Civil War of Wa

Chinese written sources

The war falls into Japan's protohistoric period. While the earliest Japanese national chronicles Kojiki and Nihon Shoki begin their accounts from the Age of the Gods, they are largely mythological in nature, and the account in the Nihon Shoki is reliable as a history only after about the late 6th century. The Chinese dynastic histories are an important written source for Japanese history before the 6th century and contain the only written account of this 2nd century war. Japanese history is recounted in sections on the "barbarian" neighbours of China at the end of each dynastic history in the form of a footnote rather than a major chapter. Consequently, information on the conflict is very limited. The earliest mention is in the passages referred to as the Wajinden of the Wei Zhi (ca. 297), which is part of the Records of the Three Kingdoms. Subsequent histories mentioning the conflict such as the Book of the Later Han (ca. 445), the Book of Liang (635), the Book of Sui (636) and the History of Northern Dynasties (mid 7th century) draw much from earlier works.

The following are the complete passages of the Wei Zhi, the Book of the Later Han, the Book of Sui and the History of Northern Dynasties dealing with the civil war:

The country formerly had a man as ruler. For some seventy or eighty years after that there were disturbances and warfare. Thereupon the people agreed upon a woman for their ruler. Her name was Pimiko.

— Wei Zhi, Accounts of the Eastern Barbarians

During the reigns of Huandi [147–168] and Lingdi [168–189] the country of Wa was in a state of great confusion, war and conflict raging on all sides. For a number of years, there was no ruler. Then a woman named Pimiko appeared. Remaining unmarried, she occupied herself with magic and sorcery and bewitched the populace. Thereupon they placed her on the throne.

— Book of the Later Han, Accounts of the Eastern Barbarians

In the reign of Huandi and Lingdi that country that was in great disorder, whose inhabitants had gradually gone to war against each other; so that, over the years, it came to be without a ruler. There was a woman there who was named Himiko; who, by the use of spirits, was able to confuse many people, so that her countrymen together made her their monarch.

— Book of Sui, Accounts of the Eastern Barbarians

In the reign of Lingdi that country that was in great disorder, whose inhabitants had gradually gone to war against each other; so that, over the years, it came to be without a ruler.

— History of Northern Dynasties

The Book of Liang speaks of "great disturbances" between 178 and 183.