# Yamatai Kyushu Theory

The Yamatai Kyushu Theory is the theory that the Yamatai kingdom was located in Kyushu rather than in Honshu as the Yamatai Honshu Theory proposes.
The theory proposes that the original capital of Japan was located in Kyushu, and when the Kofun period began, the Yamato Kingship moved the capital east to the Kinai region, first in the Yamato Province (Nara prefecture), then Kyoto in the Yamashiro Province (Kyoto Prefecture).

## Overview

In the Edo period, Arai Hakuseki adovocated the "Kinai Yamataikoku theory" which says Yamatai-koku was located in 大和 (Yamato Province, ie. Nara prefecture) in the Kinai, Honshu. Later, Arai adovocated the different theory, "Kyūshū Yamataikoku theory" which says Yamatai-koku was located in "Yamato county (山門-郡, Yamato-gun)" in Chikugo Province (Fukuoka prefecture, Northern Kyushu) in his "Foreign Affairs Record".
Since then, the mainstream of academic circles has been divided into the two major theories:
* the "Honshu theory" (by Naitō Torajirō et al.) which insists Yamatai-koku was located in the Honshu.
* the "Kyushu theory" (by Shiratori Kurakichi et al.) which insists Yamatai-koku was located in the Kyushu.
The Kyūshū theory has been, additionally, divided into the two schools. One school insists the "Kyushu Yamatai-koku" moved to the East and became the Yamato dynasty. The other school insists "Kyushu Yamatai-koku" did not move, and was conquered by the influences of the Yamato (located in Kinai).

## Basic rationale

The basic arguments for the Kyushu theory of the Yamatai Kingdom include the following.

### Basis

       The Wajinden in the Book of Wei describes the route and distance from the Wei to Yamatai-koku. The route started from the Taihō-gun (Daifang). It went along the Southern coast of the Korean peninsula, through the Kan-koku (Mohan), then reached to the Kuya-kan-koku (Kuya-han). The route crossed the sea, and reached to the land of Kyushu (Wa), where there were 30 countries and the Queen's country (Yamataikoku).
* Considering the distance from Taihō-gun (Daifang) to the Queen's country (Yamatai-koku) as an itinerary rather than a straight line, out of the 12,000 li, it took 10,500 li to get to Ito-koku, which is located in Fukuoka Prefecture, and the remaining 1,500 li (three times the distance of 500 li from Matsuro-koku to Ito-koku, which is located in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture), is not enough to locate the Yamatai Kingdom beyond Kyushu.
* Identifying Kuna-koku (Kununokuni), which was in conflict with the Yamatai-koku, to the power of Kumamoto (Kuma), the official of Kuna-koku, "Kukochi-hiko" is a transliteration of "Kikuchi-hiko.
* There is a theory that the Hashihaka grave mound, which is said to be the oldest stylized forward and backward circular mound in Nara Prefecture Sakurai City, was built in the latter half of the 3rd century and is considered to be Himiko's burial mound. However, after the death of Himiko, a male king ascended to the throne, but it is recorded that the country was in turmoil again, and it is almost impossible to build a burial mound with the largest mound at that time when the country was in turmoil. In addition, there are no traces of martyrdom in the area surrounding the tomb. Also, the tombs of neighboring places such as the Korean Peninsula at that time were all around 30 meters on each side, and it is unreasonable to assume that Japan was the only country to build a huge tomb (Chopsticks Tomb). In addition, the Museum, Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, which conducted the Archaeological excavation of the Hokenoyama burial mound, which is said to predate the Chopsticks Tomb in terms of age. Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, who conducted Excavation of the Hokenoyama burial mound in 2008, concluded that the burial mound was built in the middle of the 3rd century based on the excavated artifacts. Because the range of Radiocarbon dating results of burial chamber wood is reported to include the first half of the 4th century, some have questioned the dating of the middle of the 3rd century.

## Advocates

Advocates of the Kyushu theory of the Yamataikoku include Arai Hakuseki, Shiratori Kurakichi, Dairoku Harada, Taku Tanaka, Takehiko Furuta, Kenzaburo Torigoe, Toshiaki Wakai, Biten Yasumoto, Toshio Hoga and others. In addition, it is said that research based on domestic materials such as "Kiki" tends not to be taken into consideration, despite the indications of Taro Sakamoto's "The Birth of the Nation" and Hidesaburo Hara, and Toshiaki Wakai said about this tendency before the war. He criticizes the repressed theory of Sokichi Tsuda as being caused by being touted even after the war.