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Toraijin () refers to the people who came to Japan from mainland Asia in ancient times, as well as their descendants. Up until the 1960s, these people were commonly called the "Kikajin", meaning "naturalized people", but beginning in the 1970s, the term was replaced by "Toraijin", meaning "people who have crossed over" as not all those who came to Japan became naturalized. They arrived in Japan as early as the Jōmon period or , and their arrival became more significant from the end of the 4th century () to the late 7th century (). During these periods, they introduced , , Chinese characters (/), , , and cultural practices such as production and weaving to Japan. They were favored by the , and many were appointed to government positions.


Overview
Historical records and archaeological data provide strong support for continued population movements from the continent to the Japanese archipelago via the southern from 800 BCE to 600 AD.
(2025). 9780521884907, Cambridge University press.
(2025). 9781789699661, Archaeopress Archaeology.
The Toraijins arrived in the archipelago in multiples waves.

In the initial wave starting approximately three thousand years ago, the Toraijins introduced wet-rice farming to the archipelago, where the indigenous Jōmon people were engaged in subsistence based primarily on fishing, hunting, and gathering. During the middle-Yayoi period from approximately 350 BCE to 50 CE, Toraijins arrived with bronze technology. 20th century anthropologists such as Torii Ryūzō stated that " the Stone Age in Japan and that in Korea are very similar. The similarities are so outstanding that we can say their relationship was like that of cousins, if not of a parent and child, or siblings" in his book Yūshi izen no Nihon (有史以前の日本/Japan before History) highlighting a close connection between the Japanese and the Koreans even during the periods due to the major overlap of immigrants.

During the formative 5th and 6th centuries, they brought horse breeding and horse driven transportation, stoneware pottery, high temperature iron-working, advanced iron tool manufacturing, and their Chinese-based writing system. In addition to technological and cultural contributions, Toraijins also brought the ideologies of Confucianism and Buddhism from the mainland, which were critical to the state formation and socio-cultural changes during the and .

According to modern Japanese researchers, in each major epoch in Japanese history, Toraijins arriving from the Korean peninsula acted as transmitters and transplanters of advanced continental technology and culture to the Japanese archipelago, just as the population groups on the Korean peninsula experienced similar transformations with the arrival of millet and rice agriculture, bronze and iron objects and technologies, and culture and religion from further west and north in the continent.


History
The periods of arrival of the Toraijins can be divided into four categories: 2nd–3rd century BC, around 5th century BC (Five kings of Wa's reign), late 5th–6th century, and 7th century.


Early periods
Early Torajins, who arrived in the 1st millennium BC (encompassing early-Jōmon period to middle-), are thought to have introduced rice cultivation and earthenware (such as Jōmon pottery and ) to Japan (mainly in northern Kyushu). According to (Nihon Shoki) and the , the first major arrival to Japan was during the reign of Emperor Ōjin. Due to a major upheaval on the Korean peninsula at that time, it is believed that many people from the peninsula migrated to Japan to escape the political chaos and subsequently introduced new technology such iron tools, irrigation technology, Chinese knowledge, religions and much more. The tools and technology they brought with them may have revolutionized the production methods and labor patterns that had existed until then. These immigrants from Korea also introduced , a foreign species to the archipelago at the time, and . With this, horse riding became a common practice in Japan and were later incorporated into future military purposes.


Kofun period
During the and the turbulent Three Kingdoms period of Korea, there was extensive migrations from Korean polities to the Japanese archipelago, particularly from and , both of which developed friendship as well as economic and military alliances with . Minimal travel occurred between the kingdom of Silla and the archipelago owing to a hostile relationship between the Yamato Kingship and Silla. The Wa elites, such as Yamato elites in Kinki, Tsukushi elites in Fukuoka, and Kibi elites in Okayama, sought to establish socio-political advantages in the archipelago and welcomed and integrated the newcomers with peninsular goods and advanced technology. In 552 AD, King Seong of Baekje sent envoys to the Yamato court, bringing Buddha statues and Buddhist classics, and Buddhist culture was also introduced to Japan. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan, it became one of the main religions in Japan and a part of today's Japanese culture.

