsula . Although the kings of Wa (Japan) repeatedly requested that

6231-440: The former mention in 478 AD, these are not considered to be reliable. Japanese historian Mori Kimiaki points out that both of these appointments coincide with the founding year of their respective dynasties. This is thought to be an administrative matter, and it is not clear whether King Bu (Yūryaku) himself requested it or not. There is at least 1 theory that supports the envoy being sent to Southern Qi in 479 as being factual. This

6324-418: The genre. In 1968, Erich von Däniken published Chariots of the Gods? , which claims that ancient visitors from outer space constructed the pyramids and other monuments. He has since published other books in which he makes similar claims. These claims have all been categorized as pseudohistory. Similarly, Zechariah Sitchin has published numerous books claiming that a race of extraterrestrial beings from

6417-466: The historical record. Another hallmark of pseudohistory is an underlying premise that scholars have a furtive agenda to suppress the promotor's thesis—a premise commonly corroborated by elaborate conspiracy theories . Works of pseudohistory often point exclusively to unreliable sources—including myths and legends , often treated as literal historical truth—to support the thesis being promoted while ignoring valid sources that contradict it . Sometimes

6510-450: The humanities. Its stated goal is to examine the "why" of history, especially the difference between stated intention and actual behavior. It also states as its goal the combination of the insights of psychology, especially psychoanalysis , with the research methodology of the social sciences and humanities to understand the emotional origin of the behavior of individuals, groups and nations, past and present. Pseudoarchaeology refers to

6603-611: The idea of embellished, fabricated accounts of historical civilizations, namely Khazaria and Tartaria . The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion is a fraudulent work purporting to show a historical conspiracy for world domination by Jews. The work was conclusively proven to be a forgery in August 1921, when The Times revealed that extensive portions of the document were directly plagiarized from Maurice Joly 's 1864 satirical dialogue The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu , as well as Hermann Goedsche 's 1868 anti-Semitic novel Biarritz . The Khazar theory

6696-810: The interior of the Palace while covering his eyes. The great serpent was returned to Mimuro, and the Emperor made many offerings to appease the angry deity. This story is recorded in Nihongi and mentioned by William George Aston , in "Shinto, the Ancient Religion of Japan" as well as several other books. Yūryaku is regarded by historians as a ruler during the 5th century whose existence is generally accepted as fact. Scholar Francis Brinkley lists Emperor Yūryaku under "Protohistoric sovereigns" where he remarks that while some historians have described him as an "austere" man, "few readers of his annals will be disposed to endure such

6789-425: The methodology that purports to, but does not, adhere to the established standards of research for the given field of intellectual enquiry of which the pseudoscience claims to be a part, and which offers little or no supporting evidence for its plausibility. Writers Michael Shermer and Alex Grobman define pseudohistory as "the rewriting of the past for present personal or political purposes". Other writers take

6882-449: The modern-day been promoted by white supremacists in the United States to minimize the mistreatment experienced by African Americans (such as racism and segregation ) and oppose demands for slavery reparations . The myth has also been used to obscure and downplay Irish involvement in the transatlantic slave trade . While closely related to previous categories, historical negationism or denialism specifically aims to outright deny

6975-450: The most famous example of this type, has been conclusively refuted by mainstream historians using evidence from a vast array of different fields of study. Another nationalistic pseudohistorical theory is Antiquization or Ancient Macedonism, which postulates direct demographic, cultural and linguistic continuity between ancient Macedonians and the main ethnic group in present-day North Macedonia . The Bulgarian medieval dynasty of

7068-406: The origins of the imperial family sufficiently ancient to satisfy numerological expectations. It is widely believed that the epoch of 660 BCE was chosen because it is a "xīn-yǒu" year in the sexagenary cycle , which according to Taoist beliefs was an appropriate year for a revolution to take place. As Taoist theory also groups together 21 sexagenary cycles into one unit of time, it is assumed that

7161-480: The part of May 720. It means "Up to that time, Prince Toneri had been compiling Nihongi on the orders of the emperor; he completed it, submitting 30 volumes of history and one volume of genealogy". The Nihon Shoki is a synthesis of older documents, specifically on the records that had been continuously kept in the Yamato court since the sixth century. It also includes documents and folklore submitted by clans serving

7254-621: The persons referred to did not exist, merely that there is insufficient material available for further verification and study. Dates in the Nihon Shoki before the late 7th century were likely recorded using the Genka calendar system brought by the Buddhist monk Gwalleuk of Baekje . For the eight emperors of Chapter 4, only the years of birth and reign, year of naming as Crown Prince, names of consorts, and locations of tomb are recorded. They are called

7347-607: The power of the Koma clan (supported by the Liu Song dynasty) in Goguryeo increased steadily during this time. Brinkley suggests that Emperor Yūryaku's attempts to establish close relations with the Chinese Emperor seem to be from a desire to isolate Korea, which ended in failure. The other two recorded instances regarding King Bu are mentioned in the books of Qi , and Liang . As compared to

7440-513: The pseudohistorical thesis that all the major monuments of the ancient world, including Stonehenge , the Egyptian pyramids , and the moai of Easter Island , were built by a single ancient supercivilization, which Hancock claims thrived from 15,000 to 10,000 BC and possessed technological and scientific knowledge equal to or surpassing that of modern civilization. He first advanced the full form of this argument in his 1995 bestseller Fingerprints of

