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Is Japan From The Lost Tribes?
« on: April 07, 2007, 10:33:19 PM »
http://moshiach.com/features/tribes/japan.php

Mystery of the Ten Lost Tribes
Japan - Part 1/3
by Arimasa Kubo


Will we bring sacrifices when Moshiach comes?

A guide to communication with Color and Symphony.

 
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Israelites Came To Ancient Japan

Many of the traditional ceremonies in Japan seem to indicate that the Lost Tribes of Israel came to ancient Japan.


Ark of the covenant of Israel (bottom) and "Omikoshi" ark of Japan (top)

In Nagano prefecture, Japan, there is a large Shinto shrine named "Suwa-Taisha" (Shinto is the national traditional religion peculiar to Japan.)

At Suwa-Taisha, the traditional festival called "Ontohsai" is held on April 15 every year (When the Japanese used the lunar calendar it was March-April). This festival illustrates the story of Isaac in chapter 22 of Genesis in the Bible - when Abraham was about to sacrifice his own son, Isaac. The "Ontohsai" festival, held since ancient days, is judged to be the most important festival of "Suwa-Taisha."


The "Suwa-Taisha" shrine

At the back of the shrine "Suwa-Taisha," there is a mountain called Mt. Moriya ("Moriya-san" in Japanese). The people from the Suwa area call the G-d of Mt. Moriya "Moriya no kami," which means, the "G-d of Moriya." This shrine is built to worship the "G-d of Moriya."

At the festival, a boy is tied up by a rope to a wooden pillar, and placed on a bamboo carpet. A Shinto priest comes to him preparing a knife, and he cuts a part of the top of the wooden pillar, but then a messenger (another priest) comes there, and the boy is released. This is reminiscent of the Biblical story in which Isaac was released after an angel came to Abraham.

The knife and sword used in the "Ontohsai" festival

At this festival, animal sacrifices are also offered. 75 deer are sacrificed, but among them it is believed that there is a deer with its ear split. The deer is considered to be the one G-d prepared. It could have had some connection with the ram that G-d prepared and was sacrificed after Isaac was released. Since the ram was caught in the thicket by the horns, the ear might have been split.

In ancient time of Japan there were no sheep and it might be the reason why they used deer (deer is Kosher). Even in historic times, people thought that this custom of deer sacrifice was strange, because animal sacrifice is not a Shinto tradition.

My friend went to Israel and saw a Passover festival on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria. He asked a Samaritan priest how many rams were offered. The priest answered that they used to offer 75. This may have a connection with the 75 deer which were offered at Suwa-Taisha shrine in Japan.


Abraham and Isaac

People call this festival "the festival for Misakuchi-G-d". "Misakuchi" might be "mi-isaku-chi." "Mi" means "great," "isaku" is most likely Isaac (the Hebrew word "Yitzhak"), and "chi" is something for the end of the word. It seems that the people of Suwa made Isaac a G-d, probably by the influence of idol worshipers.

Today, this custom of the boy about to be sacrificed and then released, is no longer practiced, but we can still see the custom of the wooden pillar called "oniye-basira," which means, "sacrifice-pillar."

The "oniye-bashira" on which the boy is supposed to be tied up

Currently, people use stuffed animals instead of performing a real animal sacrifice. Tying a boy along with animal sacrifice was regarded as savage by people of the Meiji-era (about 100 years ago), and those customs were discontinued. However, the festival itself still remains.

The custom of the boy had been maintained until the beginning of Meiji era. Masumi Sugae, who was a Japanese scholar and a travel writer in the Edo era (about 200 years ago), wrote a record of his travels and noted what he saw at Suwa. The record shows the details of "Ontohsai." It tells that the custom of the boy about to be sacrificed and his ultimate release, as well as animal sacrifices that existed those days. His records are kept at the museum near Suwa-Taisha.

The festival of "Ontohsai" has been maintained by the Moriya family ever since ancient times. The Moriya family think of "Moriya-no-kami" (G-d of Moriya) as their ancestor's G-d. They also consider "Mt. Moriya" as their holy place. The name, "Moriya," could have come from "Moriah" (the Hebrew word "Moriyyah") of Genesis 22:2, that is today's Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Among Jews, G-d of Moriah means the one true G-d whom the Bible teaches.

The Moriya family have been hosting the festival for 78 generations. And the curator of the museum said to me that the faith in the G-d of Moriya had existed among the people since the time of B.C.E.

Apparently, no other country but Japan has a festival illustrating the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac. This tradition appears to provide strong evidence that the ancient Israelites came to ancient Japan.


Japanese Religious Priests "Yamabushi" Put A Black Box on their Foreheads Just As Jews Put A Phylactery on their Foreheads.


A "yamabushi" with a "tokin" blowing a horn

A Jew with a phylactery blowing a shofar

"Yamabushi" is a religious man in training unique to Japan. Today, they are thought to belong to Japanese Buddhism. However, Buddhism in China, Korea and India have no such custom. The custom of "yamabushi" existed in Japan before Buddhism was imported into Japan in the seventh century.

On the forehead of "Yamabushi," he puts a black small box called a "tokin", which is tied to his head with a black cord. He greatly resembles a Jew putting on a phylactery (black box) on his forehead with a black cord. The size of this black box "tokin" is almost the same as the Jewish phylactery, but its shape is round and flower-like.

Israel and Japan are the only two countries that in the world I know of that use of the black forehead box for religious purpose.

Furthermore, the "yamabushi" use a big seashell as a horn. This is very similar to Jews blowing a shofar or ram's horn. The way it is blown and the sounds of the "yamabushi's" horn are very similar to those of a shofar. Because there are no sheep in Japan, the "yamabushi" had to use seashell horns instead of rams' horns.

"Yamabushis" are people who regard mountains as their holy places for religious training. The Israelites also regarded mountains as their holy places. The Ten Commandments of the Torah were given on Mt. Sinai. Jerusalem is a city on a mountain.

In Japan, there is the legend of "Tengu" who lives on a mountain and has the figure of a "yamabushi". He has a pronounced nose and supernatural capabilities. A "ninja", who was an agent or spy in the old days, while working for his lord, goes to "Tengu" at the mountain to get from him supernatural abilities. "Tengu" gives him a "tora-no-maki" (a scroll of the "torah") after giving him additional powers. This "scroll of the tora" is regarded as a very important book which is helpful for any crisis. Japanese use this word sometimes in their current lives.

There is no knowledge that a real scroll of a Jewish Torah was ever found in a Japanese historical site. However, it appears this "scroll of the tora" is a derivation of the Jewish Torah.

Japanese "Omikoshi" Resembles the Ark of the Covenant.

In the Torah (Divrei Hayamim I ch. 15), it is written that David brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord into Jerusalem.

"David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the L-rd from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. ...Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the singers, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod. So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the L-rd with shouts, with the sounding of rams' horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps." (15:25-28)

When I read these passages, I think; "How well does this look like the scene of Japanese people carrying our 'omikoshi' during festivals? The shape of the Japanese 'Omikoshi' appears similar to the ark of the covenant. Japanese sing and dance in front of it with shouts, and to the sounds of musical instruments. These are quite similar to the customs of ancient Israel."

Japanese carry the "omikoshi" on their shoulders with poles - usually two poles. So did the ancient Israelites:

"The Levites carried the ark of G-d with poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the L-rd." (Divrei Hayamim I 15:15) The Israeli ark of the covenant had two poles (Exodus 25:10-15).

Some restored models of the ark as it was imagined to be have used two poles on the upper parts of the ark. But the Bible says those poles were to be fastened to the ark by the four rings "on its four feet" (Exodus 25:12). Hence, the poles must have been attached on the bottom of the ark. This is similar to the Japanese "omikoshi."

The Israeli ark had two statues of gold kruvim on its top. Kruvim are a type of angel, heavenly being having wings like birds. Japanese "omikoshi" also have on its top the gold bird called "Ho-oh" which is an imaginary bird and a mysterious heavenly being.

The entire Israeli ark was overlaid with gold. Japanese "omikoshi" are also overlaid partly and sometimes entirely with gold. The size of an "omikoshi" is almost the same as the Israeli ark. Japanese "omikoshi" could be a remnant of the ark of ancient Israel.

Many Things Concerning the Ark Resemble Japanese Customs.

King David and people of Israel sang and danced to the sounds of musical instruments in front of the ark. We Japanese sing and dance to the sounds of musical instruments in front of "omikoshi" as well.

Several years ago, I saw an American-made movie titled "King David" which was a faithful story of the life of King David. In the movie, David was seen dancing in front of the ark while it was being carried into Jerusalem. I thought: "If the scenery of Jerusalem were replaced by Japanese scenery, this scene would be just the same as what can be observed in Japanese festivals." The atmosphere of the music also resembles the Japanese style. David's dancing appears similar to Japanese traditional dancing.

At the Shinto shrine festival of "Gion-jinja" in Kyoto, men carry "omikoshi," then enter a river, and cross it. I can't help but think this originates from the memory of the Ancient Israelites carrying the ark as they crossed the Jordan river after their exodus from Egypt.

In a Japanese island of the Inland Sea of Seto, the men selected as the carriers of the "omikoshi" stay together at a house for one week before they would carry the "omikoshi." This is to prevent profaning themselves. Furthermore on the day before they carry "omikoshi," the men bathe in seawater to sanctify themselves. This is similar to an ancient Israelite custom:

"So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord G-d of Israel." (Divrei Hayamim I 15:14)

The Bible says that after the ark entered Jerusalem and the march was finished, "David distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins" (Divrei Hayamim I 16:3). This is similar to a Japanese custom. Sweets are distributed to everyone after a Japanese festival. It was a delight during my childhood.

The Robe of Japanese Priests Resembles the Robe of Israeli Priests.

The Bible says that when David brought up the ark into Jerusalem, "David was clothed in a robe of fine linen" (Divrei Hayamim I 15:27). The same was true for the priests and choirs. In the Japanese Bible, this verse is translated into "robe of white linen."

In ancient Israel, although the high priest wore a colorful robe, ordinary priests wore simple white linen. Priests wore white clothes at holy events. Japanese priests also wear white robes at holy events.

In Ise-jingu, one of the oldest Japanese shrines, all of the priests wear white robes. And in many Japanese Shinto shrines, especially traditional ones, the people wear white robes when they carry the "omikoshi" just like the Israelites did.

Buddhist priests wear luxurious colorful robes. However, in the Japanese Shinto religion, white is regarded as the holiest color.

The Emperor of Japan, just after he finishes the ceremony of his accession to the throne, appears alone in front of the Shinto G-d. When he arrives there, he wears a pure white robe covering his entire body except that his feet are naked. This is similar to the action of Moses and Joshua who removed their sandals in front of G-d to be in bare feet (Shmos 3:5, Yehoshua 5:15).

Marvin Tokayer, a rabbi who lived in Japan for 10 years, wrote in his book:

"The linen robes which Japanese Shinto priests wear have the same figure as the white linen robes of the ancient priests of Israel. "

Japanese Shinto priest in white robe with fringes

The Japanese Shinto priest robe has cords of 20-30 centimeters long (about 10 inches) hung from the corners of the robe. These fringes are similar to those of the ancient Israelites. Devorim 22:12 says:

"make them fringes in the... corners of their garments throughout their generations."

Fringes (tassels) were a token that a person was an Israelite.

Imagined pictures of ancient Israeli clothing sometimes do not have fringes. But their robes actually had fringes. The Jewish Tallit (prayer shawl), which the Jews put on when they pray, has fringes in the corners according to tradition.

Japanese Shinto priests wear on their robe a rectangle of cloth from their shoulders to thighs. This is the same as the ephod worn by David:

"David also wore a linen ephod." (Divrei Hayamim I 15:27)

Although the ephod of the high priest was colorful with jewels, the ordinary priests under him wore the ephods of simple white linen cloth (Shmuel I 22:18). Rabbi Tokayer states that the rectangle of cloth on the robe of Japanese Shinto priest looks very similar to the ephod of the Kohen, the Jewish priest.

The Japanese Shinto priest puts a cap on his head just like Israeli priest did (Shmos 29:40). The Japanese priest also puts a sash on his waist. So did the Israeli priest. The clothing of Japanese Shinto priests appears to be similar to the clothing used by ancient Israelites.

Waving the Sheaf of Harvest Is Also the Custom of Japan.

The Jews wave a sheaf of their first fruits of grain seven weeks before Shavuot (Pentecost, Vayikra 23:10-11), They also wave a sheaf of plants at Sukkot (the Feast of Booths, Vayikra 23:40). This has been a tradition since the time of Moses. Ancient Israeli priests also waved a plant branch when he sanctifies someone. David said, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean" [Tehilim 51:7(9)]. This is also a traditional Japanese custom.

When a Japanese priest sanctifies someone or something, he waves a tree branch. Or he waves a "harainusa," which is made of a stick and white papers and looks like a plant. Today's "harainusa" is simplified and made of white papers that are folded in a zig-zag pattern like small lightning bolts, but in old days it was a plant branch or cereals.

