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3rd century queen of Yamataikoku
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Himiko was a queen of Yamatai, a polity in Wa during the late Yayoi period. She governed a federation of communities over a broad part of the Japanese archipelago and is the earliest named ruler there whose activities are described in detail in surviving records. Dr Gina Barnes states that: “Himiko is clearly a major figure in the story of Japanese state formation, but enigmatically, she is not directly attested in the Japanese chronicles.”
Not who you're looking for? Others named Himiko: emission-line galaxy · 1974 film by Masahiro Shinoda
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On-theme arcade editions starring the Himiko parody.
Himiko (卑弥呼; died c. 247 or 248) was a queen of Yamatai, a polity in Wa during the late Yayoi period. She governed a federation of communities over a broad part of the Japanese archipelago and is the earliest named ruler there whose activities are described in detail in surviving records. Dr Gina Barnes states that: “Himiko is clearly a major figure in the story of Japanese state formation, but enigmatically, she is not directly attested in the Japanese chronicles.”
The principal account of Himiko is the third-century Chinese Records of the Three Kingdoms. It records that, after prolonged warfare among the communities of Wa, the people agreed to make her their ruler. Her authority combined religious practice with government, diplomacy, and military affairs, and her younger brother assisted her. In 238 she sent an embassy to the Chinese state of Cao Wei, whose court recognized her as the “Queen of Wa, Friend of Wei” (親魏倭王) and presented her with a gold seal and other gifts.
Neither the Kojiki nor the Nihon Shoki, the two oldest surviving Japanese histories, names Himiko. Her relationship to figures in those works, the location of Yamatai, and the identification of her tomb remain disputed.
Information about Himiko's life comes principally from Chinese court histories written outside Wa. These sources describe her public rule and foreign relations but do not provide a verifiable birth year, birthplace, or parentage.
The Records of the Three Kingdoms says that Wa had previously been ruled by a man and was then disrupted by prolonged warfare. The communities agreed to place Himiko on the throne. The later Book of the Later Han locates the unrest during the reigns of emperors Huan and Ling (146–189), but the sources do not give a precise date for Himiko's accession.
The Chinese account describes Himiko as mature in age and unmarried. It says that she practiced guidao (鬼道, “way of spirits”), rarely appeared in public, lived in a guarded compound, and was attended by a thousand women and one male intermediary. Her unnamed younger brother helped govern. Akiko Yoshie and co-authors argue that treating Himiko as only a ritual figure and her brother as the effective ruler reflects later gendered assumptions; the record itself assigns Himiko political, diplomatic, religious, and military authority.
In 238 Himiko sent the envoys Nashonmi and Tsushi-gori through Daifang Commandery to the Wei court. They presented cloth and enslaved people as tribute. The Wei emperor conferred on Himiko the title “Queen of Wa, Friend of Wei,” together with a gold seal and purple ribbon, and ordered that she receive textiles, gold, swords, pearls, and one hundred bronze mirrors. The gifts were delivered to Wa in 240.
Himiko sent another embassy to Wei in 243. In 247, amid conflict with Kuna, she reported the hostilities between her polity and its male ruler Himikoko to Daifang. The commandery sent the official Chang Chêng with a proclamation and a ceremonial banner. This is the last event in Himiko's life that the record dates explicitly.
Himiko died soon after the events of 247, conventionally dated to about 247 or 248. The Records of the Three Kingdoms says that a burial mound more than one hundred paces across was made for her and that more than one hundred attendants “followed her to the grave”. An unnamed man then became king, but the communities did not accept him and renewed fighting reportedly caused more than one thousand deaths. Himiko's thirteen-year-old relative Toyo was subsequently installed as queen, after which order was restored.
The shaman queen Himiko is recorded in various ancient histories, dating back to 3rd-century China, 8th-century Japan, and 12th-century Korea.
