02a Emperor Jinmu Therefore while the Japanese people lived in this island country for some thousand years, they all became related, by blood. The center of this bloodrelated clan is the imperial house. The founder of this imperial house is Emperor Jinmu, who accomplished the great feat of beginning the nation. It was this fact that Shibano Ritsuzan lamented, that the debt we owe to Emperor Jinmu was forgotten, and that his grave site was in decline. We must say that Shibano Ritsuzan had indeed perceived hitory correctly, and further,had a sympathetic, sincere, heart. How did Emperor Jinmu travel, and what did he do? He was first in Hyuuga Province (Miyazaki Prefecture, in Kyuushuu). Upon seeing strife among the separated tribes of ancient Japan, he resolved to unifty them to form a nation. He led his forces in ships, went on to Usa (Ohita Prefecture), Okada Palace (Fukuoka Prefecture), Takeri Palace (or, E Palace,in Hiroshima Prefecture), Takashima Palace (Okayama Prefecture), to arrive at Naniwa (Ohsaka Prefecture). He then proceeded to Kawachi Region, and crossed Mt. Ikoma. Just as he entered Yamato (Nara Prefecture), he was met by a fierce enemy, and his elder brother Itsuse no Mikoto was gravely wounded. The Emperor reflected: "I am a descendant of the Amaterasu Ohmikami (the Sun Goddess), yet I fought a batlle facing the sun, which must be the reason for this punishment from Heaven. If I fight with the revered sunlight at my back, surely I will defeat the enemy." He redirected his force southward to Ohsaka Harbor, to land on Kii Province (Wakayama Prefecture). At this site, the wounded Itsuse no Mikoto passed away, and was buried in Kamayama. Emperor Jinmu led his army into Kumano, but the mountains were steep and rords were unmarked. Then an oracle came to him in a dreem, in which Amaterasu Ohmikami (the Sun Goddess) sent him a Giant Crow to guid the way. Hino Omi Mikoto, the ancestor of the Ohtomo clan, followed the Giant Crow, and entered Uda (Nara Prefecture). In this Uda area, the Emperor stood on top of Mt. Takakura and viewed the fields. Everywhere he saw numerous Takeru, the enemy, ready to resist. They were on top of Mt. Kunimi, they were at Shiki, and on Mt. Katsuragi there were copper colored enemy. In other words numerour ferocious men inhabited the area, fighting against each other, and now they were united to resist the Emperor conquered them one by one, and proceeded. He fought his last batlle against Nagasunehiko the Long-legged. These men put up such a fierce fight that the imperial army was temporarily at a disadvantage. But at this time, the sky suddenly turned dark, freezing rain fell, and a mysterious golden bird called a kite flew over and landed on the bow that the Emperor held. A powerful piercing light emanated from this bird, to blind and incapacitate the enemy. Nigihayahi no Mikoto, who originally belonged to the same clan as the Emperor, tried to persuade Nagasunehiko the Long-Legged to surrender. Seeing that Nagasunehiko was stolidly resolved to resist, Nigihayashi no Mikoto annihilated him and became a subject of the Emperor. Nigihayahi no Mikoto is the ancestor of the later Mononobe Clan, which for a long time guarded Japan with its martial expertise. Eventually various enemies were subjugated. The Emperor held the ascension ceremony at Kashihara Palace. There was a saying in olden times which honours his virtue and valour, "In Kashihara in Unebi, he mightily established his palace-pillars on the foundation of the bottom-rock, and reared aloft the cross roof-timbers to the Plain of High Heaven." His formal name was "Kamu Yamato Iwarehiko no Sumera Mikoto," meanig Divine Emperor of Yamato. Posthumously he came to be called Emperor Jinmu, meaning "divine and valiant." I have told you the course of events rather simply, like a torrent. But in actuality this was a great enterprise filled with difficulties, and his fardships cannot be underestimated. According to Chronicles of Japan (Nihon Shoki), it took him six years after he departed from Hyuuga (Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyuushuu) till he pacified Yamato (Nara Prefecture). According to Record of Ancient Matters (Kojiki), it took him fifteen years for the preparation of the campaign. This means that the entire feat took seventeen or eighteen years. Founding a nation is indeed an important and difficult task. Let us compare some recent examples. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America was written in 1776. Subsequently George Washington met with much disadvantage. He fought back one by one, and finally gained recognition of inderpendence in 1783, a little over seven years later. On the Chinese continent, the most powerful kingdom with the longest history is Han. Liubang, the first Emperor of Han, spent four years in order to destroy the previous Kingdom of Qin. After the fall of Qin, he then fought against the rival Xiangyu for five years. In total, eight years went by before Liubang could ascend to the throne to establish the Kingdom of Han. The rivel Xiangyu thought himself so powerful that he stated: "My strength plucked up hills, My might shadowed the world." To contest agaist such a hero must nave been a formidable task for Liubang. Emperor Jinmu either defeated by force or subjugated by noble spirit the dispersed tribes, and accomplished the grand feat of the unification of the Japanese people. This was the outcome of his superb and brave character. He proceeded directly to actualize his ideals and principles, never hesitating in the face of hardships. The people of later generations were deeply impressed by his accomplishment. That is why he came to be called Emperor Jinmu ("divine and valiant") posthumously.

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