A Japanese woman acquaintance of mine used to think of this "harainusa" as merely a pagan custom. But she later went to the U.S.A. and had an opportunity to attend a Sukkot ceremony. When she saw the Jewish waving of the sheaf of the harvest, she shouted in her heart, "Oh, this is the same as a Japanese priest does! Here lies the home for the Japanese."

The Structure of the Japanese Shinto Shrine is Similar to G-d's Tabernacle of Ancient Israel.

The inside of G-d's tabernacle in ancient Israel was divided into two parts. The first was the Holy Place, and the second was the Holy of Holies. The Japanese Shinto shrine is also divided into two parts.

The functions performed in the Japanese shrine are similar to those of the Israeli tabernacle. Japanese pray in front of its Holy Place. They cannot enter inside. Only Shinto priests and special ones can enter. Shinto priest enters the Holy of Holies of the Japanese shrine only at special times. This is similar to the Israeli tabernacle.

The Japanese Holy of Holies is located usually in far west or far north of the shrine. The Israeli Holy of Holies was located in far west of the temple. Shinto's Holy of Holies is also located on a higher level than the Holy Place, and between them are steps. Scholars state that, in the Israeli temple built by Solomon, the Holy of Holies was on an elevated level as well, and between them there were steps of about 2.7 meters (9 feet) in width.

In front of a Japanese shrine, there are two statues of lions known as "komainu" that sit on both sides of the approach. They are not idols but guards for the shrine. This was also a custom of ancient Israel. In G-d's temple in Israel and in the palace of Solomon, there were statues or relieves of lions (Melachim I 7:36, 10:19).

In the early history of Japan, there were absolutely no lions. But the statues of lions have been placed in Japanese shrines since ancient times. It has been proven by scholars that statues of lions located in front of Japanese shrines originated from the Middle East.

Located near the entrance of a Japanese shrine is a "temizuya" - a place for worshipers to wash their hands and mouth. They used to wash their feet, too, in old days. This is a similar custom as is found in Jewish synagogues. The ancient tabernacle and temple of Israel also had a laver for washing hands and feet near the entrances.

In front of a Japanese shrine, there is a gate called the "torii." The type gate does not exist in China or in Korea, it is peculiar to Japan. The "torii" gate consists of two vertical pillars and a bar connecting the upper parts. But the oldest form consists of only two vertical pillars and a rope connecting the upper parts. When a Shinto priest bows to the gate, he bows to the two pillars separately. It is assumed that the "torii" gate was originally constructed of only two pillars.

In the Israeli temple, there were two pillars used as a gate (Melachim I 7:21). And in Aramaic language which ancient Israelites used, the word for gate was "taraa." This word might have changed slightly and become the Japanese "torii".

Some "toriis," especially of old shrines, are painted red. I can't help but think this is a picture of the two door posts and the lintel on which the blood of the lamb was put the night before the exodus from Egypt.

In the Japanese Shinto religion, there is a custom to surround a holy place with a rope called the "shimenawa," which has slips of white papers inserted along the bottom edge of the rope. The "shimenawa" rope is set as the boundary. The Bible says that when Moses was given G-d's Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, he "set bounds" (Shmos 19:12) around it for the Israelites not to approach. Although the nature of these "bounds" is not known, ropes might have been used. The Japanese "shimenawa" rope might then be a custom that originates from the time of Moses. The zig-zag pattern of white papers inserted along the rope reminds me of the thunders at Mt. Sinai.

The major difference between a Japanese Shinto shrine and the ancient Israeli temple is that the shrine does not have the burning altar for animal sacrifices. I used to wonder why Shinto religion does not have the custom of animal sacrifices if Shinto originated from the religion of ancient Israel.

But then I found the answer in Devarim, chapter 12. Moses commanded the people not to offer any animal sacrifices at any other locations except at specific places in Canaan (12:10-14). Hence, if the Israelites came to ancient Japan, they would not be permitted to offer animal sacrifices.


Many Japanese Customs Resemble Those of Ancient Israel.

When Japanese people pray in front of the Holy Place of a Shinto shrine, they firstly ring the golden bell which is hung at the center of the entrance. This was also the custom of the ancient Israel. The high priest Aaron put "bells of gold" on the hem of his robe. This was so that its sound might be heard and he might not die when ministered there (Shmos 28:33-35).

Japanese people clap their hands two times when they pray there. This was, in ancient Israel, the custom to mean, "I keep promises." In the Scriptures, you can find the word which is translated into "pledge." The original meaning of this word in Hebrew is, "clap his hand" (Yechezkel 17:18, Shir Hashirim 6:1). It seems that the ancient Israelites clapped their hands when they pledged or did something important.

Japanese people bow in front of the shrine before and after clapping their hands and praying. They also perform a bow as a polite greeting when they meet each other. To bow was also the custom of the ancient Israel. Jacob bowed when he was approaching Esau (Breishis 33:3).
Ordinarily, contemporary Jews do not bow. However, they bow when reciting prayers. Modern Ethiopians have the custom of bowing, probably because of the ancient Jews who emigrated to Ethiopia in ancient days. The Ethiopian bow is similar to the Japanese bow.

We Japanese have the custom to use salt for sanctification. People sometimes sow salt after an offensive person leaves. When I was watching a TV drama from the times of the Samurai, a woman threw salt on the place where a man she hated left. This custom is the same as that of the ancient Israelites. After Abimelech captured an enemy city, "he sowed it with salt" (Shoftim 9:45). We Japanese quickly interpret this to mean to cleanse and sanctify the city.

I hear that when Jews move to a new house they sow it with salt to sanctify it and cleanse it. This is true also in Japan. In Japanese-style restaurants, they usually place salt near the entrance. Jews use salt for Kosher meat. All Kosher meat is purified with salt and all meals start with bread and salt.

Japanese people place salt at the entrance of a funeral home. After coming back from a funeral, one has to sprinkle salt on oneself before entering his/her house. It is believed in Shinto that anyone who went to a funeral or touched a dead body had become unclean. Again, this is the same concept as was observed by the ancient Israelites.

Japanese "sumo" wrestlers sow the sumo ring with salt before they fight. European or American people wonder why they sow salt. But Rabbi Tokayer wrote that Jews quickly understand its meaning.

