5

ArticlesOverview of Research on Relics of Yu the GreatŌWAKI Yoshio*

Note: In this paper, the terms “Wenming” 文命(Jpn: Bunmei), “Yu” (禹),“Yuwang” (禹王), “Dayu” (大禹), “Xiayu” (夏禹), and “Shenyu” (神禹)are allused to refer to Yu the Great. [Translator’s note: original Chinese pronunciations have been used in references to Yu the Great.]

1. Yu and Wenming
According to the ancient Chinese text, the Shiji 史記 (Records of the Grand
Historian), completed by Sima Qian (司馬遷)around 91 BCE, Yu’s surname
was Si (姒) and his first name was Wenming (文命). His posthumous title was
Yu (禹). Here I will introduce the most important texts related to this issue.
“Xia Yu ming yue Wenming, Yu zhi fu yue Gun” 夏禹名曰文命、禹之父曰鯀 (Yu of the Xia dynasty was called Wenming. Yu’s father was called
Gun.”) in “Annals of Xia, No.2,” in Records of the Grand Historian.
“Taizi gong yue: Yu wei Si xing, qihou fenfeng...” 太子公曰：禹為姒姓、其後分封 (Taizi Gong says: Yu’s family name was Si; later, he was conferreda title to a feudal state…) Ibid.
Note: Taizi Gong refers to Sima Qian.
“Wenming shi wei Yu” 文命是為禹 (Wenming is Yu) in “Genealogical
Table of the Three Ages” (三代世表), Vol.13, Records of the Grand Historian.
“Huangdi chan Changyi; Changyi chan Gaoyang, shiwei Di Zhuanxu;
Zhuanxu chan Gun, Gun chan Wenming, shiwei Yu” 黄帝産昌意、昌意産高陽、是為帝顓頊、顓頊産鯀、鯀産文命、是為禹 (The Yellow Emperor begat
Changyi; Changyi begat Gaoyang, who was the emperor, Zhuanxu; Zhuanxu
begat Gun; Gun begat Wenming, who was Yu…) in Vol.6, Dadai Liji 大戴禮(Book of Rites by Dai Senior).
“Kongzi yue: Gaoyang zhi sun, Gun zhi zi ye, yue Wenming…” 孔子
曰 高陽之孫、鯀之子也、曰文命 (Confucius said: Gaoyang’s grandson wasGun, who had a son called Wenming) in Vol.7, Dadai Liji.
Note: Daide (戴徳), the author of the Dadai Liji, lived in the Former Han* Ōwaki Yoshio 大脇良夫 is Chairman of the Research Society on Chisuigami and Yu
the Great.

6

Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia Vol. 7 2016

dynasty (birth and death dates unknown).
There are many such examples in Japan, too. For example, to use a famous
person from my own area, Ninomiya Sontoku (二宮尊徳), we can say: “Thesurname is Ninomiya (二宮), and the given name is Kinjirō (金次郎). His posthumous name is Sontoku (尊徳).” Yu was the posthumous name for Wenmingin the same way that Sontoku was the posthumous name for Kinjirō.

2. Inception and Development of Research on Relics of Yu the Great(Wenming)
January, 2006
Research began when the newly-established local private research group,
Ashigara Historical Rediscovery Club足柄の歴史発見クラブ, (first president:
this author), sponsored as one of the group’s events, an outing in October for
local elementary and junior high school students to enable them to become
easily acquainted with local history by observing the words on the monument
for Wenming that was built on the levee of the Sakawagawa River. The
monument reads: “Wenming is Yu the Great, the flood control god who
controlled the Yellow River and was the founder of the Xia dynasty” (中国の夏王朝の祖であり黄河治水神の大禹であること).
We were astounded to learn from the inscription (found in its entirety on
page 14) on the “Wenming east levee monument” that was built in 1726 on
the local Sakawagawa River and Ōkuchi embankment that there was “also atemple for worshipping Yu the Great on the Kamogawa River in Kyoto.”
November 2006
We visited the Kyoto Historical Museum and the Kyoto civil engineering
office, and proved the existence of a monument to Yu the Great by doing
joint research until March 2007. The following was discovered:
1) The monument to Yu the Great did indeed exist along the Kamogawa
River between Shijō and Gojō (from about 1228 to the latter 1500s, justbefore the Edo period), but is no longer extant.
2) We were able to verify, however, the existence of relics of Yu the Great
along the Yodogawa River (Shimamoto-chō, Osaka Prefecture); Tonegawa
River (Katashinamura and Numata City, Gunma Prefecture); Usuki City, ŌitaPrefecture; and Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture.
If we had not done investigative work on number 2 above, there would
have been no links for further inquiries into Yu the Great relics. Our joint
research with the Kyoto civil engineering office was truly significant.

Overview of Research on Relics of Yu the Great

7

2007 2009
While doing fieldwork on extant Yu the Great relics and the Yuwang
Temple that previously existed along the Kamogawa River in Kyoto, we also
held roundtable discussions with local researchers in locales where relics arelocated, thereby creating many opportunities for exchange. By the end of
2009 we were able to ascertain the existence of Yu the Great relics in a totalof 18 places.
2010
On November 27 and 28 of 2010 we held the “First National Yu the Great(Wenming) Summit” in Kaiseimachi, Kanagawa Prefecture. It was such a big
event locally and outside the area that NHK News broadcast information onit, thereby exciting some interest. Ever since we began holding the summit,
interest in the relics of Yu the Great has increased. The number of relics
discovered began increasing dramatically.
2012
The second summit was held in Katashinamura, Gunma Prefecture. The
number of places with relics reached 50.
2013
The third summit was held in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. The
number of places where relics were discovered reached 63.
2014
The fourth summit was to be held in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
Large landslides that occurred shortly before the summit was to open,
however, resulted in deaths in the area. The summit itself was cancelled, but
it is still listed in the records of the journal as having taken place. The
number of places with Yu the Great relics stood at 83 as of this point.
2015
The fifth summit was held in Usuki City, Ōita Prefecture. The number ofplaces with relics reached 92.
2017
The sixth summit is scheduled to be held at the Fuji River basin in
Yamanashi Prefecture.

