The five kings of Wa (倭の五王) were kings of ancient Japan who sent envoys to China during the 5th century to strengthen the legitimacy of their claims to power by gaining the recognition of a Chinese emperor during the chaotic period of the Northern and Southern dynasties, when either dynasty was desperate to gain legitimacy over the other by trying to assert itself as the granter of official titles, through garnering as many foreign countries willing to receive titles. Details about the five kings are unknown. According to written records in China, their names were San, Chin , Sai , Kō and Bu. But no kings with such names appear in the Japanese records, and where during this time only 3 appear instead of 5, spurring much debate of their identities. There is also a briefly mentioned king named Dei of Wa who may have came before the five kings, but whose existence is disputed.

Titles for the Kings of Wa

In summary, the monarchs of Wa repeatedly asked for the titles: The Southern dynasty of Liu Song (not to be confused with the Song), with the most interaction with the 5 Kings of Wa, readily granted the title of King of Wa on request, but repeatedly refused them the 二品 Class 2, 6th rank 安東大將軍 (Grand Peacekeeper-General of the East), and bestowed them the 三品 Class 3, 3rd rank 安東將軍 (Peacekeeper-General of the East) instead until their final year of reign when their waning power rendered them desperate for allies.

Peacekeeper-General of the East

In the Liu Song, the highest rank of military commanders were all in Class 2 of the Nine-Rank System based on the system used in the Jin Dynasty (Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty used the 武職二十四班 24-Class Martial Occupation system instead). These were also bestowed to the rulers of the subject state (located in the East of China) who sent envoy to the emperor of the Dynasty. The highest general title was 征東大將軍 (Grand General conquering the East). The next highest title was 鎮東大將軍 (Grand Suppressor-General of the East). The third highest and the lowest among three was 安東大將軍 (Grand Peacekeeper-General of the East). In the Song dynasty, the emperors bestowed 3 eastern monarchies (夷): Of these 3 eastern countries, only the Wa were recorded to have visited Song already with 自稱 (self-proclaimed) titles. There are interpretations on this fact that the King of Goguryeo stood in the highest rank, and the King of Wa stood in the lowest rank, while the King of Baekje stood between Goguryeo and Wa. But there are also other opinions against this interpretation. The difference of general ranks among the three states (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Wa) was due to the order which each state had first sent envoy to the dynasty, and it cannot be said that the ranks of Goguryeo and Baekje were substantially higher than that of Wa. Sakamoto also points out the different view on these general titles. But these assertions are refutable; seeing that the Class 2 安東大將軍 title is a specific self-proclaimed title by the Wa, not one where the Wa asked to be have any available Class 2 generalship and the Liu Song deciding to relegate them behind Baekje without Wa's consent. Furthermore, If the Wa in asking for affirmation in their self-proclaimed 安東大將軍 title were deliberately humbling themselves to be ranked behind the Goguryeo and Baekje in the Liu Song hierarchy, then Baekje would not be included in Sai's 438 self-proclaimed Command of All Military Affairs of Six Countries, nor would it be included in Bu's 477 self-proclaimed Command of All Military Affairs of Seven Countries. Wang Jiànqún 王健群, points out that the fact Wa's frequent askance for recognition, undermines credence to their claim, on top of their self-proclaimed titles being rejected and given a lower grade title Song is destroyed in 479, and with a shift in Chinese dynasties, a new titles were issued anew:

Regional Appointments

Comparing contemporary historical records of the regions in the Korean peninsula around this time, and numerous discrepancies listed below, it is obvious these claims are false. In context, exploiting China's lack of interest in eastern matters to lay false claim over neighboring territories was not a new custom in East Asia. Baekje itself had claimed that Silla is under its control prior; Goguryeo claimed Baekje and Silla are both under its control. Also, a few entries prior to the Kings of Wa, the Book of Song in introducing the Baekje, described that Baekje rules the Liaoxi region while Goguryeo rules the Liaodong region. This blatant inaccuracy is also evidence that Liu Song was rather uninformed or uninterested in keeping accurate knowledge of geopolitical situations out east.

Chinese records

Comparison with the Nihon Shoki

As the name of kings recorded in Chinese history are very different from the names of Emperors in the Nihon Shoki, the specification of which emperor was the one recorded is the subject of numerous disputes which have endured for centuries. Most contemporary historians assign the five Japanese kings to the following emperors (two possibilities are identified for the Kings San and Chin), mostly based on the individual features of their genealogies reported in the Chinese sources. On the other hand, archeological evidence, such as the inscriptions on the Inariyama and Eta Funayama Sword, also supports the idea that Bu is an equivalent of Emperor Yūryaku, who was called Wakatakeru Ōkimi by his contemporaries. Since Bu is most likely to be Yūryaku, Kō, who is said to be Bu's older brother, is likely to be an equivalent of Ankō, who is also noted in the Nihonshoki as an elder brother to Yūryaku. However, the Book of Song records Kō as "Crown Prince Kō"; there is a possibility that he is not Ankō, but rather Prince Kinashi no Karu, who was a crown prince of Ingyō.