Japanese people offer salt every time they perform a religious offering, This is the same custom used by the Israelites:

"With all your offerings you shall offer salt." (Vayikra 2:13)
Japanese people in old times had the custom of putting some salt into their baby's first bath. The ancient Israelites washed a newborn baby with water after rubbing the baby softly with salt (Yechezkel 16:4). Sanctification and cleansing with salt and/or water is a common custom among both the Japanese and the ancient Israelites.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the words "clean" and "unclean" often appear. Europeans and Americans are not familiar with this concept, but the Japanese understand it. A central concept of Shinto is to value cleanness and to avoid uncleanness. This concept probably came from ancient Israel.

Similar to Judaism, in Japanese Shinto Religion, There Are No Idols

Buddhist temples have idols which are carved in the shape of Buddha and other gods. However in Japanese Shinto shrines, there are no idols.

In the center of the Holy of Holies of a Shinto shrine, there is a mirror, sword, or pendant. Nevertheless, Shinto believers do not regard these items as their gods. In Shinto, gods are thought to be invisible. The mirror, sword, and pendant are not idols but merely objects to show that it is a holy place where invisible gods come down.

In the ark of the covenant of ancient Israel, there were stone tablets of G-d's Ten Commandments, a jar of manna and the rod of Aaron. These were not idols, but objects to show that it was the holy place where the invisible G-d comes down. The same thing can be said concerning the objects in Japanese shrines.

Ancient Japanese Possibly Had a Belief in Yah-weh

A major difference between the Shinto religion and Judaism is the Shinto believe many gods and the Judaic believe in one true G-d.

However, unlike modern Judaism, the ancient religion of Israel, especially of the Ten Northern Tribes, inclined to idol worship and polytheistic belief (belief in many gods). They not only believed in G-d Yah-weh, they also believed in other gods such as Baal, Asytaroth, Molech. Shinto's polytheistic belief system appears to have been derived from the polytheistic inclination of ancient Northern Israel. Shinto scholars state that the Shinto G-d, "Susanoh," resembles Baal in several aspects, and the Shinto female G-d, "Amaterasu," resembles Asytaroth.

Until 40 decades ago, at Mt. Inomure in Ooita prefecture, Japan, people had a ceremony to beg for rainfall. They put wood together in the shape of a Star of David for making the foundation. On it, they constructed a tower made of tree branches, and on its top, they put a bamboo pole tangled with a slough of snake. They burned the tower and prayed for rainfall. This is reminiscent of the story of the ancient Israelites burning incense to the bronze serpent (made by Moses) on the pole until the reign of the King Hezekiah (Melachim II 18:4).

Although Shinto is a polytheistic religion, I think there is the possibility that ancient Shinto had once believed in Hashem as well.

The first born among the Shinto gods is called "Amenominakanushi-no-kami." This G-d is said to have appeared first, live in the midst of the universe, had no shape, did not die, was the invisible master of the universe, and was the absolute G-d. He resembles the Biblical G-d as the Master of the Universe.

Archaeologists state that the religions of Babylon and Egypt had originally believed in one G-d called "the G-d of sky," who seemed to have a connection to the Biblical "G-d of heaven." Later, their religions degraded to the polytheism. I think that we can safely say the same thing happened to the Shinto religion. I suppose that the ancient Shinto religion had the belief in G-d Hashem, but later degenerated into polytheism. I believe that the Japanese people should come back to believe in one true G-d whom the Bible teaches.

A friend of mine, Mr. Tsujii, told me the following incident. A friend of Mr. Tsujii's, who was a passionate Shinto believer, came to him. The Shinto believer had read the Torah and said excitingly:

"I read the Torah. I was very surprised to learn about the religious ceremonies of ancient Israel. They are the same as Shinto's. The festivals, the Temple, the value of cleanness, all of those are the same as Shinto's!"

Then, Mr. Tsujii said to him:

"Yes, that is what I have also noticed. If you have discovered it, why don't you believe in G-d whom the Bible teaches? I believe that is the way to establish and recover the true Shinto religion in which you believe."

Hearing this, the Shinto believer was too surprised to say anything else for a while. Mr. Tsujii's words echo my own belief. I pray that all Japanese people may return to the belief in G-d of the Bible, because He is also the Father of the Japanese nation.

Festivals of Japan Resemble Those of Ancient Israel

Currently the Japanese celebrate the new year on January 1st, but historically the lunar calendar was used, when January 15th was the official date for the new year's celebration. It is a Japanese custom during the celebration to eat "mochi" (rice cakes) throughout the seven days. This is similar to Judaism, for the Bible states:

"And on the fifteenth day of the same month (first month) is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread." (Vayikra 23:6)

The recipe for "unleavened bread" is the same for Japanese "mochi," because if you use rice as the ingredient instead of wheat flour, it would become Japanese "mochi." The Hebrew word for unleavened bread" is "matzah." Most likely it is not accidental that these two words sound alike.

Furthermore, the Japanese people eat porridge with seven kinds of bitter herbs during celebration. In historical times people ate the herbs on January 15th. The ancient Israelites also ate "with bitter herbs" on the 15th of the first month (Shmos 12:8).

In Japan, the "Gion" festivals take place at many locations during the summer. The most important is the one held at the "Yasaka-jinja" Shinto shrine in Kyoto. The festival in Kyoto continues throughout July each year. However, the most important part of the festival is held from July 17th to 25th (We Japanese call it "the seventh month"). July 1st and 10th are also important. This has been a tradition since ancient times. But the 17th of the seventh month is the day that Noah's ark drifted to Ararat:

"Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat." (Breishis 8:4)

It is likely that the ancient Israelites had a thanksgiving feast on this day. However after Moses, it was replaced by the Feast of Booths (harvest festival), which is held on the 1st, 10th day of the seventh month, and during 8 days from the 15th of the seventh month (Bamidbar 29:1, 7, 12, 35).

The "Gion" festival in Kyoto started with the wish that no pestilence would occur among people. This is similar to what King Solomon stated, in the wish that no pestilence would occur in the country. The Israeli feast continued for 8 days (including the last meeting day) from the 15th of the seventh month (Divrei Hayamim II 7:8-10).

Over 120 years ago, a business man from Scotland, N. Mcleod, came to Japan to investigate the customs. He wrote a book entitled "Epitome of Japanese Ancient History." In the book, he wrote that the "Gion" festival in Kyoto greatly resembled Jewish festivals.

Rabbi Tokayer made a similar comment. He said that the name "Gion" reminds him of "Zion" which is another name for Jerusalem. In fact, Kyoto used to be called "Heian-kyo," which means "city of peace." Jerusalem in Hebrew also means "city of peace". "Heian-kyo" might be Japanese for "Jerusalem."