8

Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia Vol. 7 2016

3. Summary and Characteristics of Japan’s Yu the Great (Wenming)
Relics日本禹王遺跡の時代別・種別一覧
2015年 4 月 1 日現在
江戸期以前
1228

江戸時代
名古屋・徳川美術館：禹金 1874
1900
像
1632 東京・国立博物館：大禹像
1903
1637頃 香川高松：大禹謨
1670 佐賀・鍋島微古館：夏禹王像1708 埼玉久喜：文命聖廟
1719 大阪島本：夏大禹聖王碑
1726 神奈川南足柄：文命宮と文命東堤碑
神奈川山北：文命宮と文命西堤碑
1727 神奈川南足柄：文命御宝
前（手洗鉢）
神奈川南足柄：文命大明
神御宝前
神奈川山北：文命御宝前（手洗鉢）
1740 大分臼杵：禹稷合祀の壇
大分臼杵：禹稷合祀の碑、同碑記
1753 大阪柏原：小禹廟1807 神奈川南足柄：奉再建文命社御宝前塔（東堤）1838 岐阜海津：禹王木像
岐阜海津：禹像画掛軸
1849 埼玉北葛飾杉戸：大禹像碑
1855 京都御所：襖絵・大禹戒酒防微図1862 宮城加美：大禹之碑
江戸期 栃木真岡：禹廟
江戸期 岐阜海津：禹王さん（灯篭）
江戸期 岐阜海津：大禹王尊掛軸
江戸期 東京：谷文一画 夏禹王図

京都鴨川：禹王廟 1631

標題︵表札︶に禹・文命が掲げられているもの

Ⅰ群

1件

治水碑
︵並びに橋碑・句碑など︶に禹が刻字されている
もの

Ⅱ群

24件
1674
1681
1690
1721

大阪十三：島道悦の墓
山口周南：潮音洞
沖縄南風原：宇平橋碑
鎌倉建長寺：河村君墓碑
銘1726 神奈川南足柄：堤碑
1772頃 福岡：一田久作墓誌1797 栃木芳賀：唐桶留導水遺蹟碑
山梨富士川：富士水碑
山梨市西八代郡：大塚邑
水路新造碑
1819 北名古屋市：水埜士惇君
治水碑
佐賀久保田：明春寺鐘銘
1823 兵庫丹波：金坂修道供養
塔銘1826 茨城行方：高須堤防築堤
回向碑
1830 福井足羽上：足羽宮之碑
1838 大分臼杵：不欠塚
1852 愛媛新居郡大町：大町村
用水釜之の石碑
1856 新潟国府川：岸本君治水碑1859 鹿児島南種子：水天之碑
1865 山形酒田：大町新溝碑
1866 埼玉：新渠之碑

20件
1455

明治時代

愛媛西予：
禹門山龍澤寺

Ⅲ群

群馬片品：大禹皇帝碑
愛知愛西・木曽川文庫：
禹功徳利
岐阜養老：禹功門

大正時代
1919

1879
1884
1886

1890
1895
1896
1897
1900

1908
1909
1912

2001
神奈川南足柄：文命橋
2004
（小市）
1933以前 神奈川南足柄：文命隧道1936 神奈川南足柄：文命用水
碑
1971 神奈川南足柄：文命堤床止工
神奈川南足柄：新文命橋（文命隧道出口）1972 広島佐東：大禹謨
1983 神奈川南足柄：文命橋（内山）1988 北海道千歳市：禹甸荘碑
1931

大脇

良夫

平成時代

計

秋田由利本荘：大禹謨
三重伊賀上野：大禹謨

39

3件
1870

群馬沼田：禹王碑

昭和時代

茨城取手藤代：神浦堤成
䟁碑
岐阜大垣：和田光重之碑
熊本天草：宗像堅固墓碑
大阪都島区桜宮神社：澱
河洪水紀念碑銘
大阪高槻唐崎：修堤碑
大阪高槻唐崎：明治戊辰
唐崎修堤碑
千葉関宿：船橋随庵水土
功績之碑
鳥取伯耆町：篠田・大岩
二君功労記功碑
宮城石巻：川村孫兵衛紀功碑
東京谷中：人力車発明記
念碑
奈良橿原：益田池記念碑
岡山北区：川口修堤之碑
大阪福島区毛馬：淀川改修紀功碑
福井足羽：九頭龍川修治
碑

14件

1件
1913
1923

1924
1926

新潟真野：加治川治水碑
神奈川横須賀：西田明則
君之碑
岐阜大垣：金森吉次郎翁
寿像記
大阪四條畷：大橋房太郎
紀功碑
大阪四條畷：治水翁碑
京都西京区・千光寺：黄檗高泉詩碑
茨城利根川：小久保喜七
君 頌徳之碑
茨城：渡良瀬川治水紀功
碑

8件
1928
1936
1937
1954

1989
新潟燕：句仏上人句碑
新潟南魚沼：砂防記念碑
東京文京区・東京大学： 1990
古市公威像
岐阜養老：大槫川水門改 2010
築記念碑

2件
鹿児島種子島：区画整理竣工之碑
東京墨田区：幸田露伴文学碑
兵庫姫路・魚吹八幡宮：
屋台の禹木彫像

49

8件

1752〜 新潟板山：禹泉江・禹泉
1735 用水1752 長野高森：禹除堤・禹除石

4件
1947

3件

神奈川開成：文命中学校

4

地名
1件
2

2件
46

17

9

1件
13

5

1) Characteristics by era: Before Edo period: 52%; Meiji period: 18%; Taishō period:
10%; Shōwa and Heisei periods combined: 20%.
Seventy percent (65 locales) were built by the Meiji era, but building continued in the
Taishō (9 places), Shōwa (13 places), and Heisei (5 places) periods.

