Nakoku
Na (Japanese奴 国, Na - koku or Na no kuni, dt "Land Well " ) was a Japanese state during the 1st century to the early 3rd century, the Yayoi period. He probably corresponds to the later administrative unit Na no Agata (傩 県) the subsequent Yamato- time at the Hakata Bay (博 多 湾) in Fukuoka.
Historical records
The first mention is found in Weizhi Worenchuan (Chinese魏志 倭人 传/魏志 倭人 传, W.-G. Wei -chih Where -jen - chuan, Japanese魏志 倭人 伝, Gishi Wajinden, dt " Records of Wei: lives of the people of Wa " ), part of the chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, and calls for the Na of the 3rd century, inter alia, Names of officials and that it had a population of about 20,000 households. It was thus by Yamatai with 70,000 households the second largest country of Japan.
Eventually, the name Na -no- tsu goes (名 津) for the Hakata Bay on the name of the state back and then " port of Na ', and the name of the opening therein river Naka -gawa.
Chinese Seal
According to the Book of the Later Han granted Emperor Guangwu of Han in 57 Na an imperial seal. It reads:
" In the second year [ of currency ] chien- wu chung -yuan [ AD = 57 ] Where the land Nu tribute offered and the court sent gifts. The ambassador referred to himself as, ta - fu '. It is the country where extreme southern border. [ The Emperor ] Kuang -wu [re. 25-58 ] gave [ then ] a seal with tape " (Translated by Barbara Seyock: On the trail of Ostbarbaren, 2004, pp. 207-08 ).
The said seal corresponds to the Chinese Jade sealing, however, is made of gold with a square side length of 2.3 cm and a weight of 108 g
In return, Na sent in the same year an embassy to Chinese capital for the transfer of tribute and New Year greetings. The Gold Seal (金 印, kin'in ) was in 1784 by a farmer on Shika -no- shima found, which led to the verification of the otherwise known only from ancient sources Na. On this there is the inscription " King of the land of Wa Na Han " (modern Kanji:汉 委 奴 国王, Kan no Wa no Na no koku - ō, Chinese Han Wei guo wang Nu ). "Wha Han " is not necessarily to be understood so that Wa ( Japan) would have been a vassal of Han (China), but can also mean "From the Han [if ] the king ... ".
The seal is now Japanese National Treasure and is kept in the Fukuoka Municipal Museum.