Nagasunehiko- Japanese FigureMortal"Lord of Tomi"

The Defense of Yamato

When Kamuyamato Iwarebiko, later known as Emperor Jimmu, led his forces eastward from Hyūga to claim dominion over the Yamato heartland, the first significant resistance he encountered came from Nagasunehiko, the powerful chieftain of the Tomi district. Nagasunehiko commanded a formidable army and met the invaders in battle near Kusaka, in the area of modern Higashi-Ōsaka. His forces proved devastating: during the fighting, his warriors struck down Itsuse no Mikoto, Jimmu's elder brother, with an arrow that pierced the prince's hand. Itsuse, gravely wounded, declared it was unfitting for descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu to fight while facing the sun and died shortly after at Kama in the province of Kii. The defeat forced Jimmu to withdraw southward and circle the Kii Peninsula entirely, approaching Yamato from the east so that the sun would be at his back rather than blinding his men. The Kojiki records this reversal as a pivotal moment in the eastern expedition, transforming what had begun as a direct westward assault into the long, circuitous march through Kumano that would define Jimmu's founding legend.

Divine Intervention and Defeat

When Jimmu finally approached Yamato from the eastern mountains, Nagasunehiko marshaled his forces once more. This time, the heavens intervened. A golden kite descended and perched upon Jimmu's bow, its body blazing with such radiance that Nagasunehiko's warriors were blinded and thrown into confusion. Unable to fight against both the invading army and divine portents, Nagasunehiko's position crumbled. His own brother-in-law, Nigihayahi no Mikoto, who had himself descended from heaven before Jimmu's arrival and married Nagasunehiko's sister Mikashikiyahime, recognized the divine mandate Jimmu carried. The Nihon Shoki records a final exchange between the two kinsmen: Nagasunehiko presented the heavenly tokens (ama-tsu-shirushi) that Nigihayahi had received upon his own celestial descent, arguing that his cause was legitimate. But Nigihayahi acknowledged Jimmu's credentials as those of the true heavenly sovereign and turned against Nagasunehiko. In the Nihon Shoki's account, Nigihayahi slew Nagasunehiko directly; the Kojiki records simply that Nagasunehiko was defeated and his resistance ended. With his fall, the last obstacle to Jimmu's sovereignty was removed, and the conqueror established his court at Kashihara, founding the imperial line that the chronicles present as unbroken to the present day.