92

Overview of Research on Relics of Yu the Great9

Types of monuments:
Group I: In the titles on the monuments, 42% are inscribed with the words, “Yu,” “YuWang,” “Xia Yu,” “Da Yu,” or “Wenming” (39 places). Of these, 15% are “Wenming”(14 places) and are concentrated in the Sakawagawa River basin.
Group II: Yu the Great is cited in 53% of the monuments (49 places) for flood control,
bridge monuments, haiku-inscribed stone tablets, and other monuments (Example:
completion of grand levees and canals that are comparable to Yu the Great’s prowess incontrolling flooding. Many of the inscriptions are of Yu the God.)Group III: The remaining 5% (4 places) are examples that occur in regional, school, or
temple names.
3. Characteristics by region: Most are in major river basins, such as the Tonegawa,
Sakawagawa, the three rivers that comprise the Kisogawa and the Yodogawa. They arealso distributed evenly along the archipelago from Hokkaido to Okinawa, and from the
Pacific Ocean to the Japan Sea side.
4. Significance of the 30 monuments built during the period of Sino-Japanese disputes(78 years, from 1894 to 1972).
1) Of the 92 places, 30 were built after the First Sino-Japanese War (1894 1895) andbefore the time of normalization of relations with the People’s Republic of China in
1972.
Even during tensions between the two countries, which had an adversarial relationship, monuments to Yu Wang (Wenming) continued to be built and the flood control god
worshipped in various locations throughout the Japan. It is thought that China’s god offlood control came to be accepted as Japan’s god of flood control, and cherished as anentity that transcends nationality and ethnicity (as a god of flood control common
throughout Asia or the world). Yu (Wenming) was seen as an idealist who works diligently and endures hardships, and was thus easy for Japanese to identify with. He is so
described in particular in the Records of the Grand Historian (史記). He is also mentioned
in Zhuangzi (莊子), and the Shanhai jing (山海經; Classic of Mountains and Seas), where
it says, “Yu is crippled.”
2) The twenty main sites of the thirty built during the 78 years between 1894 and 1972
are listed chronologically as follows:Year Relic Name and Name of Location (Water System
Yu Carved on Monument and Prefecture)
1895 船橋隋庵水土功績之碑「大禹聖人」

Tonegawa, Noda City,
Chiba Prefecture

1896 篠田・大岩二君功労記功碑 Hinogawa, Hōkichō,
Tottori Prefecture「神功禹蹟」
1897 川村孫兵衛紀功碑「神禹以後唯有公」

Kitagamigawa, Ishinomaki
City, Miyagi Prefecture

Main Events between
Japan and China
1894-1895
First Sino-Japanese War

10Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia Vol. 7 2016

1900 禹功徳利「其業何為譲禹功」

1900 益田池記念碑「前堯後禹」

Kisogawa, Aisai City,
Aichi Prefecture
Kashihara City, Nara
Prefecture1908 禹功門

Ibigawa, Yōrōgun, Gifu
Prefecture1908 川口修提之碑

Asahigawa, Okayama City, 1911 Xinhai Revolution
Okayama Prefecture
1915 Twenty-One
Yodogawa,
Demands by Japan on
Miyakojima-ku, Osaka
China
Kuzuryūgawa, Fukui City,
Fukui Prefecture「嗚呼微禹吾其魚乎」

1909 淀川改修紀功碑「以称神禹之功」

1912 九頭龍川修治碑「称功軼神禹矣」

1919 禹王之碑「禹王之碑」

1923 治水翁碑「是頡頏神禹功」

1923 大橋房太郎君紀功碑「大禹ノ水ヲ治ムルヤ」

1923 西田明則君之碑「大禹治水」

1924 黄檗高泉詩碑「何人治水功如禹」

Tonegawa, Numata City,
Gunma Prefecture
Yodogawa, Shijōnawate
City, Osaka
Yodogawa, Shijōnawate
City, Osaka
Tokyo Bay, Yokosuka City,
Kanagawa Prefecture
Katsuragawa, Nishikyōku,
Kyoto

1928 句仏上人句碑

Shinanogawa,Tsubame

1936 文命用水碑

Sakawagawa, Nishibe,
Kanagawa Prefecture

1931 Mukden Incident
1937 Start of SinoJapanese War
1939 World War II

1936 砂防記念碑

Uonogawa,
Minami Uonumagun,
Niigata Prefecture

1945 End of the War「禹に勝る業や心の花盛」 City, Niigata Prefecture「開荒成田禹績豹功垂」

1937 古市公威像「不譲大禹疏鑿之功」

1954 大槫川水門改築記念碑「禹功門」

Front Gate, Tokyo
University, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo
Ibigawa, Yōrōgun, Gifu
PrefectureŌtagawa, Hirsohima City, 1965 Treaty of Basic
Hiroshima Prefecture
Relations between Japan
1972 Normalization of relations between Japan and China and the Republic of
Korea
1977 Cultural Revolution declared over1972 大禹謨「大禹謨」

