Yamato Takeru

• • Period: Legendary Period
  • Occupation: Prince
  • Family: Emperor Keikō (father) Harima no Inabi no Ōiratsume (mother) Yamato Hime (aunt) Emperor Chūai (son) Ōsu (brother) Kushitsunuwake (brother) Wakayamatoneko (brother) Kamukushi (brother) several other wives and children see below
  • Birth: –
  • Death: –

Yamato Takeru

Yamato Takeru (小碓命, Prince Ōsu – The Brave of Yamato) is known to have been the second son of Emperor Keikō, said at the age of 16 to have torn apart one of his brothers after he insulted their father. He is mentioned in the kojiki, nihongi and hitachi fudoki¹.

He was also known as Yamato Woguna.⁴

Family

Yamato Takeru was the son of Emperor Keikō and Harima no Inabi no Ōiratsume, and twin to Ōsu.⁴

He is known to have been the husband of Futajirihime despite her being his aunt²³⁴ and together they had four children by the names of Ineyoriwake, Emperor Chūai, Nunoshiirihime and Waketake.⁴

With his wife Kibi no Anato no Takehime they had two children by the names of Takemiko and Towokiwake.⁴

With another wife called Ototachibanahime he had a son by the name of Wakatakehiko.⁴

His great-grandchild was Sumeiroohonakatsuhiko, whose daughter Kagurohime married Emperor Keikō according to the kojiki. This is clearly a mistake in the chronologies as it would mean the Emperor married his great-great-granddaughter.²³

Appearance

Desciptions of him say he was a rod in height, and was so strong that he could lift a tripod.⁴

Kumaso Rebellion

• • See also: Kumaso Rebellions

Early in the reign of Emperor Keikō it is said that Prince Ōsu had been away from court from quite some time and so the Emperor asked the Princes brother Yamato Takeru to deal with it. His way of dealing it being to tear his brother to pieces.⁵

This was the reason why Yamato Takeru was later sent to deal with the Kumaso later in the Emperors reign.

In the 27th year he is sent to deal with the Kumaso. Asking who he should take with him, an archer called Otohikogimi is recommended to him; and so he sends Miyadohiko to bring him.

With him he additionally brings Ishiura no Yokotachi, Tako no Inaki and Chichika no Inaki.

In the land of the Kumaso they find the leader by the name of Torishikaya with Yamato Takeru disguising himeself as a woman to join the leaders banquet taking a seat next to him.

After Torishikaya becomes drunk, Yamato Takeru takes a out a hidden sword and stabs him in the breast, though he doesnt immediately die. Torishikaya asks who he is giving him his new name of Yamato Dake before he is finally killed.

Following this the remaining Kumaso are killed by the men he brought with him.

On the return to Yamato he is said to have killed the kami of the Ferry of Ana in Kibi, then the kami of the ferry of Kashiha in Naniha.⁴

Other records state there were two leaders stating, he disguised himself as a woman, the clothes given to him by his aunt Yamato Hime. Reaching the clan he kills the two brothers who lead them, killing the first during a feast and the second after he runs away stabbing him in the buttocks. As he dies he gives the Prince the name Yamato Takeru¹.

Battling the Emishi

• • See also: Emishi

In the 40th year⁴ of Emperor Keiko’s reign he is sent to subdue the Emishi, accompanied by Takehiko, Takehi no Muraji and Nanatsukahagi.¹⁴

Prior to this Ministers inquired as to who should be the one to go deal with the threat with Yamato Takeru saying his brother Ōsu should go.⁴ This of course contradicts the kojiki as Yamato Takeru had already ripped apart his brother in that narrative.²³

Once more he visits his aunt who gives him this time the sword Kusanagi⁴ and flints for lighting fire.¹

On his way he visits Princess Miyazu Hime, promising to marry her when he returns.¹

He travels through Suruga with the people there tricking him to go hunt deer in the moor there. He does, but find the moor set on fire by those who sent him there to hunt. He makes a counter fire and survives and so then goes to kill all the brigands who tricked him.

An alternative version of the nihongi says because of this event Murokumo became called Kusanagi.

Venturing on the Sagami he wished to cross the sea to reach Kadzusa. Whilst sailing a storms begins an so Ototachibanahime, who was with him in the boat, sacrifices herself and the storm stops. Due to this Yamato Takeru can continue on and goes to Michi no Oku after Kadzusa.

Continuing on, he reaches Shimosa where he finds two Emishi leaders in Take called Shimatsukami and Kunitsukami. Upon seeing his ship, knowing they would be defeated, they throw down their weapons and so Yamato Takeru makes them his personal attendants.

Journeying some more he eventually stays in the Sakawori Palace in Kahi where he writes a song at night. Here he also gives the Yuki Be to Takehi no Muraji, annoucing there were still more rebels to deal with in Shinano and Koshi.

After this, on his journey he climbs to the peak of Usuhiyama where he mourns the death of his wife at sea and later sends Kibi no Takehiko in a different direction to himself to assess the character of the peoples in this area.

Entering into Shinano, and crossing the Ōyama he has food here on the mountain. Killing a white deer by stabbing it in the eye with garlic.

After this the prince loses his way, but eventually meets up with Kibi no Takehiko again in Mino after a white dog appears to guide him.⁴

Death

Eventually, he returns and marries Miyazu Hime and attempts one more exploit, leaving kusanagi behind. He leaves to subdue the kami living on Mount Ibuki barehanded. Climbing the mountain, he mistakes a snake as the kami messenger and ignores it, but it was actually the kami. It summons a hailstorm which dazes Takeru, finding a spring he drinks here to restore his senses. However, he fell ill during the storm and eventually makes his way back to Otsu in Ise where he found a sword by a pine tree he had once left here.Upon seeing the sword he composed another song.

At the moor of Nobo, he becomes sicker, making an offering of the Emishi he had captured as slaves, and sending Kibi no Takehiko to the Emperor to tell him of his exploits and that he regrets not being able to see the Emperor again.

He passes away on the moor aged 30, with the Emperor having him buried under a misasagi here.

His soul escapes in the form of a giant white bird, his clothes remaining in the tomb. The bird flies to Kotobiki in Yamato then Furuchi in Kahachi. Here another misasagi is built before the bird flies to Takamagahara.⁴

Footnotes

1. Littleton. C.S. (1995) “Yamato-takeru: An Arthurian Hero in Japanese Tradition”. Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 54, No.2, pp.259-274.
2. Yasumaro. O, translated by Gustav Heldt. (2014) “Kojiki. An Account of Ancient Matters”. New York: Columbia University Press.
3. Chamberlain, B. H. (1932) “Translation of the Kojiki.” Kobe: J.L. Thompson & Co.
4. Aston. W.G. (1896) “Nihongi Volume 1: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD697”. Tuttle Publishing.
5. Ponsonby, F. (1959) “The Imperial House of Japan.” Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society.

	Check out the Japan Archives, our Japanese History Podcast. Instagram (Japan): @japan_archives
	Check out our Gaming Channel on Youtube. Instagram (Minecraft): @mycenria
	Find the website useful? Please consider donating to help up keep the website running.