The Kingdom of Wa and ancient Japan

Did you know that, in the past, when Japan was still sparsely populated and most of the world had not yet heard of it, the country was referred to as the "Kingdom of Wa" by the Chinese? Do you know how life worked in ancient Japan? And what does the term "Wa" mean in this context? How did the Chinese see the country at that time? You will learn all this and much more in this article about ancient Japan and the meaning of the expression "Kingdom of Wa".

If you want to learn more about the history of Japan, we also recommend reading our article "Summary of the History of Japan Told in Eras".

Introduction - Ancient Japan

In ancient times, the island that we now know as "Japan" (Nihon or Nippon) was known by other names. Among the numerous synonyms for "Japan," such as "Kingdom of Yamato," "Land of the Rising Sun", "Land of Cherry Blossoms", "Land of the Samurai", one of them is less known to the public, especially because it was used jokingly by the Chinese to identify the island to the east, where they were close neighbors. "Kingdom of Wa," therefore, was the nomenclature used by Chinese writers when referring to the Japanese islands, especially to the island of Kyushu, located to the South.

The Chinese society of antiquity developed a deep interest in the neighboring Japanese lands. The Chinese territory, being larger compared to the then "Kingdom of Wa," was viewed as superior by Chinese (and Korean) scribes, leading them to coin the term Wa - 倭 (わ), with this kanji - which, in turn, means "dwarf" or "inferior." Until the mid-8th century, the kanji 倭 was the most present in Asian writings, when it was later replaced by the ideogram 和 (わ) of the same sound, but with a completely different meaning, which can be translated as "peace" and "harmony."

In ancient times, Japan was also known for many years as the "Kingdom of Yamato." That is a more common and well-known designation than "Kingdom of Wa." In the book "Concise History of Japan," by Brett L. Walker, this treatment by the Chinese and Koreans toward the ancient Japanese is briefly explained, especially in relation to the size of the territory.

Meaning of the term "Wa" and historical context

Unlike the particle WA or the kanjis of the same sound 輪 (wheel, circle) and 和 (peace, harmony), the "wa" we refer to in this article is written this way: 倭. This symbol carries an outdated idea of inferiority. As we all know, diplomatic relations between Japan and China have always been quite irregular, given the nationalist character that each of the nations has always cultivated, aiming almost always at their own interests, needs, and goals within the Asian continent. It is believed that the choice of the word "wa" to designate the small island of East Asia at that time came from classical Chinese texts in which not only Japan but also other nations were referred to in a pejorative way, often as "barbarians" or similar terms. In Japan’s specific case, they were portrayed as "dwarfs" (the meaning of the kanji).

According to historian Emiliano Unzer Macedo, in his book "History of Japan, an Introduction," this reference is considered to date back to 82 A.D., specifically in the work Han Shu (which means "History of Han"). According to Unzer, Chinese historians described the "Kingdom of Wa" as a dispersed and decentralized community.

When we closely analyze the radicals of the kanji above, we can see three rather controversial components: the person radical (on the left), the grain radical (in the middle and at the top), and finally the woman radical (at the bottom). From these three parts, the ideogram 倭 emerged, which today is extremely rare, especially in modern texts.

On jisho.org, a famous online Japanese language dictionary, it states that this kanji occasionally replaces the kanji 和, often carrying the original meaning of "Japan." However, for historical comprehension, the most common meaning in ancient texts is that of "dwarf" and "inferior."

Note: If you want to learn more about how to research kanjis in the dictionary, read our article about Jisho by clicking here!

Conclusion

Finally, it is worth noting that "Kingdom of Wa" is already a dated term, mostly found in history books and ancient Chinese chronicles, and it is not advisable to use this terminology today.

The purpose of this article is not to delve into the entire history of ancient Japan, but rather to highlight a lesser-known curiosity about the name "Wa."

If you are interested in exploring other historical topics, we recommend the books mentioned above and also "The Japanese" by Célia Sakurai, which offers a broad and concise overview of the country’s most important historical events.

So, what did you think of the article? If you liked it, let us know in the comments. Until next time!