1978 Signing of the Japan-China Treaty of Peace andFriendship1992 Normalization of relations between China and Korea

Overview of Research on Relics of Yu the Great

11

4. Background of the Building and Maintenance of Relics for Yu theGreat
As mentioned above, relics of Yu the Great were found in 92 places asof April, 2015, but since we are investigating relics in 15 more places, wewill likely be able to verify over 100 locales with relics. If we analyze thesequence of building and survival of each monument, it is my opinion that
we can see these monuments today because of the following three conditions:First, (A), in order to convey the information to future generations, thewords inscribed on monuments for completion of large renovation projects
such as levees and water ducts in regions with frequent flood damage say“prayers for disaster prevention and productivity.” This is a reason to build
monuments to Yu the Great, so I will call it a necessary condition.
Next, (B) Confucian scholars and engineers familiar with Yu the Great(Wenming) should be involved with the monuments and there must be sufficient description of Yu or Wenming, such as “this construction is at a level ofcompletion that rivals the trials and tribulations of the flood control achievements of Yu the Great (Dayu).” This I call a sufficient condition. Even if bothconditions are present and monuments to Yu the Great are built, if there is no
lasting knowledge of Yu in the area in question, the legacy will not continue
to the present.
(C) That is, when there is support by a continuing regional culture for
lasting recognition of the value of the monuments built to Yu the Great, they
will endure, a condition I call a preservation condition.
I have been informed of the historical fact that monuments to Yu the Great
were built in addition to the 92 locales mentioned above, but several havegone to ruin and thus do not meet condition (C). Continuing regional support
is an important condition for maintaining existence. The Yu the Great
Summits that have been convened in rotation in all areas of the country havebeen praised for contributing to condition (C), the cultivation of support. I
have attempted verification in the chart below of the three aforementioned
conditions (A, B, C) for the Yu the Great Summits convened in five locales
between 2010 and 2015.
(B) 禹を熟知する治水家、 (C) 禹遺跡の価値を認め継儒学者、行政TOPの存在承し続ける地域文化の存在
多発地に防災祈願、豊穣祈 (B) Flood control special- (C) Existence of regional
ists, Confucianists andculture that continues
Monument name
願し建立
recognizing the value of(Place) (Year andPrayers for productivity government leadersfamiliar with Yu themonuments to Yu the
Location of Summit) and prevention ofGreat
disasters where they are Great
common

遺跡名(所在地)(禹王サミット
開催年・開催地)(A) 自然災害(Natural Disaster)12

Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia Vol. 7 2016

①文命碑・文命宮(2010年神奈川県)
WenmingMonument and
Shrine (2010;
Kanagawa Pref.)②大禹皇帝碑Emperor Dayu
Monument(2012年群馬県)(2012; Gunma
Pref.)③大禹謨(2013年香川県)
Dayumo(2013; Kagawa
Pref)

④大禹謨
(2014年広島県)
Dayumo(2014; Hiroshima
Pref)

◎ 酒匂川
(洪水多発地)

Sakawagawa River(Area of much flooding)◎ 片品川(洪水多発地)

Katashinagawa(Area of much flooding)◎ 香東川(洪水多発地)Kōtōgawa(Area of much flooding)

太田川(洪水、土砂災害)◎ 田中丘隅、荻生徂徠

◎ 289年間、
文命祭り継続◎ 星野誉一郎他多数の漢学者◎ 131年間存続◎ 西嶋八兵衛、
平田三郎◎ 378年前建立⇒洪水で行方不明⇒1913年発見⇒
1945年平田三郎再発見

Tanaka Kyūgū, Ogyū
Sorai

Has continually held theBunmei (Wenming)
Festival for 289 years

Extant for 131 years

Hoshino Yōichirō andmany other Sinologists

Nishijima Hachibe’e
Hirata Saburō

Built 378 years ago after
flooding Went missing
after a flood, discovered in1913 and rediscovered in1945 by Hirata Saburō◎ 池田早人Ikeda Hayato◎ 1972年建立

Built in 1972Ōtagawa(flooding, landslides)⑤禹禝合祀之碑◎ 臼杵川◎ 荘田子謙、
疋田不欠(2015年大分県)(洪水、蝗害)Shōda Shiken, Hikita
Ushoku Gōshi no hi Usukigawa
Fukan(2015; Ōita Pref)(flooding, locust plagues)◎ 275年間、禹王塔祭り継続Has continuously held Yu
the Great Pagoda
Festival for 275 years

To elaborate on the Wenming monuments and Wenming shrines in the
Sakawagawa River basin in Number 1 in the chart above:(A) Sakawagawa often overflows its banks; in approximately the last 400
years it has caused severe flood damage once every thirteen years. In particular, after the Hōei eruption of Mt. Fuji in 1707, flood damage was immense
over the next one-hundred years. After 1708, when about five or six meters of
volcanic ash continued to pile up on the river bottom, the embankment waseroded until the local villages disappeared under floods..
(B) By the order of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, who could
not ignore the terrible plight of the villagers, what could be called our country’s first nationally managed engineering project began on the Sakawagawa
River. Through the efforts of Provincial Governor Ōoka Echizen 大岡越前
(politician), Tanaka Kyūgū 田中丘隅 (waterworks engineer), and Ogyū Sorai
荻生徂徠 (Confucian scholar), a Wenming embankment was completed
through a large-scale flood control project, and prayers for disaster prevention
and productivity (Wenming Festival) was held on a massive scale. Tanaka

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Kyūgū and the others entrusted pacification of the Sakawagawa River to thegod of flood control of the Yellow River in China, Wenming (Yu the Great).
This was in 1726.
(C) In the Sakawagawa River basin, the Wenming Festival has been held
without fail for 289 years, from 1726 to 2015. There is a record that indicatesthe festival was held solemnly even during the Meiji Restoration (1868).
There is no doubt that the festival has continued because of a deep-rooted
interest on the part of local residents and the understanding and support oflocal government ( Minami Ashigara City, Kanagawa Prefecture,
Yamakita-chō, Kaiseimachi, etc.). It is of profound significance that theseventh annual conference of the Society for Cultural Interaction Studies in
East Asia (SCIEA) was held there in May, 2015.

5. Basis for Bunmei-sha Shrine (Now Called the Fukuzawa Jinja
Shrine) Built on the Sakawagawa River Levee
As I mentioned in the last section, the Sakawagawa River Wenming
Monument and Bunmei-sha were built in 1726 on the grounds of the main
Shinto shrine, Bunmei-kyū. In 1909 Bunmei-sha was united with ten
surrounding shrine buildings and renamed Fukuzawa Jinja, where “King Yu
of Xia” is still the deity worshipped. I will here outline how this came about.

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B

A

C

D

Overview of Research on Relics of Yu the Great

15*Photos A and B were both issued in 1900 as “Postcards of Famous Places in Japan.”
They are in this author’s possession. A is the oldest photo of the Wenming east embankment monument. B is the oldest photo of Bunmei-sha. The image in photo A was
located on a cliff (Sengan-iwa Cape) at the back of the main hall of Bunmei-sha. It has
now moved to the right side of the torii gate.
*Photo B is the oldest photo of Bunmei-sha which was built in April 1726 by Tanaka
Kyūgū
Enshrined deity: King Yu (Yu the Great) of Xia
History: Built with 100 ryō (gold coins) of government money by the Bakufu as a centerof disaster prevention for the Sakawagawa River. Every May for the last 289 years afarm implement market festival has been held on the embankment.
*Photo C is a page from the shrine ledger 神社明細帳 (Jinja meisaichō) published by the
Ashigara Kamigun government office of Kanagawa Prefecture in 1879. It states that theenshrined deity is King Yu of Xia.
*Photo D is the entire text of “Wenming East Embankment Monument” (unpunctuatedChinese text). Tanaka Kyūgū gave his document to shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune via
Provincial Governor Ōoka Echizen. Yoshimune ordered the Confucian scholar Ogyū
Sorai to polish the writing, resulting in highly refined Chinese. In 1222, a miniature
Shinto shrine for the deity Yu was placed on the Kamogawa levee in Kyoto for safety
and protection. At the Sakawagawa River a festival is also held. People are asked tocarry stones to the embankment and pack them down with their feet. (lines 9-11).

6. Yu the Great (Bunmei) in Classical Japanese Literature
There are now finally 100 places where relics of Yu the Great have been
located. Here we will look at how Yu (Bunmei) has changed in the Japaneseculture that supports the creation of these relics by examining Yu in classicalJapanese literary history and the history of flood control.
In ancient Japan around the year 100 BC, over one-hundred small kingdoms competed with one another, and there was no guiding political agency
to unify them. In about the second or third century AD, these were unified as
the Yamato alliance, which was attempting to organize itself into the form ofa country. In around 670 the Kingdom of Wa (Yamato) was renamed Nippon(Japan). During this period, it was necessary to imbue the land with authority
and absorb advanced culture and technology for formation of the country. It
is said that Japan coveted interaction with continental culture for thispurpose; the following two main routes are considered to have enabled theflow of culture into Japan:
A. Route directly from China
Early contact with ancient China (fifth to third centuries BC: importation of rice cultivation, ironware, and other advanced technologies
in the Yayoi and Yamato periods).

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Import of culture, technology, and Han Chinese people by Japaneseemissaries to Sui and Tang China (599 835)
B. Korean peninsula route
Han Chinese from the Lelang (楽浪) and Daifang (帯方)Commanderies
in Korea (about 300 BC)
Peninsular peoples from Baekje and other areas brought culture andtechnology (fourth to sixth centuries)(1) It is likely that as soon as Chinese culture began flowing into Japanaround the beginning of the common era, the Four Books and FiveClassics (四書五經; Sishu wujing) and Records of the Grand Historian (史記) were the first to be imported.
It is thought that through these works or through the oral transmission of
Han Chinese, stories about Yu the Great (Wenming), such as Yu as controlling the Yellow River and the benevolence and the nobility of his moral
conduct, were repeatedly introduced to Japan and awareness of him spread.
285 BC The scholar Wani (王仁) from Baekje arrived at the capital andtransmitted to Japan The Analects 論語 (Lunyu) and The
Thousand Character Classic 千字文 (Qianziwen)
513 AD Arrival in the Japanese court from Baekje of the system ofgovernment based on the Five Classics 五経博士 (Wujing
boshi)
554 AD Arrival in the Japanese court from Baekje of the system ofgovernment based on the Five Classics (Wujing boshi)
Doubtless there are many other stories of Yu the Great (Wenming) that
arrived in Japan directly from China or through the Korean peninsula otherthan the historically verified ones above. According to a catalogue of Chinese
texts that were extant in the early Heian period in Japan, Nihon-koku
genzaisho mokuroku 日本国見在書目録 (Catalogue of Extant Japanese Works;
Imperial Household Archives), it is possible to have a certain level ofinferred verification of such stories.
(2) Evidence of the fact of transmission to Japan of the Four Books,
Five Classics, and Records of the Grand Historian as seen in the Nihonkoku genzaisho mokuroku