These immigrants settled and re-established themselves as farmers, iron technicians, horse breeders, merchants and traders, dam builders, craftsmen, among others, earning them the name "Imaki no Tehito (今來才技, “recently arrived skilled artisans”)" in the . Groups arriving from the peninsula have settled in and formed communities in various parts of the archipelago, including Fukuoka in northern Kyushu to Okayama on the Inland Sea, to the Kyoto–Osaka– Nara area, to Gunma north of Tokyo, and as far as Sendai in northeastern Honshu. Once fully settled on the Japanese Archipelago, these immigrants became known as "Kikajin", or "naturalized immigrants". While migrants initially settled in Kyushu due to geographic proximity to the peninsula, by the fourth century, migrants had shifted their destination to the Kinki region, the core base of the Yamato elites, of Nara, Osaka, Kyoto, and Otsu region. Anthropologist Torii Ryūzō also recounted the attires worn by Toraijins during Kofun period stating " the customs, including love of swords, skills in bow and arrows, tied hair, beads decorations, long sleeves and baggy pants, leather boots, and daggers on the belt, are exactly what you can find in early northeast Asia. The same can be said about their arrows with feathers and whistling arrowheads." Torii labeled the previous Yayoi group as the "earthly tribe kunitsu" of Japan while labeling the newly introduced Kofun group as the "heavenly tribe amatsu". This sentiment was carried over by a fellow anthropologist, (喜田 貞吉) who associated the "heavenly tribe (Kofun people)" of Japan to the people stating that " … the incoming heavenly tribe, who conquered, appeased, annexed, and assimilated the and constituted the , were previously residents of . The had moved to the Japanese islands at some point."

20th century linguist, Shōzaburo Kanazawa (金沢 庄三郎) even wrote that " the belongs to the same line of languages as our [Japonic language]]. This is a branch of our language, just as the Ryukyu dialect is" in his book Nikkan ryōkokugo dōkeiron (日韓両国語同系論) in 1910, postulating that the " Theory on Japanese‑Korean Common Ancestry" also known as Nissen dōsoron that was introduced during the Japanese annexation period of Korea was factually correct. Kanazawa essentially categorized the Buyeo people, who were Koreanic speaking , and Kofun period Toraijins as the same ethnic group, predicating that because the Kofun people were a key component of Japanese history, genealogy and therefore identity, the Buyeo people and their language were also inherently Japanese.However, due to the popular belief that Japan was more sophisticated than Korea at the time, Japanese scholars purposefully evaded claiming that Korea was the main pillar of both groups, but rather, it was propagandized to claim that Korea was the offshoot branch of the bigger Japan-Korea ethnicity. Hence, why Koreans were regarded as being "part" of the Japanese race, and not vice versa. Regardless of the macro-ethnocentric position taken by Imperial Japan in regards to Korea at the time, a similar conclusion was drawn over a century later in 2022 supporting that even linguistically, Japonic and Koreanic speakers were indeed heavily related.

National Museum of Nature and Science held a special exhibition in May 2025 that revolved around the genetic makeup of the Japanese surrounding specific periods. The director of the museum stated that the majority of the relics found during the Kofun period bore heavy resemblance with those found in Korea. He also emphasized that the immigrants who brought new technology entered after the late-Yayoi period and are considered as main contributors to the modern Japanese people's genetic makeup. File:Periodo kofun, ornamento di bronzo per muso cavallo, V-VI sec.JPG| horse armor File:Gaya Confederacy Horse Armor.jpg| period horse armor File:Tanko Armor Kofun period 5th century iron plates sewn with leather strings Tokyo National Museum - DSC06388.jpg| armor File:Gaya Confederacy Iron Armor & Helmet (17812897089).jpg| period armor File:Iron Tanko Armor, Kofun period, 5th century, from Nagatoronishi Tumulus, Takasaki-shi, Gunma, iron plates sewn with leather strings - Tokyo National Museum - DSC06384.JPG| armor File:Baekje Iron Body Armor (29897667390).jpg| period armor File:Slippers from Eta Funayama Tumulus, Nagomi-machi, Kumamoto, Kofun period, 5th-6th century, gilt bronze - Tokyo National Museum - DSC05636.JPG| gilt bronze slippers File:Baekje Gilt Bronze Shoes (30200870565).jpg| period gilt bronze slippers File:Crown, Kofun period, 6th-7th century - Tokyo National Museum - DSC06430.JPG| crown ( pattern) File:Gold Crown of Silla Kingdom 03d.jpg| period crown ( pattern) File:升田山15号墳出土 杏葉.JPG| ornament File:Goguryeo Kingdom Iron Horse Ornament (17371609873).jpg| period ornament These new waves of immigrants from Korea continued well into the Asuka period. However, their influence is believed to have reached its peak during the Kofun period and slowly fell off afterward with numbers dwindling over time. Since then, Japan and its demographics began to homogenize from that point on.


Asuka period
After entering the , many Japanese royals and ministers believed in Buddhism, such as Prince Shōtoku and Soga Mako, and devoted themselves to promoting Buddhism. The reason why people went to Japan was that Japan asked Baekje for craftsmen and and escaped from .森公章「『帰化人と古代国家を読む』、平野前掲書解説

In the 7th century, exiles from , which had been defeated at the Battle of Baekgang, entered Japan. The technology and culture brought by the Toraijins contributed to the advanced development of Japan at that time.平野邦雄『帰化人と古代国家』吉川弘文館、2007年、p.2 Toraijins occupied an important position in the military and political affairs of the Yamato regime due to their advanced skills in arms manufacturing, weaving, and agriculture. They also made significant contributions to the development of Japanese culture.


Notable Toraijin clans
The Yamato basin was the home of powerful clans with Toraijin connections, such as the with affiliation and which emerged as the most powerful clan in the Yamato by the middle of 6th century, and the with roots in the and .

Influential Toraijin clans with imperial ties included the (多遅摩氏) of Silla descent, as well as Kudara no Konikishi clan and Yamato no Fuhito clan, both of Baekje descent. During the 3rd or 4th century, , a prince from and also a Toraijin, immigrated to Japan and became the ancestor to Empress Jingū while founding the Tajima clan. Early in the eighth century, Lady Takano no Niigasa, a member of the Yamato no Fuhito clan and a descendant of Muryeong of Baekje, married Prince Shirakabe (the future Emperor Kōnin) and gave birth to Yamanobe in 737 in Nara, who was enthroned in 781 and became .

Other representative Toraijin groups of the 4th and 5th centuries were the and the Kawachinofumi clan (西文氏). These Toraijins possessed superior technology and ability, and were fundamental to Japan's nation-building. The Hata clan is descended from Yuzuki no Kimi, who came from Silla on the Korean Peninsula around the 4th or 5th century. Yuzuki no Kimi came to Kyushu with 30,000 to 40,000 laborers from 127 prefectures. They served the Yamato royal court as officials in charge of finances. His headquarters was originally located in Yamaboshi, Kyoto, but he later moved to Uzumasa (Kyoto City). Along with their activities in the center of Japan, the descendants of the Hata extended their influence nationwide, from Owari and Mino to Bicchu and Chiku.


Famous Toraijin figures
  • Achi no omi - Founder of .
  • - Founder of . Ancestor of god of sweets, and Empress Jingū.
  • - Last heir of Baekje and brother of Zenkō, founder of Kudara no Konikishi clan.
  • Mokuto-Ō - Founder of Oka no Muraji clan.
  • - Founder of Tatara clan and its branch clan, Ōuchi clan.
  • - Founder of Yamato no Fuhito clan.
  • Takano no Niigasa - Family of Yamato no Fuhito clan. Mother of .
  • Wani - Founder of Kawachinofumi clan.
  • Yuzuki no Kimi - Founder of .

Suspected individuals:

  • Fujiwara no Kamatari(?) - Founder of . Suspected to be a Toraijin and may even be .
  • Takenouchi no Sukune(?) - Father to founders of Toraijin clans such as Hata no Yashiro () and Soga no Ishikawa (). Suspected to be a Toraijin.


Population estimates
The method proposed by Koyama (1978) to calculate the ratio of the number of sites from multiple periods enables population estimates for the Jomon and Yayoi periods, which in turn enables the demographic simulations of Koyama and Sugitoh (1984) and Hanihara (1987) into the prehistoric period of Japan.

The current consensus in regards to Toraijin population estimation is highly debated.

Hanihara argued that more than 3 million (3025 people/year) immigrated to the Japanese archipelago between 300 BC–700 AD. In addition, based on estimates from studies of Senzuka (cemeteries of “thousand tombs”) belonging to the Toraijins from the southwestern Korean peninsula and their descendants, Shinichirō Ishiwatari postulated that at least a million people from the peninsula arrived in the archipelago just during the 125 years between 475–600 CE.

However, the hypothesis of a very large number of migrants coming to the Japanese archipelago, as represented by Hanihara and Ishiwatari, was criticized by later simulation studies (Nakahashi and Iizuka 1998, 2008) with Aoki and Tuljapurkar (2000) estimating a smaller number of migrants (around 50 to 100 migrants/year).

Recently, there is a shift from finding population estimates to finding the number of waves that entered Japan, as deducing an exact number across several millennia is deemed less feasible. The waves are identified through genetics, anthropology, and linguistics.


Genetics
The term "Toraijin" usually encompasses the Jōmon period, , , and the , therefore it is considered too broad to be condensed into a single name or a group genealogically.

For scientific analysis of the Japanese people's ancestry, see Genetic and anthropometric studies on Japanese people.


See also
  • Japanese clans#Toraijin (渡来人): List of Toraijin clans of different origins.
  • Nissen dōsoron: A theory that revolves around Japan and Korea's demographics' genealogy impacted by ancient Toraijins.
  • Shinsen Shōjiroku: An imperially commissioned record published in 814 which includes families that have roots in Toraijin ancestors.

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