7533-472: The public. However, it is noted that Yūryaku improved his behavior after being admonished by the empress. On a more positive side, Yūryaku greatly encouraged arts and crafts during his reign. Silkworms were cultivated by the Empress, and expert handicraftsmen were commissioned from Baekje (Korea). While the Empress herself never bore Yūryaku any children, he had three sons and two daughters with his concubines. In

7626-559: The reader how words were pronounced in Japanese. Collectively, the stories in this book and the Kojiki are referred to as the Kiki stories. The first translation was completed by William George Aston in 1896 (English). The background of the compilation of the Nihon Shoki is that Emperor Tenmu ordered 12 people, including Prince Kawashima, to edit the old history of the empire. Shoku Nihongi notes that " 先是一品舍人親王奉勅修日本紀。至是功成奏上。紀卅卷系圖一卷 " in

7719-708: The superiority of white people (as well as to oppose the Catholic Church ). Such misuse of Viking history and imagery reemerged in the twentieth century among some groups promoting white supremacy . Supporters of Soviet communist pseudohistory claim, among other things, that Joseph Stalin and other top Soviet leaders did not realize the scope of mass killings perpetrated under the Stalin regime , that executions of prisoners were legally justifiable, and that prisoners in Soviet gulags performed important construction work that helped

7812-444: The terms may occasionally overlap. Although pseudohistory comes in many forms, scholars have identified many features that tend to be common in pseudohistorical works; one example is that the use of pseudohistory is almost always motivated by a contemporary political , religious, or personal agenda. Pseudohistory also frequently presents sensational claims or a big lie about historical facts which would require unwarranted revision of

7905-476: The throne. Ōhatsuse was resentful that Ankō had formally wished to transfer the kingdom to Ichinobe. Both the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki describe how Ōhatsuse took Prince Ichinobe and his younger brother Prince Mima out hunting and "treacherously" killed them. The sons of Prince Ichinobe fled to Harima and went into hiding, later becoming Emperor Kenzō and Emperor Ninken . Ōhatsuse (later known as Emperor Yūryaku)

7998-709: The western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope , became widely circulated. In the twelfth century, Geoffrey of Monmouth published the History of the Kings of Britain , a pseudohistorical work purporting to describe the ancient history and origins of the British people. The book synthesises earlier Celtic mythical traditions to inflate the deeds of the mythical King Arthur . The contemporary historian William of Newburgh wrote around 1190 that "it

8091-816: Was The Wonders of Nature and Providence, Displayed (1826). The book is regarded by modern critics as one of the earliest works of modern American pseudohistory. Priest attacked Native Americans in American Antiquities and Discoveries of the West (1833) and African-Americans in Slavery, As It Relates to the Negro (1843). Other nineteenth-century writers, such as Thomas Gold Appleton , in his A Sheaf of Papers (1875), and George Perkins Marsh , in his The Goths in New England , seized upon false notions of Viking history to promote

8184-617: Was assassinated in 456 AD. He then immediately became suspicious of his two elder brothers as conspirers. Ōhatsuse's first action was to question Prince Shirahiko regarding what could have happened. Shirahiko allegedly knew Ōhatsuse was up to no good, so he sat silently which prompted Ōhatsuse to kill him both individually with a sword. He then turned his rage towards the boy assassin Mayowa no Ōkimi (Prince Mayowa), and his other brother Kurohiko by burning him to death. This just left Emperor Richū 's eldest son Prince Ichinobe no Oshiwa in contention for

8277-664: Was further popularized in the United States by the History Channel television series Ancient Aliens . History professor Ronald H. Fritze observed that the pseudohistorical claims promoted by von Däniken and the Ancient Aliens program have a periodic popularity in the US: "In a pop culture with a short memory and a voracious appetite, aliens and pyramids and lost civilizations are recycled like fashions." The author Graham Hancock has sold over four million copies of books promoting

8370-511: Was important to "understand the scientific significance" of the cow , as it was the only animal in the world to both inhale and exhale oxygen. In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a gathering of doctors and medical staff at a Mumbai hospital that the story of the Hindu god Ganesha showed genetic science existed in ancient India. Many new age pseudohistorians who focus on converting mythological stories into history are well received among

8463-415: Was included as an example of "impulsive murder and the tendency to become enraged." Factors such as "the disproportion between the triggering events", "the violence expressed by the emperor on such occasions (quite extreme in degree)", and the "frequent occurrence of such descriptions" were then considered for a conclusion. It is suggested that Emperor Yūryaku may have had an " intermittent explosive disorder ,

8556-447: Was more than likely assigned to him posthumously by later generations. His name might have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to Yūryaku, possibly during the time in which legends about the origins of the imperial dynasty were compiled as the chronicles known today as the Kojiki . There is also a theory that Emperor Yūryaku is synonymous with King Bu (武) as written in

8649-520: Was then enthroned sometime afterwards in November 456. The new emperor subsequently made Asakura no Miya at Sakurai, Nara the location of his imperial palace. Emperor Richū 's widow Kusaka no Hatabi no hime was appointed Empress with three concubines in March 457. According to the Kiki , Emperor Yūryaku's reign was full of tyranny and cruelty. He allegedly ordered a girl to "have her four limbs stretched on

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