Overview of Research on Relics of Yu the Great

171) The Nihon-koku genzaisho mokuroku is the oldest catalogue of Chinese
texts in Japan, having been compiled between 875 and 891. It is an important
document for learning about every Chinese book that had come to Japan by
the beginning of the Heian period. The word genzai means “extant.” Perusing
the book, we can verify that there were 1579 Chinese texts extant at the time
and that texts containing descriptions of Yu the Great (Wenming) did indeed
arrive in Japan. There are 1579 listed volume numbers and it is surmised thatthe six books with descriptions of Yu (Wenming) are preserved nearly in their
entirety.
Nos. 34 37 Shangshu 尚書 or Shujing 書経 (Classic of History)
77 81 Liji 礼記 (Book of Rites)
132 166 Chunqiu zuoshizhuan 春秋左氏伝 (Commentary of Zuo on
the Spring and Autumn Annals)
187 196 Lunyu (The Analects)
397 401 Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian)633 634 Mengzi 孟子 (Mencius)
As can be seen above, there is corroboration that many Chinese texts
containing stories of Yu (Wenming) had arrived in Japan by at least the year
870.
2) It is noted on the Wenming east embankment monument at the
Sakawagawa River that “in 1228 flood control of the Kamogawa River was
carried out at the royal command of the judge of Seta, Tamekane (為兼); asmall shrine to Yu the Great was built and prayers were said for a safe
Kamogawa River.” Thus, it could be said that there was sufficient background in Kyoto in the 1200s for making reference to the flood control god,
Yu the Great. There are Chinese texts besides the Four Books, Five Classics,
and the Records of the Grand Historian in the Nihon-koku genzaisho mokuroku that contain descriptions of Yu (Wenming), such as the Huainanzi (准南子), Shanhaijing 山海経 (Classic of Mountains and Seas), Zhenguan zhengyao
貞観政要 (Essentials of Government in the Zhenguan Reign, Eighth Period),
Qianziwen 千字文 (Thousand Character Classic), Zhuangzi, Wen Xuan 文選(Selection of Refined Literature), and Liezi. (列子).
(3) How the subject of Wenming (Yu the Great )was treated in Japan
1) General remarks
Chronology of writings on the benevolence and nobility of Wenming’s(Yu’s) moral conduct:

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古事記 Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) ⇒ 日本書記 Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles

of Japan) ⇒ 空海 Kūkai (三教指帰 Sangō shiki、性霊集 Shōryōshū) ⇒ 吉田兼好 YoshidaKenkō (徒然草 Tsurezuregusa (Essays in Idleness) ⇒ 太閤記 Taikōki ⇒ 白石 Arai
Hakuseki (折たく柴の記 Oritaku shibu no ki) ⇒荻生徂徠 Ogyū Sorai (政談 Seidan (Discourse on Government)、䣻園雑話 Kenenzatsuwa) ⇒ 柳沢淇園 Yanagisawa Kien (ひとり寝 Hitorine) ⇒ 梅岩 Ishida Baigan (都鄙問答 Tohi Mondō)

Chronology of works that extol the achievements of the flood control ofWenming (Yu) and an attempt to tap into the legacy of the god of flood
control.
日本全国 Japan nationally： 三壺記 Mitsuboki ⇒ 政談 Seidan・䣻園雑話 Kenenzatsuwa ⇒ 誹風柳多留 Haifū yanagidaru ⇒ 風来山人集 Fūrai sanjinshū ⇒ 地方凡例録 Jikata hanreiroku

鴨川治水 Control of Kamogawa River flooding： 相国寺蔭涼軒日録 Shōkokuji
Inryōkennichiroku ⇒ 洛中洛外図 Rakuchū rakugaizu ⇒ 雍洲府志 Yōshū fushi ⇒ 䣻園
雑話 Kenen zatsuwa ⇒ 山城名所巡行記 Yamashiro meisho junkōki

2) Various discourses, part 1 (Japan nationally)
Kojiki (edited by Ōno Yasumaro 太安万, 712): description of Wenming
Synopsis of section related to Yu: “The name of the Genmei (元明)
Empress at the time was more exalted than Wenming of Xia and the greatness of her benevolence was superior to King Tang of Shang” ⇒ Perhaps thiswas an opportunity to raise awareness among the imperial family (Note: The
Genmei Empress reigned from 707 to 715).
Nihon shoki (completed in 720). On the page about Emperor Kōtoku 孝
徳 (reigned 645 654) in the Nihon Shoki there is a paean to Emperor Kōtoku
that draws on the benevolent actions of Yu the Great.
Sangō shiki (Written by Kūkai 空海 around 797; explains the inferiority
or superiority of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the superiority of
Buddhism). Synopsis of treatment of Yu: If you disparage goodness and say
many incorrect words, your blood relatives will also be destroyed. The words
and deeds of a wise man are related to renown and shame. If it were Yu theOverview of Research on Relics of Yu the Great