At the "Gion" festival in Kyoto, the people start the festival with a shout of "en-yara-yah." Japanese do not understand the meaning of this word. But, Eiji Kawamorita, a Japanese scholar who mastered Hebrew, wrote in his book that the word seemed to be a Hebrew expression "eni ahalel yah" which means "I praise Yah-weh (the Lord)."

« Last Edit: April 07, 2007, 10:37:26 PM by Yacov Menashe Ben Rachamim »

Offline Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks

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Re: Is Japan From The Lost Tribes?
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2007, 10:37:55 PM »
Yacov, this looks like dreck to me. Even if there WERE a chance that long, long ago Japanese had some Jewish ancestry, which I doubt, what have they become since? In WWII, the Japanese were Nazis who considered themselves the master race--their Shinto "g ods", much like the Norse "g ods", supposedly ordained it. Thus, they considered Koreans, Chinese, Indochinese, Russians, etc. to be subhumans. Look at the millions upon millions of Chinese they exterminated and all of the millions of women from all these nations they took as concentration-camp sex slaves for the soldiers (comfort women). (Not to mention what they did to captured American and British soldiers.)

Hirohito aped his idol Hitler to a T, and so did every single Japanese.

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Re: Is Japan From The Lost Tribes?
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2007, 10:49:08 PM »
Some Jews found refuge from Europe in Japan during The Holocaust.
I did not know this. I do know that these Shinto Nazis were 100% behind their friend Adolf's "final solution"

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Re: Is Japan From The Lost Tribes?
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2007, 10:52:12 PM »
Yeah, you might want to ask Chaim about this. I doubt that Jews added a "white component" to Japanese features. In ancient times the vast majority of Jews were Middle Eastern (i.e. looked Arabic).

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Re: Is Japan From The Lost Tribes?
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2007, 01:39:28 AM »
I think it's very unlikely considering that the ancient Japanese religion emphasized that each Japanese person was a child of the Sun.  Not to mention the fact that the Japanese did not even invent their own alphabet, they originally borrowed the Chinese alphabet.  Nothing about Japan reminds me of the beauty of Israel. 
Every white woman deserves the black man of her dreams.  But what does every white man deserve?

Offline MassuhDGoodName

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Re: Is Japan From The Lost Tribes?
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2007, 02:28:49 AM »
I'll tell you all the part about the ancient Japanese faith which isn't mentioned in the research quoted in the earlier post...

The ceremony by which the Emperor assumes the Throne as Emperor is very much secret, but this much is known:

In seclusion, and following intense Shinto prayers and meditations, the Emperor ascends to Heaven, where he morphs into a female, and then has lesbian sexual intercourse with the Sun "G-ddess" Amaterasu Omikami.

Then, he transmorphs back into a male again, and descends to Earth from Heaven; now as Divine Incarnation Of The Sun G-d.

Still think the Nips are of Jewish origins?

How about the fact that bisexuality was favored and acceptable in Japan up until recent times?

All the Shogunates kept concubines of little boys for the Shogun to have use for sex, and the Samurai warriors also were bisexual.

Two Samurai warriors frequently cut each other to pieces, fighting over a little boy that each wanted for sex.

Still think the Nips were actually Yids?

Then, there's the cult of suicide; dating back to pre-history and still pervasive in Japan.

In Japan, the quintessential "love story" theme which runs through their drama, art, novels, etc., is that of "The Double Suicide".

Here, a young boy and girl meet, fall in love, and then strongly desire to commit suicide together to show "perfect beauty of love".

Then, they commit suicide.

The Japanese think this is the greatest expression of their love that a young boy and girl can exhibit.

They also have always strongly approved of one committing suicide by ritual disembowelment or hanging, as the proper response to any embarrassment or humiliation.

Japs are Jews?

Well I know that some Jewish girls in the U.S. are Japs, but.....


Offline Nonny

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Re: Is Japan From The Lost Tribes?
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2007, 08:23:37 AM »
Yair Davidy gives his case for the Japanese not being of Israeilte origin!

http://www.britam.org/Questions/QuesJapan.html



"The Japanese are not Hebrews!

Certain parties have begun claiming that the Japense were descended in part from Ancient Israelites. Similarity of religious customs and the like are adduced as evidence of Hebrew origin. The following article examines the evidence and refutes it. There may however be a non-Israelite Semitic element (such as Edom) in Japan as explained below.


1. Are the Japanese Descended from Israelites?

Introduction
Japan judged by Ephraimite Criteria
Answers to Claims that Japanese are Israelites

2. Who Are the Japanese?

A Mixed People
Seir, Ainu, Edom, and the Samurai
Conclusion
Ancient Greek Connections?
1. Question: Publications and web-sites exist that claim to produce evidence that "Israelites came to Japan". Are the Japanese Descended from Israelites?
Answer: The most telling aspects of the "evidence" in question is quoted and answered below. The Japanese are descended primarily from Japhet though amongst their ruling classes there may be elements of Edom and other groups. If descendants of Israelites are to be found at all amongst the Japanese (which is doubtful) then it is only as a small minority.
Are the Japanese Israelites?
Introduction.
It may be that people of Israelite or Jewish origin reached Japan and settled there but if so they were a minority. Chances are that the descendants of any (if any) Israelites who did reach Japan are now those Japanese who have since migrated to the west..
 
Japan judged by Ephraimite Criteria
Brit-Am applies seven criteria to determine whether or not a nation descends from Israel. The criteria are:

Blessings: Economic and Physical Blessings as promised to Israel in Scripture.


Indications of Scripture: Biblical Evidence predicting whereto the Lost Ten Tribes would go, what type of religion and government they would have, etc.


Groundwork: Historical, Archaeological, and Related Proofs showing paths of migration.


Judah and Israelite Identification: This entails proven feelings of kinship and sympathy with the Jews and a Relative Lack of Anti-Semitism when compared with others.


Originality: Innovation and Intellect: A minimal degree of national Intellectual Wisdom and Honesty.


Bravery: Proven Military Prowess in the past at least and at present in potential


Empathy: The Doing of Social Justice.


Applying these Criteria to the Japanese situation we find:

Blessings: Japan today may be considered to be a blessed nation according to its production compared to other nations.
 

Biblical: Japan is both in islands and at an end of the earth (geographical extremity) which were Biblical signs. The Bible does emphasize the west but the east is also mentioned (Genesis 28:14). The "east" could apply to Australia and New Zealand which are referred to in Isaiah 49:8 as the Land of Sinim or it could apply to Japan if Japan was indeed settled by Israelites though it would seem (as shown below) it was not.
 

