Wa Japan: Encyclopedia - Wa Japan

Wa (Japan)

Wa (倭) is an ancient name of Japan used by old Chinese dynasties. The first written record of Japan (then in the Yayoi period, 300 BC-250 AD) is found as Wa in Wei Zhi (魏志) of San Guo Zhi.

It is pronounced and transcribed as Wo from Chinese (Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin), Wo or Wai from Cantonese, and Wa from Japanese.

Wa Japan - Etymology

The character Wa (倭) is also generally described as meaning "dwarf", although in Chinese the standard character for "dwarf" (矮, as in 矮人) is written with a different radical (an "arrow", instead of a "person", with the same "Wa" phonetic element). It is therefore uncertain whether the character for Japan was actually historically meant to signify "dwarf", or was only a combination of the caracter for "person", with the phonetic component for "Wa".

Wa Japan - Contacts with the state of Wu 5th century BCE

Ambassadoral visits to Japan by the later Northern Chinese dynasties Wei and Jin (Encounters of the Eastern Barbarians, Wei Chronicles) recorded that the Japanese people claimed to be descendents of Taibo of Wu, refugees after the fall of the Wu state in the 5th century BC (History books do have records of Wu Taibo sending 4000 males and 4000 females to Japan). Historical records also show that the ancient Japanese had similar lifestyles and customs as pre-Sinicized inhabitants of the Wu Kingdom, including tattooing, ritual teeth pulling and baby-carrying on backs.

Wa Japan - The Wa in the Liang-Shu 7th century

The 7th century Chinese chronicle Book of Liang (Liangshu, Chinese: 梁書) describe the Wa as a Japanese people apparently living in Kyushu, in the Kingdom of Yamatai.

The people are all tattoed. Their territory is about 20,000 li (1,500 kilometers) from our realm, roughly to the east of Guiji (modern Shaoxing (Zhejiang)). To get there, it is necessary to follow the coast and go beyond the Korean state to the south-east for about 500 kilometers, then for the first time cross a sea to a small island 75 kilometers away, then cross the sea again for 75 kilometers to Miro country (Chinese: 未盧國, modern Tosu city in Saga Prefecture, Japan). 50 kilometers to the southeast is the country of Ito (Chinese: 伊都國). 10 kilometers to the southeast is the country of Nu (Chinese: 奴國). 10 kilometers to the east is the country of ? (Chinese: 不彌國). 20 days to the south by boat is the country of ? (Chinese: 投馬國). 10 days to the south by boat or one month by land is the country of Yamatai (Chinese: 邪馬臺國). There resides the King of the Wa people. (Chinese: 倭者　自云太伯之後　俗皆文身　去帶方萬二千餘里　大抵在會稽之東　相去絶遠　從帶方至倭　循海水行　歴韓國　乍東乍南　七千餘里始度一海　海闊千餘里　名瀚海　至一支國　又度一海千餘里　名未盧國　又東南陸行五百里　至伊都國　又東南行百里　至奴國　又東行百里　至不彌國　又南水行二十日　至投馬國　又南水行十日　陸行一月日　至邪馬臺國 即倭王所居, Liang Shu, 7th century)

See also

• Wokou (倭寇)
• Names of Japan
• San Guo Zhi
• Kingdom of Wei
• Yayoi
• Fusang

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Wa Japan", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki