The Records of the Three Kingdoms is a historical chronicle that recounts the power struggles between the three rival states of Wei, Shu, and Wu as they vied for dominance over the Chinese mainland. Names like Zhuge Kongming (Zhuge Liang), Liu Bei Xuande, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu are legendary figures known even to those with only a passing interest in history. It was during this same era that Himiko lived.
My mentor in historical studies, Professor Osamu Oba, once said something thought-provoking:
"If Himiko had sent her envoys not to Wei but to Shu, she might have met Zhuge Liang. Such a meeting could very well have taken place."
Of course, there is no "if" in history, but this story conveys—beyond the constraints of logic—the sense of the age in which Himiko lived.
We rarely think of "Zhuge Liang" and "Himiko" in the same breath, yet the two were undoubtedly contemporaries, living and acting in the same historical period.
This leads us to ask: what brought about the turbulent times depicted in the Records of the Three Kingdoms?
At around the same time in the Japanese archipelago, the country of Wa was also thrown into chaos—a situation that, according to the sources, was calmed by the emergence of Himiko. In China, Cao Cao of the Wei dynasty brought the country under his control, and Himiko sent emissaries to Wei, where she was granted the title "Queen of Wa, Friend of Wei." This designation served to affirm the political unification of the Wa states under the Yamatai Kingdom.
Both China and the Wa country were gripped by disorder during this period. So, what was the root cause of this upheaval?
The answer is not recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms. However, in China's case, it is widely believed that the catalyst was the Yellow Turban Rebellion—a massive peasant uprising. Although this revolt took the form of a religious movement led by Zhang Jue, the founder of the Way of Supreme Peace, there is no doubt that the uprising was driven by desperate farmers incited by religious leaders.
But why had the people become so desperate?
The answer lies in a global climatic shift. A long-standing period of warming came to an end and gave way to a cooling trend. This earlier warming phase had accelerated the spread of rice cultivation, transforming societies across East Asia, including Japan. But now the climate began to cool, and the previously humid conditions gradually turned arid. Crop failures became more frequent and severe, leading directly to social unrest.
It is likely that similar conditions affected Wa. People would have fought over harvests and vied for fertile lands, triggering disputes of various scales throughout the archipelago. This is likely the context behind what the Gishi Wajinden refers to as the "Great Disturbance of the Wa Country."
So then, why is it said that the arrival of Himiko brought peace to the land?