19

Great, what would he do? (Note: Kūkai was the fourteenth emissary to Tang
China; he went there to study to be a Buddhist priest in 804.)
Shōryōshū (a collection of Kūkai’s Chinese poetry edited by his disciple,
Shinzei 真済,between around 800 and 860).
Synopsis of treatment of Yu: “King Yu of Xia saw those who sinned,
reflected on his own lack of virtue and severely judged himself.”
Tsurezuregusa (collection of essays by Yoshida Kenkō 吉田兼好 written
around 1330, the end of the Kamakura period)
Synopsis of the 171st stanza: “When the Min tribes of southern China
continued to rebel and came to a deadlock, King Yu withdrew the troops andturned toward implementing a benevolent government. When he did that, theMin tribes were impressed by his benevolence and surrendered.”(Note: this is thought to be quoted from the Dayumo 大禹謨volume of
the Shujing 書経.)
Taikōki (written by Oze Hoan 小瀬甫庵in 1625)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: “The people worthy of being entrustedwith the divine jewel of the nation were two emperors (Yao and Shun) andthree kings (King Yu, King Tang, and King Wu) of ancient China.”
Mitsuboki (Maeda clan of Kaga, Kaga domain historical document)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: “In 1594 Hideyoshi went to observe
the flood control of the Uji River he had commanded of Maeda Toshiie前田
利家. Hideyoshi, who watched Toshiie take the lead with a shovel himself,
said, ‘For the Great Councilor himself to get involved is like King Yu of Xia
using a shovel to divert the flood and save the people.”
Further, I touched earlier in the section about Yu relics on the custom in
the Meiji period of quoting Yu the Great’s flood control to praise personal
achievements. The example by Hideyoshi in Mitsuboki is possibly the originof this practice.
Oritaku shiba no ki (written by Arai Hakuseki 新井白石 in 1716)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: “The commissioner of finance in the
bakufu had an important duty, but if I were to give an example from ancient
times of someone who excelled at his duties, I can only think of Yu theGreat.”

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Seidan (there are various theories; I am using the theory that it was
published in 1722. It was written by Ogyū Sorai 荻生徂徠 himself)
There are several places where Yu the Great is mentioned. Synopsis of
the first volume: “Governing the country is like cutting a go board into
squares. A go board cannot be played without board squares. If there is noriver course for controlling floods, the water cannot be controlled even if Yu
the Great comes back to life today.”
Hitorine (written in 1725 by Yanagisawa Kien 柳沢淇園. His father waschief retainer under Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu 柳沢吉保, the feudal lord, and Kien
himself was a disciple of Ogyū Sorai. It is considered the most literary of theessays written in the early modern period.)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: “Most prosaic people tried to get richquickly with five rin [translator’s note: one rin is one/one-thousands of oneyen] of gold. Yu the Great did not want to spare even a moment andcontinued working steadily.”
Tohi mondō (canon on moral philosophy expounded by Ishida Baigan 石
田梅岩 in 1739. Baigan was a central figure in the movement for social
education in Kyoto.)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: “In order to go forward, benevolenceis essential. For example, when the tribes in the south did not follow orders
and much trouble was involved in reaching a solution, Yu the Great withdrew
the troops. When he did so, the tribes who had rebelled so much voluntarily
retreated. This is an example of benevolence.”(Note: similar to the quote in Tsurezuregusa).
Haifū yanagidaru (a seminal collection of senryū 川柳 poems and kyōgen
written between 1765 and 1788) in which the author, Ekiraku 亦楽, is said tohave written the poem, “I made Yu control the flooding. I see no faults inhim.”
Fūrai sanjinshū (written by Hiraga Gennai 平賀源内 in 1770. Thoughknown as a playwright, Gennai also used the pen name, Fūrai sanjin 風来山
人.)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: “They say that wise people like waterand men of virtue like the mountains. Houji 后稷 taught farming and Yu theOverview of Research on Relics of Yu the Great

21

Great controlled flooding. The path of a saint is to decrease excess andsupplement what’s lacking.”
Jikata Hanreiroku (written by Ōoishi Hisataka 大石久敬 around 1788)
Considered a book of rules for controlling self-governing peasants for
local officials, from county and local magistrates to village officials, the bookwas used for reform of taxation and organizing local systems during the early
Meiji period. “The officials in charge of maintaining government offices inVolume 9” contains a detailed explanation at the beginning about Yu’s
achievements in flood control.
(Note: perhaps quoted from the Shiji)
Kōmō tōki (Expositions of the Teachings of Confucius and Mencius;
written by Yoshida Shōin 吉田松陰 in 1855)
The book laments the lack of experience of hardship on the part ofcontemporary rulers by comparing them to Yu the Great: “Yu controlled
flooding and after he married Tushan (塗山) he left home just four days later.
His toils can only be described as prodigious. However, rulers in succeeding
generations couldn’t even imagine his trials and tribulations.”
3) Various essays, part 2 (documents that list shrines to Yu the Great
found in Kamogawa, Kyoto)
Shōkokuji Inryōkennichiroku (on page for August 21, 1488). There is ayashiro 社 Shinto shrine below the Gojō Bridge; it is said to be a shrine dedicated to Yu of Xia.
Rakuchū rakugaizu (Uesugi and Machida screens (painted by 1549).
There is a Daikokudō (Yu Shrine) at the Gojō Bridge.
Yōshū fushi (written by the Confucian doctor Kurokawa Dōyū 黒川道佑
in 1686; best chorography in the 17th century)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: There is a shrine to King Yu of Xia inthe dry riverbed at the old Gojō Bridge. At the Yamatobashi bank in ShijōŌhashi Higashi-zume there is a Benzaitensha弁財天社shrine.
Kenen zatsuwa (collection of the anecdotes of Ogyū Sorai, written around
1726)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: At the upper reaches of the Sakawagawa
River they build a monument to Yu the Great and give it to Provincial