Groundwork: This comprises archaeological and related historical evidence. Brit-Am disputes the Groundwork that is claimed for Japan but others may not agree with the Brit-Am position.
 

Sympathy for Judah and Israelite Identification: Japan in our opinion is a strongly anti-Semitic entity. They protected a handful of Jews in WWII but several times considered massacring them. Japan produces more anti-Jewish literature than anywhere else in the world. Japan is a strong supporter of the PLO/Hamas Arab Muslim Nazi terrorist State-in-Being. Japan works against the State of Israel and the Jewish people despite the fact that very few Jews dwell in Japan and little overlap exists between the sphere of the Jews and Israel and that of Japan.
 

Originality: Innovation and Intellect:  The Japanese may not think the same way as westerners but they do think and they do contribute to the total world sum of knowledge and capability.
 

Bravery: The Japanese possess this quality.
 

Empathy:  Within their own society the Japanese have attained relative harmony, communality of purpose, little crime, respect for the aged, social benefits for all, etc. There is also much that is wrong but relatively speaking in accordance with their own mentality the Japanese may pass the test for Social Empathy.
There are however RESERVATIONS on this point.
(a) Contempt for self and for those lower than self: Traditionally the Japanese were taught to consider themselves the property of the Emperor and that their lives were subservient to however was socially above them.  If a person had not fulfilled the expectations of his superiors he could be expected to commit hara-kiri meaning to put himself to death in a most painful manner.
(b) Contempt for the "other": The Japanese attitude towards others (as seen in WWII) was that of a PREDATOR State marked by selfish cruelty.  Such an attitude never prevailed amongst Brit-Am recognized Israelite nations. The Japanese treated those they conquered with malicious sadism. Prisoners-of-war were mistreated and sometimes tortured.
The father of Yair Davidy had a sister who was a nurse in the British Armed Forces in WWII. The ship she was on was captured and she was taken into captivity from which she never returned.
Japan fulfils some of the Brit-Am Israelite criteria but not all of them. It is also to be remembered that Esau was also blessed and we have determined a strong Esau element amongst the elites of Japan.
[Genesis 27:38] AND ESAU SAID UNTO HIS FATHER, HAST THOU BUT ONE BLESSING, MY FATHER?  BLESS ME, EVEN ME ALSO, O MY FATHER. AND ESAU LIFTED UP HIS VOICE, AND WEPT.                     
 
[Genesis 27:39] AND ISAAC HIS FATHER ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM, BEHOLD, THY DWELLING  SHALL BE THE FATNESS OF THE EARTH, AND OF THE DEW OF HEAVEN FROM ABOVE;                     
 
[Genesis 27:40] AND BY THY SWORD SHALT THOU LIVE, AND SHALT SERVE THY BROTHER; AND IT SHALL  COME TO PASS WHEN THOU SHALT HAVE THE DOMINION, THAT THOU SHALT BREAK HIS YOKE FROM OFF  THY NECK.
It may be that the Criteria ONLY fully hold when comparison is made between Israelite and non-Israelite entities. Esau is in a different category and should be judged by other measures.   
 
Out of the seven Criteria Japan passed four (and a half?) of them. The question of empathy was sufficient for internal application but not for the external one. Japan does not pass the criteria of relative lack of anti-Semitism and Israelite Identification. 
Some claim that Japan does pass the Groundwork (history and archaeology etc) test whereas Brit-Am disagrees.
 
The present article will concentrate on this point.

Answers to Claims that Japanese are Israelites

We will begin by examining sources that claim the Japanese to be descended from Israel.
#Source 1.
1. Joseph EIDELBERG, "The Japanese and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel", 1980, Jerusalem Israel. Eidelberg quotes from what he describes as "the official history of the Japanese", the "Nihongi". [The "Nihongi" seems to be referred to as "Nihon shoki" elsewhere on the Web].

<<Nihongi, meaning "Chronicles of Japan", was written in 720 A.D. and, like the Tanach, is considered a sacred book of history describing the origin of the Japanese nation and the formation of the Japanese Empire.>>
 
Another work that Eidelberg quotes is the Kojiki which seems to be more or less similar to the Nihongi.
We have only Eidelberg's extracts from this work. Eidelberg says that due to historical accidents the sources got jumbled up. He admits to pick those aspects out of the source that most suit his purpose. We will take Eidelberg at his word.
He says that:
<<In 667 B.C.E. Emperor Jimmu assembled his elder brothers in the palace of Mount Takachi-Ho, in the Sohori Mountains of  Hiuga, and pointed out to them that in the east there was a beautiful country, surrounded by blue mountains, which the Heavenly Gods had given to their ancestors. He referred to that country as the land of Reed-Meadows, and proposed to go and settle there>>
<<Having secured the approval of his elder brothers, the emperor prepared a fleet of ships and set sail in the direction of the mysterious land of Reed-Meadows.>> (pp.52-53).
Eidelberg identifies the Sohori Mountains with Mount Seir.   
The group went eastward. After four years they had already entered what appears to be Japan and fought with a Prince Nakasune who began to overcome them. The goddess Amaterasu sent them help in the form of a Divine Crow who guides them to Lower Uda (in Japan?). They fought with "Akagane bandits, Yebisu warriors, and pit-dwelling tribes of the Tada hills in the district of Sofu". After that they defeated a Prince Shiki. They then turned their energies to a renewed struggle against Prince Nakasune. They defeated Nakasune due to hailstones and a flashing light from heaven. 
The first kingdom was called Yamato.
 
After ca 500 years Emperor Sujin bcame to the throne. He initially worshipped two deities. An epidemic struck the kingdom. The Emperor had a dream in which the "G-d of Yamato".. "told him that the epidemic would cease of itself if he would appoint a priest to worship him. Abiding by this oracle, the emperor ordained a man from Idomo to be priest to the G-d of Yamato, and the epidemic ceased" (p.56). Emperor Sujin was obliged to subdue a rebellion and a battle was fought "near a river in the Yamasiro region of Idomi".  The Empire thrived and many foreign tribes came to offer their allegiance.
 Emperor Sujin decided to appoint one of his two favorite sons as his successor. He requested that they dream something and tell him what they dreamt. Both sons told the Emperor that in their dream they had ascended Mount Mimoro. One had turned east and dealt eight blows with his sword in that direction. The other had drove away the sparrows that had fed upon the grain there.   
And so on in like vein.
Brit-Am Comment: These are all stories that Eidelberg says expressly that he chose due to their similarity with Biblical tales.
Eidelberg suggests that Mount Mimoro is based upon Mount Mamre in Scripture. It could be. In order however to be convincing or at least receive some consideration the accompanying tale should resemble something from the Bible and several other names bear some resemblance to Biblical ones. This does not hold.

