To end the blood feuds... Emperor Tenmu devised the mechanism of the “power tournament”
//Summary - Level-B2//
Emperor Tenmu sought to end endless blood feuds by creating the “power tournament,” where the strongest leader ruled jointly with the emperor. To secure this system, he used ritual and myth, linking the imperial family to deities and founding shrines renewed every twenty years. This ensured continuity, respect, and unity without constant war. The Kojiki was written not just to justify rule but to present a vision of lasting stability, combining ritual authority, myth, and balance. Defeat at the Battle of Baekgang shaped Japan’s direction, turning it inward and away from continental power struggles.
1)
The notion that “the Kojiki was compiled to legitimise imperial rule” is a misconception; the Kojiki conceals the secret to maintaining the imperial lineage of Japan, the world's longest-standing kingdom.
We now unravel the message left by its compiler, Emperor Tenmu, revealing its true intent and grand vision.
2)
Chapter One: Exploring the Historical Context of the Kojiki:
Becoming the Host of the “Power Tournament”:
Left unchecked, this bloody tournament would continue indefinitely. This would make us no different from the nations of the continent or the peninsula. In some circumstances, this Yamato regime might even be overthrown.
3)
To prevent this, he conceives a method: become the organiser of the “power tournament”, recognise the tournament winner of that era as champion, and have that individual and the organiser jointly govern the nation.
Being a joint arrangement, it cannot be buried by the rulers of the time. To do so would be to negate their own power. The prospects for safeguarding the five points mentioned earlier thus become apparent.
4)
Moreover, the longer the tournament's history, the greater the prestige of both the event and its organiser would grow. The people would likely support and cooperate in ways that fostered the tournament's development.
Consequently, individuals contemplating the destruction of the tournament itself or the elimination of its organiser would cease to exist. Moreover, the organiser need not possess outstanding personal character. This is what they must have contemplated.
5)
The writer Shiba Ryōtarō wrote in one of his books that the Imperial House always sides with the strong. This is a statement that strikes precisely at the heart of the matter.
They created a system to draw in the powerful. The ultimate goal was a world without war. They believed this was achievable through a joint venture, a partnership with those in power.
The next consideration was the “qualifications” of the presiding authority. It was imperative to prevent successive “power tournament” organisers from emerging.
Should that occur, it would mark a return to an era of power struggles. Domestic tournaments must be restricted to a single entity.
6)
Thus arose the idea of reigning as an authority through ritual. However, no convenient religion or doctrine would suddenly descend from the heavens. What was to be done? If none existed, we would create stories about the deity, linking the deity to the imperial family as the organisers, and build a shrine.
7)
However, buildings eventually decay. If the stories vanished along with the buildings, the status as the authority of the ritual would be lost, reducing them to ordinary citizens. To avoid this, the idea of the Shikinen Sengū was conceived.
Inner and Outer Shrines were created, with the shrine buildings relocated every twenty years. As architectural techniques were also passed down, the shrines should stand perpetually. Considering the Inner and Outer Shrines as a pair also aligns with the principle of yin and yang.
8)
Humans naturally hold reverence for entities transcending the material world. Moreover, there is a tendency to respect those who seem utterly indifferent to the values of this world.
Indeed, the figures known as the world's four great sages paid no heed to the values of their immediate surroundings.
9)
Suppose one were to act as an entity transcending worldly values. In that case, that is, to abandon all desire for power—and yet continue to pray for the nation's ancestral deities, might not the sentiments of many people shift to respect?
Might this not unite the hearts of the people and garner their cooperation? It began to occur to him that this might be akin to how, though the centre of a typhoon is empty, powerful winds converge upon it from all directions.
10)
It was at this very moment that the idea for compiling the Kojiki—a treasured text meant to establish the imperial line by expounding the Emperor's role as an authority figure within principles like yin and yang—came to Emperor Tenmu's mind.
11)
Entrusting the nation's stability to the Kojiki:
There is a proverb: ‘How could sparrows and swallows comprehend the aspirations of swans and cranes?’ It means petty individuals cannot grasp the grand ambitions of great men.
12)
Some view the Kojiki as a text intended to legitimise imperial rule. This appears to be the prevailing view among historical societies. However, as previously discussed, the compilation plan for the Kojiki stemmed not from narrow concerns about their own rule, but from a vision for Japan's future.
Emperor Tenmu is thought to have ascended the throne around the age of forty-one. He must have reflected deeply on the sheer volume of events he had witnessed.
13)
How many times must he have encountered horrific scenes or critical situations? And then, there was the time he abandoned everything, shaved his head, and became a Buddhist monk. Undoubtedly, such experiences provided him with countless opportunities for deep reflection.
14)
It is curious how a continuous existence of peaceful living rarely fosters a sense of urgency, likely due to the absence of any stimulus. It is akin to sport.
There is a saying about learning from defeat; the question of why one lost immediately arises. Efforts towards reflection and improvement begin, and this can sometimes lead to the next leap forward.
The heavy defeat at the Battle of Baekgang may have been regrettable, but it ultimately enabled the nation to define its direction.
15)
Had victory been achieved, Japan might have remained perpetually entangled with the peninsula. Defeat, however, naturally led to the conclusion that extending influence to the peninsula or the continent was beyond our station.
Without such ambition, relations with others can progress smoothly. By around 680, external issues had largely been settled. Although the missions to Tang China remained suspended, Japan no longer needed to concern itself with the nations of the continent or the peninsula.
To end the blood feuds... Emperor Tenmu devised the mechanism of the “power tournament”
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