For this month’s kickass woman, we turn our attention to Japan and the legendary life of Queen Himiko, the first recorded ruler of ancient Japan – not only the first female ruler, but the first ruler, period. I’m going to do a little summarizing here, but I’m also going to be very link-heavy. So much legend surrounds Queen Himiko that I am waaay over my head in terms of describing her life, but I do want to give you some links to explore so that you can learn about this fascinating woman.
Once upon a time, before Japan was a country, in the Yayoi (300BC-300AD) and Kofun (250-538AD) periods, there were all these island city-states. Rulers were also religious figures, and female shamans were highly regarded.
The written records of this period come from Chinese historians, who referred to this region as “The Land of Wa”, home of the “Eastern Barbarians.” We also have writings from Korean historians. As summed up in the article “Queen Himiko: Badass Women in Japanese History” by Chelsea Bernard:
During the second half of the 2nd century (ca. 147-190 AD), the lack of a capable leader plunged the Land of Wa into political turmoil and violent upheaval. Finally, in 190 AD the unmarried shamaness was chosen by the people to rule. Installed in a palace with armed guards and watch towers, she was served by “1,000” female attendants while her “brother” acted as a medium of communication, transmitting her instructions and pronouncements to the outside world. After ascending to the throne, she went on to restore order and maintain peace like a boss for the next 50 or 60 years.
Queen Himiko pulled about 100 kingdoms and confederacies and clans together. She sent diplomatic missions to China, which formally recognized her rule. This video explains her role as a verifiable person in written record and archeology. It’s pretty dry but also very detailed.
This video gives a nice quick summary and is entertaining because it a) ties into the game Civilization and b) is narrated by a woman who is being eaten alive by deer – no really!
@civilization Hide your deer snacks 🦌 @SophieQuests heads to Nara, Japan to discover the history of Queen Himiko! civ7 strategygames gamingontiktok japan himiko
If you like the video game connection, you’ll enjoy this article from Medium which includes a discussion of her portrayal in Tomb Raider as well as a scholarly look at where exactly she might have lived.
The author, Frankie Webb, concludes:
The real Himiko’s legacy is a reminder of how historical women figures are often forgotten. She doesn’t feature prominently in the history of Japan, and recognition as a ruler didn’t come till the Edo period in the 1600s. It is likely that the Japanese adoption of Buddhism and Confucianism didn’t do much to elevate the status of women. Fortunately, she wasn’t permanently erased. Himiko represents the first notable ancestor of a strong tradition of female religious leaders and political leaders in Japan and serves as a representation of the unnamed women forgotten to history.
Perhaps the coolest thing about Himiko is that she was not unique as a powerful woman in Ancient Japan. Returning to the article by Chelsea Bernard:
In other words, Himiko was not an anomaly. She was merely the first notable ancestor of a strong tradition of female religious leaders (a la miko priestesses in Shinto) and political leaders (a la empresses) in Japanese history. Over time women’s roles may have devolved from active initiators to assistants in both spiritual and secular realms. But Himiko serves as a shining example that symbolically reflects the many other (now anonymous) women who were also leaders in their communities.
Currently, Himiko thrives in pop culture and celebration in Japan, where multiple cities claim to have been her home and celebrate her in festivals. Bernard notes that she pops up in novels, manga, movies, and yes, of course porn. Possibly the oddest use of her name is this:
As a role model the shamaness queen can symbolize female power, innate occult abilities, national origins, and even good eating habits. No kidding, she’s the poster girl for a school campaign that urges students “to chew your food as thoroughly Queen Himiko did” in order to improve digestion and tooth health.
I can’t speak to how historically accurate the claim is that Himiko was good at masticating, but she is a fascinating figure who teaches us about the history of women in power as well as how the written record can lift a figure up or erase it. Please check out Bernard’s article in its entirety, as it is fascinating and entertaining! Here’s one more video that has a bit of an overview and a photo of a statute of the Queen:
