Korean History › Three Kingdoms › Baekje
Baekje's ties with Yamato Japan
4th–7th centuries (details debated)· Event· Culture, religion & science
Mostly agreedGood evidence; some details, dates or numbers uncertain.
Three centuries of alliance and exchange in which Baekje sent Japan scholars, Buddhism and craftsmen, and Yamato sent troops.
See it on the Korean History map →What happened
From the 4th century, Baekje and Yamato, Japan's emerging state, were close allies (백제–왜 관계). Baekje sent the Seven-Branched Sword, scholars with Chinese classics, and in 538 or 552 Buddhist images and texts; its builders helped raise Japan's first major temple, Asuka-dera. Yamato sent soldiers, and Baekje princes lived at its court. After Baekje fell in 660, a Yamato fleet lost the 663 Battle of Baekgang, and Baekje refugees settled in Japan.
Why it matters
Much of early Japan's writing, Buddhism, architecture and crafts arrived through Baekje, and the 663 defeat pushed Japan to build a centralized state.
How we know
Japan's Nihon Shoki (720) and Kojiki, the Samguk sagi, the Seven-Branched Sword's inscription, and Baekje-style artifacts and temple plans excavated in Japan.
Still debated
Who was senior is disputed: the Nihon Shoki casts Baekje as a tributary, while Korean scholars see Baekje as the leading partner; the sword's inscription is read both ways.
Connections (3)
▸King Geunchogo of Baekje is credited with opening Baekje's ties with Yamato JapanMostly agreed
The connection
Baekje–Yamato ties first appear clearly in Geunchogo's reign. The Seven-Branched Sword, a Baekje gift to the Wa ruler, carries an inscription commonly read as 369, and the Nihon Shoki records envoys exchanged in his time. The alliance gave Baekje a partner against Goguryeo.
When and how
Baekje and the Wa (Yamato) court, about 366–372; the sword is kept at Isonokami Shrine, Nara.
How sure are we?
The sword's inscription and Nihon Shoki entries, whose dates must be shifted by 120 years to fit; contact before his reign is likely.
Debates and open questions
The inscription's date and meaning are disputed: a gift from a senior Baekje, or tribute? Earlier informal contacts make 'opening' an approximation.
▸Buddhism in Korea passed to Japan via Baekje's ties with Yamato JapanMostly agreed
The connection
Baekje, Buddhist since 384, used the faith as diplomacy. King Seong sent a gilt-bronze Buddha and sutras to the Yamato court, followed by monks, temple carpenters, tile makers and painters. Japan's first great temple, Asuka-dera (begun 588), followed Baekje models, and Buddhism became central to the Japanese state.
When and how
From Sabi (Buyeo) to the Yamato court, 538 or 552; King Seong of Baekje and Emperor Kinmei.
How sure are we?
The Nihon Shoki gives 552 and other early Japanese temple records give 538; Baekje-style tiles and layouts were excavated at Asuka-dera.
Debates and open questions
Which date is right is debated, with most scholars favoring 538; the Nihon Shoki account is partly embellished.
▸Gwanggaeto Stele has a disputed passage on Baekje's ties with Yamato JapanDebated
The connection
A passage for the year 391 seems to say the Wa (Japanese) crossed the sea and defeated Baekje and Silla, making them subjects. Japanese scholars once used it to support claims of ancient Japanese rule in southern Korea. Many Korean scholars read it differently, with Goguryeo as the subject, or as Goguryeo propaganda inflating its enemy.
When and how
The 391 'sinmyo-year' passage; the dispute began after a Japanese army officer brought a copy to Japan in 1883 and sharpened in the 1970s.
How sure are we?
Several characters are damaged and the grammar allows more than one reading; an early rubbing published in 2005 by Chinese scholar Xu Jianxin argues against deliberate tampering.
Debates and open questions
In 1972 scholar Lee Jin-hee charged that the Japanese army altered characters with lime; most scholars now reject deliberate alteration, but the meaning remains disputed.