The first historical records of Himiko are found in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo Zhi), a Chinese classic text compiled in the late third century. The passages about the people of Wa appear in volume 30 of its “Book of Wei” (魏書) and are conventionally known in Japan as the Gishi Wajinden (魏志倭人伝, “Records of Wei: Account of Wajin”). This is the earliest surviving source to describe Himiko and Yamatai:
The Japanese people of Wa [倭人] dwell in the middle of the ocean on the mountainous islands southeast of [the prefecture of] Tai-fang. They formerly comprised more than one hundred communities. During the Han dynasty, [Wa envoys] appeared at the Court; today, thirty of their communities maintain intercourse [with us] through envoys and scribes.
This early history describes how Himiko came to the throne:
The country formerly had a man as ruler. For some seventy or eighty years after that there were disturbances and warfare. Thereupon the people agreed upon a woman for their ruler. Her name was Himiko [卑弥呼]. She occupied herself with magic and sorcery, bewitching the people. Though mature in age, she remained unmarried. She had a younger brother who assisted her in ruling the country. After she became the ruler, there were few who saw her. She had one thousand women as attendants, but only one man. He served her food and drink and acted as a medium of communication. She resided in a palace surrounded by towers and stockades, with armed guards in a state of constant vigilance.
The "Records of Wei" also records envoys travelling between the Wa and Wei courts. Himiko's emissaries first visited the court of Wei emperor Cao Rui in 238, and he replied:
Herein we address Himiko, Queen of Wa, whom we now officially call a friend of Wei. […Your envoys] have arrived here with your tribute, consisting of four male slaves and six female slaves, together with two pieces of cloth with designs, each twenty feet in length. You live very far away across the sea; yet you have sent an embassy with tribute. Your loyalty and filial piety we appreciate exceedingly. We confer upon you, therefore, the title "Queen of Wa Friendly to Wei," together with the decoration of the gold seal with purple ribbon. The latter, properly encased, is to be sent to you through the Governor. We expect you, O Queen, to rule your people in peace and to endeavor to be devoted and obedient.
Neither of the two oldest surviving Japanese histories—the c. 712 Kojiki and the c. 720 Nihon Shoki—mentions Himiko by name. The Nihon Shoki nevertheless quotes Chinese records of a “queen of Wa” in entries placed within the traditional reign of Empress Jingū. This framing later encouraged attempts to identify Himiko with Jingū or with other women in the Japanese chronicles, including Yamato-totohi-momoso-hime and Yamatohime-no-mikoto.
One remarkable exception to early Japanese histories overlooking Himiko is the Nihon Shoki, quoting the Wei Zhi three times. In 239, "the queen [女王] of Wa" sent envoys to Wei; in 240, they returned "charged with an Imperial rescript and a seal and ribbon;" and in 243, "the ruler [王 "king"] of Wa again sent high officers as envoys with tribute".
Princess Yamato-totohi-momoso, the shaman aunt of Emperor Sujin, supposedly committed suicide after learning her husband was a trickster snake-god. The Kojiki does not mention her, but the Nihon Shoki describes her as "the Emperor's aunt by the father's side, a shrewd and intelligent person, who could foresee the future". After a series of national calamities, the Emperor "assembled the 80 myriads of Deities" and inquired by divination. Yamato-totohi-momoso was inspired by Ōmononushi-nushi ("Great Deity of All Deities and Spirits"), to say: "Why is the Emperor grieved at the disordered state of the country? If he duly did us reverent worship it would assuredly become pacified of itself." The Emperor inquired, saying: "What God is it that thus instructs me?" The answer was: "I am the God who dwells within the borders of the land of Yamato, and my name is Oho-mono-nushi no Kami." While imperial worship of this god (from Mount Miwa) was "without effect", Yamato-totohi-momoso later married him.
