Religious and Political Reforms of Emperor Mimaki. Part 4: Foundation of the Isonokami-jingū Shrine

The religious and political reforms of the early Yamato period remain largely understudied in Russian historiography. This article examines the standardization of cults that took place during the reign of Emperor Mimaki, traditionally known as Emperor Sujin (r. 324–331 AD [corrected chronology]). The author correlates classical Japanese sources with recent archaeological findings. The final stage of Emperor Mimaki’s reforms involved the foundation of the Isonokami Shrine to house the Ten Sacred Treasures (mizu-takara): four mirrors (kagami), one sword, three jewels (tama), and two veils (hire). The article analyzes the origins of these treasures and the events preceding the establishment of the shrine, whose hereditary priests emerged from the Mononobe-no muraji clan. Emperor Mimaki’s reforms were a deliberate attempt to unify and institutionalize the cults of the nascent Yamato state (the religious system later known as Shinto) through a calculated compromise with the communal nobility on the Kamu-Asachi Plain. The members of this elite served as priests and secured revenues from the shrine estates. Furthermore, the death of the Yamato Princess Priestess, momoso-hime, facilitated Emperor Mimaki’s plans to establish a new national cult of the Sun Goddess. These foundational socio-religious reforms were subsequently continued by Mimaki’s sun, Emperor Ikume (Suinin).

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