Christian Influences?
It should also be remembered that due to the activitiy of Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries in the 1500s there were more than 300,000 Christians in Japan. Christianity was later extirpated due to the wish of the Japanese rulers to exert total control over their subjects. Christianity was driven underground and Christian influences were absorbed by Jaapanese culture and made "Japanese". An example of Japanese assimilation of Christian influences is the legend that Jesus escaped the crucifixion and come with his mother Mary to Japan where they are buried in the North Japanese village of Shingo. Such assimilations of foreign lore appear to be a Japanese characteristic. Some of the claimed Hebrew-like practices may also be due to Christian influence.
 
Nevertheless there are points on which Eidelberg may have a valid claim though not one he would entirely agree with. 
Eidelberg suggests that the land of Reed-Meadows is the Land of Canaan.
[It could have been the Nile Delta].
Eidelberg (p.67): <<Emperor Sujin's army fought in Yamasiri, in Idomi. But "Yama-Siro" actually means "Mount Siro", and this may have been the Japanese way of pronouncing "Mount Seir". Could it be that there were two Mount seirs one in the Edom of the Hebrew realm, and the other in  the Idomim of the Japanese Empire?>>
<<Emperor Suinin build the first national shrine at Ise.>>
Eidelberg suggests (p.68) that "Ise" is a form of "Jebus" meaning Jerusalem but it could just as easily by a form of "Esau" whose name is pronounced similarly to "Ise"  by the Arabs. He identifies the Yebisu with the Jebusites, the pit-dwelling Tsuchi-Gunmo with the "Edomites, described in the Tanach as dwelling in the "clefts of the rock" (Obadiah 1:3). There are references to the Kumaso whom he identifies as the Moabite people of Kemosh. There is a Mount Ibuki which he relates to the Biblical Jabbok River east of the Jordan. A "Moor of Nobo" becomes connected to Mount Nebo.
 
Our impression is that a group of Edomites did come to Japan and conquer it. They were preceded by other peoples who probably included Canaanites and other groups from the Middle East possibly also Moabites, Ammonites, and others.
There may have been Israelites amongst them but if so they were a minority and more proof of their existence is needed.
According to archaeology Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Canaanites all spoke languages similar to Hebrew. They had been conquered by the Hebrews several times as well as having in their turn ruled over parts of Israel at different periods. They had influenced the Hebrews and intermarried with them and doubtless would have also  received Hebraic influence. If in Japanese there are words that sound similar to Hebrew ones and if in Japanese religion and custom some things appear reminiscent of Hebraic practice then this does not prove Hebrew origin. It can indicate a geographical proximity in the past.
Greek Mythology is full of tales based on Biblical Prototypes. See the instructive articles by John Salverda for examples. The Greeks received their culture from the Middle East as demonstrated in "Black Athena" by Martin Bernal and in works by Cyrus Gordon and others. In addition to Ancient Japanese links to the Middle East, some kind of direct connection appears to have also existed between the Ancient Greeks and Japan.
2. The Scythians. Brit-Am traced a portion of the Lost Ten Tribes to the Royal Scythians and related groups who migrated to the west.  Scythian influence was also felt in Korea and Japan and a group of Scythians at one stage may have conquered Japan. We do not know if this was so and if it was we do not know that the Scythians concerned are the same as those with whom the Israelites amalgamated or another group. Dolmens of an "Eastern" type and different from the type known from Ancient Israel and Western Europe are also found in Japan. Dolmens and megalthic monuments are signs of Israelite presence but insufficient in themselves.

#Source 2
3. Israelites Came To Ancient Japan
Arimasa Kubo

This writer has been influenced by the Rabbi Avichail group that insists on looking for the Lost Ten Tribes ONLY in the East, in a kind of reverse racialism. Arimasa Kubo concentrates on what he perceives as a similarity between Japanese religious customs and those of Ancient Israel.
<<In Nagano prefecture.. there is a large Shinto shrine named "Suwa-Taisha" (Shinto is the national traditional religion peculiar to Japan.) At Suwa-Taisha, the traditional festival called "Ontohsai"...
<<At the back of the shrine "Suwa-Taisha," there is a mountain called Mt. Moriya ("Moriya-san" in Japanese). The people from the Suwa area call the G-d of Mt. Moriya "Moriya no kami," which means, the "G-d of Moriya." This shrine is built to worship the "G-d of Moriya."
<<At the festival, a boy is tied up by a rope to a wooden pillar, and placed on a bamboo carpet. A Shinto priest comes to him preparing a knife, and he cuts a part of the top of the wooden pillar, but then a messenger (another priest) comes there, and the boy is released. This is reminiscent of the Biblical story in which Isaac was released after an angel came to Abraham.
 
<<People call this festival "the festival for Misakuchi-G-d". "Misakuchi" might be "mi-isaku-chi." "Mi" means "great," "isaku" is most likely Isaac (the Hebrew word "Yitzhak"), and "chi" is something for the end of the word.>>
Brit-Am Comment:
The festival was held in one place in Japan and was a local custom NOT a national one and could therefore have pertained to a small number of people.
The source of this tale could be the binding of Isaac. Isaac was the father of the twin brothers Esau and Jacob (Israel) so there is no reason why the descendants of Esau should not celebrate it.
The Arabs also celebrate this event only in their version they substitute the figure of Ishmael for Isaac.