After this Yamato-toto-hi-momo-so-bime no Mikoto became the wife of Oho-mono-nushi no Kami. This God, however, was never seen in the day-time, but at night. Yamato-toto-hi-momo-so-bime no Mikoto said to her husband: "As my Lord is never seen in the day-time, I am unable to view his august countenance distinctly; I beseech him therefore to delay a while, that in the morning I may look upon the majesty of his beauty." The Great God answered and said: "What thou sayest is clearly right. To-morrow morning I will enter thy toilet-case and stay there. I pray thee be not alarmed at my form." Yamato-toto-hi-momo-so-bime no Mikoto wondered secretly in her heart at this. Waiting until daybreak, she looked into her toilet-case. There was there a beautiful little snake, of the length and thickness of the cord of a garment. Thereupon she was frightened, and uttered an exclamation. The Great God was ashamed, and changing suddenly into human form, spake to his wife, and said: "Thou didst not contain thyself, but hast caused me shame; I will in my turn put thee to shame." So treading the Great Void, he ascended to Mount Mimoro. Hereupon Yamato-toto-hi-momo-so-bime no Mikoto looked up and had remorse. She flopped down on a seat and with a chopstick stabbed herself in the pudenda so that she died. She was buried at Oho-chi. Therefore the men of that time called her tomb the Hashi no haka [Chopstick Tomb].
The Samguk Sagi, a Korean history completed in 1145, says that a queen of Wa named Himiko sent an emissary to King Adalla of Silla in 173. Jonathan W. Best argues that this date is anachronistic and impossible when compared with the earlier Chinese evidence; he interprets the entry as a later event that was backdated in the Silla annals.
Modern interpretations must reconcile a detailed Chinese account of a third-century ruler with Japanese chronicles written centuries later that do not name her. The principal disputes concern the form and meaning of her name, attempts to identify her with figures in Japanese tradition, the location of Yamatai, and the site of her burial.
The Chinese characters 卑彌呼 (Japanese simplified form: 卑弥呼) are read Himiko in modern Japanese. The pronunciation of the name or title in third-century Wa is unknown, and modern Japanese readings cannot be projected directly back to the Chinese transcription. John R. Bentley reconstructs a form approximating *pe-mehɔ and treats other proposals as hypotheses rather than recoveries of the original pronunciation.
An older explanation connected the name with Old Japanese pime (“high-born woman” or “princess”) and a suffix -ko. Roy Andrew Miller argued that the resulting form *Pimeko was a lexicographical “ghost word” created from the Chinese transcription, although he considered a relationship between its first part and pime possible. Ryusaku Tsunoda instead glossed Pimiko as an archaic title meaning “princess”.
The Nihon Shoki places quotations about the queen of Wa in its account of Empress Jingū, and Himiko was long identified with Jingū. From the Edo period onward, scholars proposed other identifications and debated whether the Chinese histories or the traditional Japanese chronology should receive greater weight. Arai Hakuseki associated Himiko with Jingū, while Motoori Norinaga rejected that identification and treated Himiko as a ruler in Kyushu outside the imperial line. Later proposals included Yamatohime-no-mikoto and Yamato-totohi-momoso-hime, but none has been established by contemporary evidence.
The location of Yamatai has been disputed since the Edo period. The two main groups of proposals place it in northern Kyushu or in the Kinki region around ancient Yamato, though many more specific locations have been suggested. The route and distances in the Chinese record have not produced a generally accepted identification.
Hashihaka Kofun at Sakurai, Nara, within the Makimuku ruins, is a prominent candidate in Kinki-based interpretations. Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the approximately 290-metre-long (950 ft) mound to the middle or latter part of the third century and describes it as an exceptionally large early keyhole-shaped tomb. Most of the mound is officially designated as the tomb of Yamato-totohi-momoso-hime, and the site's date and scale alone do not identify its occupant as Himiko.
Bronze mirrors are another focus of the archaeological debate. The Chinese record says that Wei gave Himiko one hundred mirrors, and some Kinki-based arguments have linked particular third-century mirrors to that gift. Other archaeologists dispute the provenance and chronological implications of the relevant mirror types.
