The Shōtoku Constitution

Like most rulers, the Yamatos feared that their power would be usurped from them. Therefore, they wanted to not only legitimize their sovereignty over the Yamato state, but also not allow anyone to question their sovereignty. Prince Shōtoku attempted to achieve this by leaving behind the Shōtoku constitution in 604 AD. This constitution attempted to destroy the clan system throughout the Yamato state by unifying the Yamato state under one religion and one leader. This constitution also attempted to create an unintelligent society, so that no one even thinks about challenging their sovereignty. Later, the Yamato state published three additional ancient texts that attempted to validate the Shōtoku constitution by providing evidence for the constitution's
claims: the Kojiki, Manyoshu and Nihongi. These texts presented themselves as the truth, while they were myths, or in other words, they were mythistories. Therefore, every single word in those texts were written to have a deliberate effect. Hence, we must recognize that the stories inside ancient texts such as the Nihongi, Manyoshu, and Kojiki are mythistories to see the true intentions of these “fictitious” stories. The Yamato state attempted to create a national religion and Emperor within the Yamato state in Shōtoku’s constitution, then they justified this proclamation inside the Kojiki.
The constitution states that “The Buddha, the Law, and the religious orders are [...] supreme objects of reverence in all countries” and “In a country there are not two lords.” These proclamations were further exemplified with the stories inside the Kojiki and Nihongi of the Yamato state. The Kojiki and Nihongi presented themselves as the only true source of history. Therefore, all other accounts of history (religion) and political system are falsehoods. This shows that the Yamato state attempted to delegitimize the religious and political system of clans that surrounded Yamato state. This was done because the Yamato state wanted clans to disappear because they posed the most urgent threat to the Yamato state’s sovereignty. This reveals to us that if we saw the stories within ancient texts such as the Kojiki as just fairy tales instead of mythistories, we would not be able to fully understand the purpose of these stories, which would give us a very narrow understanding of these stories. However, if we notice that these stories are mythistory, we would gain a much more complete understanding of these stories because we can see the true purpose of these
stories. The Yamatos also employed the usage of dichotomy in their ancient texts’ stories to unify their citizens under one leader.
Inside the Shōtoku constitution, it states “Chastise that which is evil and encourage that which is good.” This creates a dichotomy between evil and good. However, the term evil and good are very subjective. This led to the Yamato state defining what is evil and good inside their mythistories. The Yamatos were presented as “cradle of virtue and humanness” inside the Nihongi, Manyoshu, and Kojiki. In contrast, clans, the biggest threat to the Yamato state’s sovereignty, were shown as evil. This helped bolster the sovereignty of the Yamatos because it created an impression that the Yamatos are benevolent and merciful rulers, while the clansmen would harm the state and citizens because they’re “evil”. Hence, the Yamatos should be the rightful rulers of the Yamato state, while the clansmen should have no power or say over the Yamato state. This usage of mythistory to justify their sovereignty also reveal to us that these ancient texts were meticulously crafted for a reason. Therefore, if we do not view the stories inside ancient texts as mythistories, we cannot fully grasp the intentions of these stories, which limits our comprehension of these
stories. Another ramification of the Yamato state’s mythistory was the promotion of a society that lacks critical thinking. Inside the constitution, it states “when the lord speaks, the vassal listens; when the superior acts, the inferior yields compliance.” This quote promotes a society that does not think critically because they’re not allowed to ever questions their superiors. Their “superiors” also claimed in the Kojiki and Nihongi that the royal family had been in power since the beginning of time. Therefore, these texts promoted a society within the Yamato state where the populace would never question why the Yamatos are in charge, and instead they would accept the Yamato’s rule as part of the natural order. This would make it easier for the Yamatos to stay in power because no one questions their sovereignty. Therefore, these texts and stories not only helped validate their sovereignty of the royal family, but they also helped safeguard their sovereignty. If we do not observe that these stories are mythistories, we cannot even come close to truly grasping the essence and objective of these stories, which blinds us from their ramifications. Therefore, the depth of our understanding of these stories hinges on our knowledge of how ancient texts and mythistory are interrelated.