Challenging the Homogeneous Japanese Ethnicity Theory (1)

Union of Rice Faith and Emperor Reverence―Folklore’s Fallacy

The idea that the Japanese constitute a “homogeneous ethnic group” (日本人単一民族説) has become deeply rooted today, yet unraveling how this concept was established involves navigating complex historical misunderstandings by modern scholars and intertwined political contexts. Personally, I am not an academic, but rather someone who continually explores history, culture, customs, and religious beliefs integratively. Therefore, I find it difficult to agree with the academically supported homogeneous ethnic theory, and instead find myself aligning more closely with perspectives often considered heterodox or marginal. For convenience, I refer to these positions as the “complex ethnic origin theory of the Japanese” (日本人複合民族説) or the “multilayered ethnic origin theory of the Japanese” (日本人重層民族説).

Yet, at the same time, it is essential to consider that there might have been a certain historical period in which the complex ethnic origins of the Japanese people were systematically unified, thereby giving rise to the homogeneous ethnic theory. Thus, debating whether one viewpoint is simply right or wrong becomes meaningless; instead, it is more critical to approach the subject carefully, using deep insight informed by integrative domains unique to Japanese thought.

Within Japan’s ancient layers, numerous instances of complex ethnic intermixing remain unexplained. Recently, genetic analysis technologies have become prevalent even in archaeology, leading to various new hypotheses receiving attention. However, these genetic findings tend to be simplistically equated with “the reality of Japanese identity,” a tendency that I argue obstructs accurate understanding of Japan. While genetics may serve as a reference, it cannot fully elucidate the complexities of cultural mixing. Additionally, genetic data strongly depends on specific tested individuals, making it particularly unreliable in representing entire populations from the Jōmon, Yayoi, or Kofun periods.

Putting aside contemporary political circumstances, a calm reflection based on Japan’s geographical and historical positioning—as an island nation located at the eastern edge of Eurasia—clearly reveals that many tribes must have historically migrated to Japan via various Asian regions. Most of these tribes likely passed through neighboring China and Korea, yet there is ample evidence to suggest additional migrations from Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and even as far as Persia. Such intricate lineages gradually intermingled over thousands of years to form today’s Japanese population. Then, why did the homogeneous ethnic theory, ignoring this complexity, come to dominate?

Multiple academic lineages from modern times contributed to this background, but here I will specifically discuss the “Rice Cultivation Ethnic Theory of the Japanese” (日本人稲作民族説), a major foundation of the homogeneous ethnic viewpoint.

The “Rice Cultivation Ethnic Theory of the Japanese” asserts that the formation of a single Japanese ethnicity is fundamentally linked to “rice cultivation (specifically wet-rice agriculture),” interpreting history comprehensively from the perspective that “Japanese = wet-rice agriculture.” This school of thought finds its origin in the work of the folklorist Kunio Yanagita (柳田國男, 1875-1962).

Yanagita, who achieved remarkable success as Japan’s first folklorist, persistently maintained throughout his life the belief that “the Japanese are rice-cultivating people,” never abandoning this premise while systematically classifying folk customs nationwide. Yanagita’s “Rice Cultivation Ethnic Theory” posited that the Japanese shared a unified culture as agriculturalists engaged primarily in rice cultivation. Within his folklore studies, he introduced the concept of “jōmin” (常民, ordinary people), identifying them specifically as settled agriculturalists engaged in wet-rice farming.