Depictions of Himiko in Japanese popular media take one of three archetypes: Himiko as a wise, old ruler; Himiko the cute and energetic shaman; or Himiko as a seductive sorceress. She is associated with several ritual objects including the dotaku – two large bronze bells ritually used at the end of the Yayoi period – as well as the sakaki branch and Chinese bronze mirrors. The Wei Zhi described Himiko's shamanism as guidao, or Japanese kido, a type of Daoist folk religion. As such, Himiko is sometimes negatively associated with black magic or demons. Ruling in the transitional period between the Yayoi and Kofun eras, depictions of Himiko often display her wearing clothing originating from a variety of time periods, often embodied masculine elements. A queen during the late Yayoi, Himiko likely wore a one-piece, wide-sleeved kosode under a vest and sash. She is also often depicted wearing magatama beads and a diadem. However, no one can be certain what Himiko wore.
Himiko's legend has been used to market a variety of objects. Towns associated with different proposed locations of Yamatai use Himiko as a mascot and tourist symbol. Yoshinogari and Sakurai, for example, have used stylized images of Himiko to promote their claimed connections with her.
Queen Himiko contests take place in small towns offering cash prizes to women over the age of eighteen on the basis of charm and appearance. One of the earliest of these contests began in Yamatokoriyama in Nara. One such contest, Himikon, takes place in Moriyama City. Asakura in Kyushu also holds a Himiko contest during its annual Yamataikoku Festival of Flowers.
The proper name Himiko has been diversely applied, not only in Japanese society but also in other realms such as astronomy. Himiko (卑弥呼) is a train on the Amagi Railway Amagi Line and a water bus of Tokyo Cruise Ship designed by Leiji Matsumoto.
The name Himiko was given to a Lyman-alpha blob (a concentration of hydrogen gas believed to be a protogalaxy) discovered in 2009. It was reported at the time to have a mass of nearly 40 billion suns and to lie 12.9 billion light years from Earth in the constellation Cetus.
A filly by 2015 American Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, out of Untouched Talent, was named Himiko.
Finally, the "Records of Wei" records that in 247 when a new governor arrived at Daifang Commandery in Korea, Queen Himiko officially complained of hostilities with Himikoko (卑弥弓呼; or Pimikuko), the king of Kuna (ja) (狗奴, literally "dog slave"), one of the other Wa states. The governor dispatched "Chang Chêng, acting Secretary of the Border Guard" with a "proclamation advising reconciliation", and subsequently:
When Himiko passed away, a great mound was raised, more than a hundred paces in diameter. Over a hundred male and female attendants followed her to the grave. Then a king was placed on the throne, but the people would not obey him. Assassination and murder followed; more than one thousand were thus slain. A relative of Himiko named Iyo [壹與], a girl of thirteen, was [then] made queen and order was restored. Chêng issued a proclamation to the effect that Iyo was the ruler.
Commentators take this “Iyo” (壹與, with 壹, “one,” an old variant of 一) as a copyist's error for Toyo (臺與, with 臺, “platform; terrace”), paralleling the Wei Zhi writing Yamatai (邪馬臺) as Yamaichi (邪馬壹).
Two other Chinese dynastic histories mentioned Himiko. Both incorporated the Wei Zhi account but made changes. For example, they place the warfare in Wa during 146–189, the reigns of the Han emperors Huan and Ling. The c. 432 Book of Later Han (Hou Han Shu; 後漢書) says “the King of Great Wa resides in the country of Yamadai,” rather than referring to the queen.
The Wa dwell on mountainous islands southeast of Han [Korea] in the middle of the ocean, forming more than one hundred communities. From the time of the overthrow of Chaoxian [northern Korea] by Emperor Wu (BC 140–87), nearly thirty of these communities have held intercourse with the Han [dynasty] court by envoys or scribes. Each community has its king, whose office is hereditary. The King of Great Wa [Yamato] resides in the country of Yamadai.
