Historical Study of Emperor Keitai,With a view to a new theory of the history of state formation

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K20056
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0103:History, archaeology, museology, and related fields
• Research Institution: Bukkyo University
• Principal Investigator: Hori Daisuke 佛教大学, 歴史学部, 教授 (00913641)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-08-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 継体大王 / 越前の古墳群 / 隅田八幡神社人物画像鏡 / 日本書紀 / 人制 / 国家形成史 / 制度史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, I have taken a comprehensive approach to Emperor Keitai and the history of the system, focusing on archaeology, historical texts, and other academic fields, to discover historical facts from the descriptions of Emperor Keitai in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.
I have then considered the historical role and significance of Emperor Keitai, and the timing of the establishment of various systems such as the Tomo system, the Fukan system, the Hito system, the Bemin system, the Uji-Kabane system, and the Miyake system, and constructed a theory of the history of the formation of the Wakoku state in the 5th and 6th centuries.
I have acknowledged the credibility of the contents of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki to a certain extent in previous research on Emperor Keitai, especially in regard to his origins and the circumstances of his accession to the throne, and have gained new insights into the understanding of the various systems, including the Hito system.

Free Research Field

考古学,日本古代史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の意義は、とくに即位前の継体大王の実態について、越前における古墳群の考古学的な分析により、尾張の大豪族との婚姻関係など『日本書紀』の記事の一部に信憑性を認め、また継体登場に至る越前独自の政治体制についても明らかにした点、隅田八幡神社人物画像鏡の銘文にもとづいた継体の即位論は成り立たないことを明らかにした点にある。また、国家形成史論に関しては、考古学と文献史学の成果を体系的で網羅的な視点をもち、一部の研究者の見解に偏ることなく幅広く成果を取り入れたうえで、５から６世紀にかけての王権にかかる諸制について、成立時期の観点から総合的に論じた点にある。