Suishō 帥升 was a king of Wa, a land we now call Japan. Suishō was the last king of Wa before years of civil war in the first half of the second century. His successor finally came in 189, when a female named Himiko 卑彌呼 took the throne of Wa. Suishō is the first Japanese person whose name is recorded in a Chinese history.
In the year 107 AD, during the reign of Emperor An of Han, Suishō sent one hundred and sixty people to the Emperor, and entreated an audience.
Notes[]
- It is unclear how long Suishō ruled Wa. Both the History of the Later Han and the Records of the Three Kingdoms say there were civil wars following the end of Suishō's reign, however the History of the Later Han says there were civil wars during the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, who together ruled from 146-189. The Records of the Three Kingdoms, though, says there were 80 years of civil wars following the end of Suishō's reign and before the start of Himiko's reign in 189. So, Suishō either ruled until circa 109 AD, or 146 AD.
- In modern Japanese characters Suishō is written as すいしょう.
Sources[]
- Fan Ye 范曄 (398–445). Hou Han shu 後漢書 “History of the Later Han”.