＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・残念な天皇の話(その１３)。雄略天皇は暴君で多くの人を殺した大悪天皇！？
The Japanese Imperial Family (Imperial Household) is said to be “the world’s longest-running royal family.” If Emperor Jimmu, as described in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, was a real person, then the Imperial Family has a history of over 2,600 years, up to the current 126th Emperor.
Even if Emperor Keitai (450?–531), the 26th Emperor and a descendant of Emperor Ojin, is definitively the first emperor, it remains true that the Imperial Family is “the world’s longest-running royal family.”
Throughout this long history of the Imperial Family, there have been tyrannical emperors, incompetent emperors, lecherous emperors, and foolish emperors. Emperor Yuryaku, whom we will introduce here, is one such tyrannical emperor.
1. Who was Emperor Yuryaku?
Emperor Yūryaku (7th year of Emperor Ingyō’s reign – 23rd year of Emperor Yūryaku’s reign) was the son of the 19th Emperor Ingyō and the grandson of the 16th Emperor Nintoku. He was the 21st Emperor, reigning in the late 5th century during the Kofun period.
2. The Tyranny of Emperor Yūryaku
(1) The Greatly Wicked Emperor
Emperor Yūryaku is said to have been such a cruel emperor that he was called the “Greatly Wicked Emperor.”
According to the “Nihon Shoki” (Chronicles of Japan), his character was such that “the emperor believed only his own heart was right, and he often killed people on his own accord, and the people of the land slandered him, calling him the ‘Greatly Wicked Emperor’.”
He did not hesitate to commit harsh acts for the sake of his own power, was extremely self-righteous, and often executed people based on his own erroneous judgment.
The Emperor, the evil spirits, the murderers, the evil Emperor who slanders the nation.
天皇、以心爲師、誤殺人衆、天下誹謗言「太惡天皇也。」
(2) Killing his full brothers in the succession struggle
As expected, a succession struggle arose when the previous emperor, the 20th Emperor Anko, died without designating a successor.
First, he executed Prince Mayowa, his full brother who had assassinated the previous emperor, Emperor Anko, and Prince Sakai no Kurohiko, another full brother who was believed to have colluded with him.
Furthermore, the ambitious Prince Ōhatsuse (then known as Prince Ōhatsuse) buried alive Prince Yatsuri no Shirohiko, another full brother who was seen as the mastermind behind Emperor Anko’s assassination.
The Kojiki recounts that as Prince Yatsuri no Shirohiko was buried up to his waist, his eyes popped out and he died.
A person who stands buried in a dug hole, and when he is buried, both eyes run and he dies.
掘穴而隨立埋者、至埋腰時、兩目走拔而死。
Furthermore, he lured his cousin, Prince Ichinobe no Oshiha, out hunting, and, pretending to shoot a wild boar, shot and killed the prince. He then murdered the prince’s younger brother, Prince Mima, and his attendants, who were grieving over the prince’s death.
Taking advantage of the chaos following Emperor Anko’s assassination, he eliminated his rivals and ascended to the throne.
(3) Murder of the Mistress
After becoming emperor, he intended to take Iketsuhime, who had come from Baekje on the Korean Peninsula, as his consort. However, it was discovered that Iketsuhime was having an affair with a man named Ishikawa Tate.
According to the “Nihon Shoki” (Chronicles of Japan), he was furious when he learned of his concubine’s infidelity and ordered his subordinate, Otomo no Muroya no Oomi, to send Kumebe to confront the two. They then tied the two men’s hands and feet to a tree, placed them on the floor, and burned them to death.
(4) Burning down the house of the Oagatanushi who had raised a katsuogi (decorative wooden beam) to resemble the Emperor’s palace.
It is said that Emperor Yūryaku was enraged when the Oagatanushi of Shiki in Kawachi raised a katsuogi (decorative wooden beam) to resemble the Emperor’s palace, and burned down the Oagatanushi’s house.
He could certainly be described as a “tyrant” or “absolute dictator.” However, on the other hand, he can also be seen as the key figure who subdued rebellious local clans by force, dramatically increased the power of the Yamato court, and laid the foundation for a centralized system centered on the Emperor, moving away from the confederation of powerful local clans.
This tyrannical Emperor Yūryaku bears some resemblance to the 25th Emperor Buretsu. This is not surprising, as Emperor Buretsu’s mother was a princess of Emperor Yūryaku.
It seems strange that the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Japan’s official historical records, so frankly and meticulously describe the existence of such a wicked and ruthless emperor, as it would be a disgrace to the ancestors of the imperial family.
However, since Emperor Keitai, the 26th emperor, likely belonged to a completely different regional clan than Emperor Buretsu (whose lineage was the “Emperor Nintoku lineage”), it’s possible that Emperor Buretsu’s misdeeds were recorded to emphasize Keitai’s legitimacy. After all, “history is written by the victors.”
Emperors Yūryaku and Buretsu are reminiscent of kings at the end of ancient Chinese dynasties (such as King Jie of Xia or King Zhou of Yin, who favored Daji).
While the emperors who followed Keitai are nominally of the “Emperor Ōjin lineage,” they are quite collateral, so it’s possible that the records of Emperor Buretsu’s misdeeds, belonging to the “Emperor Nintoku lineage” whose bloodline had died out, were simply preserved.
However, Emperor Keitai was not directly involved in the compilation of the “Nihon Shoki,” and it is unlikely that subsequent emperors altered or fabricated historical materials concerning the emperors from ancient times, so it seems certain that Emperor Yūryaku and Emperor Buretsu were indeed “tyrants.”