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Governor Ōoka Echizen 大岡越前. In the inscription, Hattori Nankaku 服部南
郭 is asked: “Please give the source for the information that the judge of Seta,
by imperial command, ordered the building of a shrine on the Kamogamo
River to the god Yu, who controls flooding.” He answers, “I saw it in the
Yōshū fushi.”
Yamashiro meisho junkōki (published in 1754)
Synopsis of section about Yu: Yu the Great is enshrined in the Shinmei
Shrine (神明社) at Shijō-Ōhashi Higashizume.
Miyako meishozue (published in 1780)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: “There is a shrine to Yu the Great nearsouth Shijō. He is a god that calms the waters.”
Hengaku kihan (published about 1820)
Synopsis of section related to Yu: “In Chūgenji in Shijō-Ōhashi
Higashizume.”
4) The Imperial Family and Yu the Great (Wenming):
Yu the Great’s benevolence embellishes the daily moral teachings of theimperial family
Kyoto Gosho (Palace) There is a fusuma sliding door painting entitled“Daiu Kaishu Bōbizu” (大禹戒酒防微図) that depicts stories of Yu the Great in
the Otsune Palace (御常御殿) as a reminder to practice self-control. Yu theGreat has been enshrined in a place in the Emperor’s daily life from long
ago, and the Emperor has seriously learned from China. I am impressed
deeply by these facts. The fusuma painting today is a piece of art from 1855,
but it is said that “Daiu Kaishu” was first brought into the palace in 1641.
Kojiki (in the preface written in 712, during the reign of Empress Genmei)
the empress and Wenming are listed.
“Prostrate I consider how her Majesty the Empress, having obtained
Unity, illumines the empire, —being versed in the Triad, nourishes thepeople. Ruling from the Purple Palace, Her virtue reaches to the utmost
limits of the horses’ hoofmarks: dwelling amid the Sombre Retinue, Herinfluence illumines the furthest distance attained to by the vessels’ prows.
The sun rises, and the brightness is increased; the clouds disperse,
neither is there smoke. Never cease the historiographers from recording
the good omens of connected stalks and double rice-ears; never for aOverview of Research on Relics of Yu the Great23

single moon is the treasury without the tribute of continuous beaconfires and repeated interpretations. In fame She must be pronounced
superior to Bum-Mei [Wenming], in virtue more eminent than Ten-Itsu[King Tang of Shang]. [Translation by Basil Hall Chamberlain, The
Kojiki (1906), Tuttle Publishing (1981), pp.11 12].
Note: Synopsis of the underlined section: Her Majesty the Empress (Genmei
Empress)…in fame…must be pronounced superior to [Wenming], in virtue
more eminent than [King Tang of Shang]. Through the Kojiki, we can surmisethat the imperial family was aware of Wenming (Yu the Great) from ancient
times.

7. Research Groups throughout the Country: Starting ResearchCommittees on the Flood Control God Yu the Great
Through the cooperation of Professor Uemura Yoshihiro of Bukkyō
University, we convened a “Yu the Great Research Society in Kyoto” in 2011
and 2012. It was very natural to organize a group with our fellow researchers
whose numbers had grown nationally through the Summits we had held. Twotypes of action were taken from the interchanges of our colleagues. One wasa Yu the Great monument tour of China held three times from 2011. The
second was the publication in 2013 of a book entitled Chisuishin Uō otazuneru tabi (治水神 禹王をたずねる旅) [Travels to Visit the Flood Control
God, King Yu], edited by Ōwaki Yoshio (大脇良夫) and Mr. Uemura Yoshihiro(植村善博) and published by Jinbunshoin Press. This energy linked to inauguration of the “Flood Control God Yu the Great Research Society” in July,
2013. This author was the first chairman. The vice chairman was Mr. Uemura
Yoshihiro, and our advisers were Professor Wang Min (王敏) of Hōsei
University, and Mr. Tsuyuki Junichi (露木順一氏), former mayor of
Kaiseimachi and professor at Nihon University. The current number ofmembers is 111. The oldest is 85 and the youngest, 24. Lastly, I would like tomention something about the name of the town of Kaiseimachi, Kanagawa
Prefecture, where I reside.
Kaisei is from kaiwu chengwu (開物成務) in one of the books fundamental
to Confucianism in the Chinese classics, the Yijing易経(Book of Changes). It
means “develop people’s knowledge and work for development of society.” Itshows enthusiasm for cultivating people and enriching the region as well as
holding the long view. The name Kaisei was established in 1882 and the town
formulated a “Human Development Charter” in 2009. My Chinese friend, Ms.
Cui Zhen (崔貞), was so impressed that she translated it into Chinese for me
recently. I would like to conclude this essay by introducing it.

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English Version of the Human Development Charter of Kaiseimachi
We the people of Kaiseimachi do hereby declare in this Kaiseimachi Human
Development Charter that in order to realize a society where we can live healthy,
fulfilling, and happy lives surrounded by a rich natural environment, we will fostera spirit of “developing people’s knowledge and working for development of society”
by resolving to cultivate human development.
We will adopt the spirit of developing people’s knowledge and working for development of society and foster development of people who can think and act forthemselves, and thus complete what must be done.
Each resident of Kaiseimachi will take responsibility for him or herself, and cooperate to foster human talent.
We will value life, which is irreplaceable, and cultivate people who will support andhelp family, friends, and people in the area.
We will cultivate people who learn from history, and love, protect, and pass onnature and traditional culture.
We will adopt the spirit of developing people’s knowledge and working for development of society, participate actively ourselves in building the community, andcultivate people who will do their best for society.