During the reigns of Huan-di (147–168) and Ling-di (168–189), the country of Wa was in a state of great confusion, war and conflict raging on all sides. For a number of years, there was no ruler. Then a woman named Himiko appeared. Remaining unmarried, she occupied herself with magic and sorcery and bewitched the populace. Thereupon they placed her on the throne. She kept one thousand female attendants, but few people saw her. There was only one man who was in charge of her wardrobe and meals and acted as the medium of communication. She resided in a palace surrounded by towers and stockades with the protection of armed guards. The laws and customs were strict and stern.
The 636 Book of Sui (Sui Shu) changes the number of Himiko's male attendants:
During the reigns of the Emperors Huan and Ling, that country was in great disorder, and there was no ruler for a period of years. [Then] a woman named Himiko attracted the populace by means of the practice of magic. The country became unified and made her queen. A younger brother assisted Himiko in the administration of the country. Queen [Himiko] kept one thousands maids in attendance. Her person was seldom seen. She had only two men [attendants]. They served her food and drink and acted as intermediaries. The Queen lived in a palace, which was surrounded by walls and stockades protected by armed guards; their discipline was extremely strict.
The Hashihaka Kofun ("chopstick tomb") in Sakurai, Nara is associated with this legend.
Yamatohime-no-mikoto, the daughter of Emperor Suinin, supposedly founded the Ise Shrine to the sun-goddess Amaterasu. The Kojiki records her as the fourth of Suinin's five children, "Her Augustness Yamato-hime, (was the high-priestess of the temple of the Great Deity of Ise)". The Nihon Shoki likewise records "Yamato-hime no Mikoto" and provides more details. The Emperor assigned Yamato-hime to find a permanent location for Amaterasu's shrine, and after wandering for years, the sun-goddess instructed her to build it at Ise "where she first descended from Heaven".
Empress Consort Jingū (or Jingō (神功)) supposedly served as regent after the death of her husband Emperor Chūai (c. 200) until the accession of her son Emperor Ōjin (legendary 15th emperor, r. 270–310). The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki have similar accounts. Emperor Chūai wanted to invade Kumaso, and while he was consulting with his ministers, Jingū conveyed a shamanistic message that he should invade Silla instead. Compare these:
Her Augustness Princess Okinaga-tarashi, was at that time, divinely possessed […] charged him with this instruction and counsel: "There is a land to the Westward, and in that land is abundance of various treasures dazzling to the eye, from gold and silver downwards. I will now bestow this land upon thee."
At this time a certain God inspired the Empress and instructed her, saying: "Why should the Emperor be troubled because the Kumaso do not yield submission? It is a land wanting in backbone. Is it worth while raising an army to attack it? There is a better land than this, a land of treasure, which may be compared to the aspect of a beautiful woman – the land of Mukatsu [meaning 'opposite'; 'across'], dazzling to the eyes. In that land there are gold and silver and bright colours in plenty. It is called the Land of Silla of the coverlet of paper-mulberry. If thou worshippest me aright, the land will assuredly yield submission freely, and the edge of thy sword shall not be all stained with blood."
The Emperor thought the gods were lying, said he had only seen ocean to the West, and then died, either immediately (Kojiki) or after invading Kumaso (Nihon Shoki). Jingū allegedly discovered she was pregnant, personally planned and led a successful conquest of Silla, gave birth to the future emperor, and returned to rule Yamato. The Nihon Shoki adds that since Jingū wanted to learn which gods had cursed Chūai, she constructed a shamanic "palace of worship", "discharged in person the office of priest", and heard the gods reveal themselves as coming from Ise (Amaterasu) and Mukatsu (an unnamed Korean divinity). Although the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki myth-histories called Jingū first of the Japanese empresses, Meiji period historians removed her from the List of Emperors of Japan, leaving Empress Suiko (r. 593–628) as the first historically verifiable female Japanese ruler.