10 Emperor Keitai The imperial transmission went from Emperor Sujin on to Emperor Keikou, and when it reached the reigns of Emperor Ohjin and Nintoku (latter half of 4th century to early 5th century), Japan's military and cultural strength increased, consolidating the basis of the nations. But in eighty to ninety years, for various reasons, the authority of the Court bacame unstable, and its cammand at the foreign outposts declined. One of the crises was that Emperor Seinei (r. latter half of 5th century) had no heir, causing concern that the imperial line might be broken. At that time, a man called Otate, the ancestor of Yamabe no Muraji clan, went down to the Province of Harima (Hyougo Prefecture) on government business. He was invited to the home-opening reception of Shijimu, who managed the imperial granary of Akashi District. At the height of the banquet, people took turns dancing. Two boys who kept the fire going were each inviting the other to dance first: "Elder brother, please dance first." "No, you dance, please." The people watched them in amusement. Finally the elder brother danced, and when the younger brother's turn came, he sang and danced: "My beloved Warrior lad Wears at his side a sword. On the hilt of which Is daubed red clay, And on the cord of which Is attached a red banner. When the red banner is erected It is seen to conceal The mountain ridges Where the bamboo are cut down And thier tips spread out in even rows - In this manner, And in the manner of an eight-stringed cither When in perfect tune - Did he rule the kingdom, The son of Emperor Izaho Wake, Ichi no Be no Oshiba no Miko - Whose offspring I am !" The song means: "Villains disperse in fear at the sight of a magnificently attired warrior, wearing a sword, with a red flag flying beside. Emperor Richuu faced the people with dignity, controlled them as thouth they were harvested mountain bamboo, which he held by the base, moving the ends freely. He united them as though playing an eight-stringed harp. I am the son of his prince Ichi no Be no Oshiha no Moko." Otate, hearing this, was astonished. These, then, were the grandsons of Emperor Richuu. He got down from the banquet hall floor to the ground, cleared out the people and sat the two boys at the front. Moved and overjoyed, Otate wept, holding the two princes on his lap. The news was promptly relayed to the capitol, and a welcomeing procession was sent down for them. Thus the two succeeded in the imperial line. Even though the elder brother should ascend the throne first, at the recommendation of the elder brother the younger brother ascended in view of his song which revealed thier status. This was Emperor Kenzou. He was succeeded by the elder brother, Emperor Ninken. THe next crisis came when Emperor Buretsu (r. early 6th century), the prince of Emperor Ninken, passed away without an heir. Ohtomo no Kanamura discussed with the ministers Mononobe no Arakai, Kose no Ohito and so on, and searched for descendants of the imperial house all over the country. Finally, Ohto no Miko was invited up from Mikuni of Echizen Province (Fukui Prefecture). This was Emperor Keitai. Genealogically, he was the fifth-generation descendant of Emperor Ohjin. The elder sister of Emperor Buretsu, Princess Tashiraka no himemiko became his Empress, and thier son later ascended the throne as Emperor Kinmei. If such crises had occurred in a foreign country, inevitably a revolution would follow. A despot would snatch away the sovereign power with force, and build a new nation. But in Japan, the ministers and the clan-leaders went to great trouble to search for the successor of the imperial line, from Harima (Hyougo Prefecture) or from Echizen (Fukui Prefecture), and continued to invest the Emperors. On one hand, this is evidence that the virtues of the past Emperors were so impressive that the people of the nation admired them. On the other hand the ministers and the clan-leaders kept thier places, never harbouring ambitions. The true nature of a person is exposed at times of crisis. Matters of succession were utmost national crises, and yet they were morally solved, through cooperation of the upper and lower classes. These were astounding accomplishments. Try to perceive the world situation. Ordinary people submit to and flatter those in power; this is natural when they think only about personal gain and loss. If a change in conditions occurs, people's attitudes change correspondingly. When the one in power falls, the submission of the past turns promptly into uprising, and the flattery of yesterday becomes the ridicule of today. Unless one holds to moral principles, such changes of heart will always take place, and examples can be seen in nations everywhere in the world. When a government loses its authority, or a king is a man of ill-virtue or immature, revolutions immediately occur, or the nation is destroyed. There was a great ancient civilization in Egypt, as we know from the pyramids. When the power of kings was strong, pyramids were built as thier tombs. But that ended in 342 BC. Since then for nearly 2000 years, Egypt has been ruled by Persia, Rome, the Byzantine Empire, and Ababia, finally to become an independent nation in the 20th century. Looking back at Egyptian antiquity, there were thirty dynastic changes. The word "changes" sounds benign, but actually it was usurpation, where the successor destroyes the previous dynasty and took over. It is not clear when the first dynasty appeared. There several hypotheses. The oldest of them sets 5546 BC as the beginning, and the latest, 3180 BC. Let us take the latest hypothesis of 3180 BC. The thirtieth and last dynasty ended in 342 BC, which makes the dynastic span into 2838 years, during which thirty changes took place. On the average then, one dynasty lasted only 94 years. And even if we take the most ancient beginning of 5546 BC, the average length of one dynasty is still only 173 years. China is the most ancient nation in Asia. Here, civilization has existed since antiquity, and there were many kingdoms in succession. Xia lasted seventeen generations, for over 400 years, and became Yin. It lasted about thirty generations, for over 600 years. It then became Zhou which lasted thirty-seven generations, for 877 years, and Qin took over. Qin existed for three generations, an interval of 15 years. Former Han, for thirteen generations, 207 years, and Later Han, for thirteen generations, for 196 years. After that, the duration of the kingdoms became even shorter, followed by rises and falls in succession. Some dynasties were long-lasting, as Tang dynasty (290 years), Song (320 years), Ming (294 years) and Qing (296) years). However in total, in 4663 years, there have been thirty dynasties, which makes the average span into 155 years. From these examples we undersrand that when power waned significantly, and mismanagement of the government or other misfortunes occurred, rebellion swiftly followed, leadimg to revolution. Needless to say, no nation considered rebellions and revolutions to be acts of justice; they always lamented the fall of a nation. Of all the Chinese classics, The Analects (Lunyu) of Confucius has been especially revered. The high disciple of Confucius by the name of Zenzi, who was the most virtuous, said: "The man to whom one could with equal confidence entrust an orphan not yet fully grown or the sovereignty of a whole State, whom the advent of no emergency however great could upset - would such a one be a true gentleman? He I think would be a true gentleman indeed." This passage has impressed many readers throughout the ages. A gentleman protects the boy who has lost his father, whithout robbing his power, and acts as his regent; at time of emergency, he is unperturbed, fortified with moral principles. That is a gentleman with true virtue, deserving much respect. That is only the ideal. In real life this is hardly done. When the successor to the lordship is a boy or a man of ill virtue, a subject transforms himself into a competitor, to annihilate the lord and take away the kingdom. Such violation are prevalent in this world. In Japan, Emperors Seinei (r. latter half of 5th century) and Buretsu (r. early 6th century) had no heirs, so the termination of the imperial line, as well as the nation, was imminent. But the ministers and the clan-leaders did not harbour ambition to compete and usurp. Remembering the benevolent regins of the Emperors of the past, they searched for the descendants of the imperial family and invested them with the throne. These events deserve utmost admiration. The soundness of a nation, and the greatness of a man reveal themselves not only at times of success; they can be seen in misfortune and unhappiness. The tales of Yamabe no Muraji Otate who was so moved to discover Emperor Kenzou, and that of Outomo no Kanamura whose deliberation inversted Emperor Keitai, are both most touching.

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