Amenohiboko (天日槍) was a legendary prince of Silla who settled in Japan during the era of Emperor Suinin, around the 3rd or 4th century[1] and was said to have lived in Tajima Province. His descendants are the Tajima clan.[2] Amenohiboko is the ancestral god of Tajima Province and is supposedly enshrined in the Shinto Shrine (Izushi jinja) at Toyooka in Hyōgo Prefecture.[3]
Seven or eight treasures brought by Amenohiboko are thought to be housed in Izushi Shrine in Hyōgo Prefecture.
According to the Nihon Shoki, "In Kagami Village, Omi Province, there was a craftsman of Suebe who served the prince of Silla, Amenohiboko, who came to Japan."[4][5] However, at present, early Sueki was not found at Kagamiyama ruins of old kilns in Ryuocho, Shiga Prefecture, which is closely linked to this description, or either in Tajima region where Amenohiboko is said to have lived. Amenohiboko is attributed, in legend, some parts of Toyooka City.[6]
His descendant became the mother to Empress Jingū.
History
According to the Kojiki, a woman was laying down near a swamp called "Anuguma (阿具奴摩/阿具沼)" in Silla, where the sunlight touched her vagina and she gave birth to a red ball on the spot. A passerby witnessed the event and pleaded her to give the ball to him where he finally took possession of it. One day, the man was walking with his cow to deliver some provisions when Amenohiboko (then a Silla prince) saw him and mistook him for trying to eat the cow. After being imprisoned, the man begged to be set free, offering the red ball as compensation. After accepting the offer, Amenohiboko brought the red ball home where it turned into a fully grown woman of great beauty. The prince decided to marry the woman and the two lived relatively happily until Amenohiboko lashed out at his newly wedded wife for a trivial reason. The woman became upset and stated that she was going to return to her "homeland", then got on a small boat and sailed to Namba. Realizing his mistake and seeking for forgiveness, Amenohiboko set sail to Namba himself, but the guardian Kami prevented him from entering the land and he had to stop in Tajima where he stayed. He then found another wife named "Maemitsu (前津見)".[7]
The original wife who had arrived in Namba became a deity to its people and was called "Akaruhime (阿加流比売)".[7]
Interpretation
Scholars have compared the story of Akaruhime's birth with the red ball to other similar legends that were told in the region, the most similar stories being Chumo of Goguryeo, Suro of Geumgwan Gaya and Hyeokgeose of Silla all being born from an egg.[8] They point to Chumo's story in particular where his mother, Lady Yuhwa (daughter of the river god Habaek) was touched by the sunlight on to her private parts where she became pregnant with an egg which later hatched into Chumo. Historians claim that such repertoire in Asian mythology is common between Siberian to northeastern civilizations and that the story of Amenohiboko and Akaruhime was heavily influenced by Korean legends of the same premise (both individuals originating from Silla).
Another theory points to the similarities between Amenohiboko and the story of Yeonorang and Seonyeo. This theory revolves around the involvement of individuals of Silla unintentionally immigrating to Japan with heavy elements alluding to the importance of the sun.[9] Though the possibilities of Yeono and Seo becoming the king and queen of Japan are highly unlikely, the chances of immigrants with great importance becoming royalty were not uncommon, and like the story of Yeonorang and Seonyeo, the story of Amenohiboko was also deemed similar.
Legacy
His descendant became the mother to Empress Jingū, a controversial queen who allegedly invaded and conquered the self-declared "promised land", often interpreted as the Korean peninsula. World-renowned linguist and Japanese language expert Alexander Vovin state that due to Amenohiboko being of Korean origin, Jingū and her son and successor, Emperor Ōjin might have been native speakers of the Korean language.[10][11]