One of the greatest mysteries in Japanese archaeology is the resting place of Queen Himiko. The first named person in all of Japanese history, she is thought to have lived between 170 and 248 AD. Chinese accounts paint a picture of Himiko as an awesome but shadowy presence in her land:

“There were few who saw her. She had one thousand women as attendants, but only one man. He served her food and drink, and acted as her medium of communication. She resided in a palace surrounded by towers and stockades, with armed guards in a state of constant vigilance.”

Dr Chris Harding is a senior lecturer in Asian History at the University of Edinburgh. He writes on wide range of topics, including history, politics, religion and pop culture, for publications including  BBC History magazine, The Guardian, The Telegraph, UnHerd and The New York Times.

Queen Himiko and the Rise of Ancient Japan

Himiko ruled a chiefdom called Yamatai, one of countless small polities dotting the Japanese archipelago in this era. She seems to have controlled both her own population and those of neighboring, subordinate chiefdoms with a mixture of armed power and what Chinese observers regarded as sorcery. Himiko was not just a queen, she was a shaman-queen: most likely using bells, mirrors, dances and incantations to commune with the gods, in order to keep nature onside and ensure good harvests.

Himiko was sufficiently powerful that her people were said to live in fear of her. When she died, her kingdom fell into disarray without her to guide it. ‘A king was placed on the throne,’ claims the Chinese  Records of Wei, ‘but the people would not obey him ... assassination and murder followed.’ Only when Himiko’s niece, just 13 years of age, was placed on the throne, did the kingdom become calm once again – perhaps because of a reverence for Himiko’s bloodline.

Artist's depiction of the legendary Japanese Queen Himiko, reign c. 189 to 248 AD.

The legend of Himiko resonates right down to the present day: for fans of the  Tomb Raider video game reboot in 2013, which features Himiko and Yamatai; and for archaeologists and historians for whom the discovery, one day, of her resting place has the potential to unlock Japan’s past.