Arimasa Kubo points to the Japanese Imperial crest that could resemble a 16 petalled sunflower. This was also a symbol found on Herod's gate in Jerusalem. [It has no known significance however in Jewish tradition. Herod himself was an Edomite].
Arimasa Kubo: <<Japanese Religious Priests "Yamabushi" Put A Black Box on their Foreheads Just As Jews Put A Phylactery on their Foreheads
<<On the forehead of "Yamabushi," he puts a black small box called a "tokin", which is tied to his head with a black cord. He greatly resembles a Jew putting on a phylactery (black box) on his forehead with a black cord. The size of this black box "tokin" is almost the same as the Jewish phylactery, but its shape is round and flower-like.
Brit-Am Comment: Jewish phylacteries ("tefilin" in Hebrew) are hard leather boxes containing parchment on which are written Biblical passages. They were always square-shaped. There is however a similarity between the Japanese custom and the Jewish one that could suggest Jewish influence at some time in the past. The same applies to references to a "tora-no-maki" (a scroll of the "tora") which has magical powers. "Tora" could derive from the Hebrew word "Torah".
On the other hand the Ancient Egyptian were influenced by the Israelites and also influenced them. When the Almighty took the Hebrews out of Egypt HE related to them as having been under Egyptian influence. One of the reasons for the initial subjection in Egypt was to "liberate" positive elements that the Egyptians had subverted to their own culture. The Egyptians also placed black boxes on their foreheads similar to tefilin. This was explained by Stephen Gabriel Rosenberg in an article, "Tefillin -made in Egypt?", in the Jerusalem Post weekend supplement, "Upfront", September 1, 2006:
In many depictions Pharaoh is shown wearing a snake crown from which there projects above his brow a sacred asp or viper and a cobra in aggressive attitudes. They represent the Pharaoh's power of protecting his land by means of serpents that can both defend the land and attack the enemy when necessary.
Such powers were essential to the rulers of Egypt, whose rich but extended land was always in danger of invasion from the less fortunate peoples of the sur­rounding deserts.
The deities that supported the Pharaoh also wore appropriate headgear, but in their case not on the brow but further up on the head, above the hairline. In many cases this headgear was in the form of an animal's head, such as the jackal or the ibis-bird; but in some cases it was just a small black box on a black plate.
Was this a form of tefillin?
A case in point is the goddess Isis, who stands behind her deceased husband, the Pharaoh Osiris, wearing such a black box on her head, as depicted on the The goddess Isis and Pharaoh-of-the-next-world Osiri mummy of Kep-ha-eses of the second century BCE in the Copenhagen Glyptotek Museum. Another example comes from the tomb of Anher-Khaou in Thebes, of 1,000 years earlier, where it is again the lady Isis, wearing a black, box-like headdress, lead­ing a boat-load of gods that take the deceased to his place in the next world. What was this black box?
It has a stepped profile and represents the royal throne of the dead Pharaoh Osiris, who ruled over the next world. Isis, his sister and wife, by wearing this black box, could assist the suppliant to reach the world of everlasting life presided over by Osiris....
....a reminder of such customs was to be one purpose of the tefillin, which were to be a "remembrance between your eyes... that with a strong hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt" (Exodus 13:9).


 
There was an Egyptian connection to Ancient China and through China to Japan.

See also: "Brit-Am Now"- 466
#4. Chinese scholar traces Israelites and Esau to China


Arimasa Kubo mentions blowing with a sea-shell like a Jewish ram's horn;  carrying a box about on the shoulders of adherents like an "ark"; purification in sea-water; waving a tree branch; ringing a bell; Impurity During Menstruation and Bearing Child;
Brit-Am Comment: The Japanese are related to the peoples of Japhet who include both European and Asiatic types. The Japanese also received influxes from the Edomites, Canaanites, and other peoples as we shall explain elsewhere. Some of the said customs may be due to Israelite or Jewish influence. Some of them are universal and are found in many ancient religions all over the world and especially those of the Middle East area. These similarities are not proof of Israelite origin. They are of interest and worth looking into but nothing more than that.
Arimasa Kubo compares photographs of Jewish and ancient Japanese hairstyle
<<Ancient Japanese Samurai's hair style "mizura" (left) and Jewish "peyot" (right)
..<<"Peyot" is a unique hair style for Jews and the origin is very old. There is a statue from Syria, which is from the 8th or 9th century B.C.E..  It shows a Hebrew man with peyot and a fringed shawl.  >>
Brit-Am Comment: One statue is produced as evidence that in Ancient Japan the "peyot" (Biblical earlocks such as found amonst some Orthodox Jews) hairstyle was known but it is unclear from the example that the "earlocks" really are part of the hairstyle or some kind of earflap attached to the helmut made of cloth or metal. Apart from that the use of "peyot" was also practised by non-Israelite nations. In the past we published an article showing that the ancient so-called "Libyans" also used this hair-style. We identified these "Libyans" as Israelites in accordance with the work of Alessandro Nibbi, "Canaan and Canaanite in Ancient Egypt", UK, 1989. Alessandro Nibbi regarded the so-called "Libyans" as Israelites or at the least as "Canaanite" residents of the Nile Delta and Canaan. This hair-style was also found on a well-known statue of "Baal" from Northern Syria. The style may well have been Israelite in origin but other peoples also used it.
 
There is a comparison of the layout of a Japanese Shinto temple and that of the Temple in Jerusalem. There is some similarity in outline but the same similarity is found all over the Ancient Middle East as may be noted from almost any popular work on archaeology concerning the area.
2. Question: Who Are the Japanese?
A Mixed People
The Japanese are a mixed people like everybody. The Japanese include a great many people from Korea. They also include elements similar to those of Indonesia and Polynesia. In some ways they are similar to the Northern Chinese and Manchurians. According to DNA (for what it is worth) half the males of Tibet and almost half those of Japan have Haplotype 3C i.e. they had the same common ancestor probably within recent times and are almost unique in this respect. There is also some kind of connection with Ancient Mycenean Greece and Hittite Anatolia! Some members of the Japanese aristocracy are said to have "Semitic" features. If this all sound bewildering when one goes deeper into the subject it becomes much more complex..
 
Seir, Ainu, Edom, and the Samurai
Ricardo Lopez Crespo in an article ("Hyksos Vedan and Odin") (first posted on Craig White's "Origin of Nations" e-mail discussion list) traces descendants of Esau.
 
<<One of Esau's wives was the Horite Oholibamah. Her grandfather Zibeon is identified as a Hivite in Gen. 36: 2, but Gen. 36: 20 mentions his Horite roots.
<<Amalek was the son of Esau's firstborn Eliphaz by his concubine Timna, a Horite (Gen. 36: 12, 22). "Oriental" genes were passed through Oholibamah and Amalek's maternal line.

 Crespo traces the Horites to the "Hairy Ainu" of Japan who intermixed with the Japanese population.
<<Hrozny regards the North Mesopotamian town Urfa, Greek Orrhoe, Edessa, [Also known as Idume, i.e. Edom] as the centre of the empire of Khurri [of the Horites]>>
 
<<Because of intermarriages and cultural borrowings between the Edomite families and Horites, it became the norm for their collective association. Red-headed Esau himself was hirsute, a coincidental similarity.>>
Brit-Am Comment: Even though the Japanese today are largely of darkish Mongolian-type with sparse body hair they contain a brownish red-haired element which was once much more common amongst their warrior "Samurai-class". In Japanese cartoons and popular illustrations of themselves this brown-reddish element is still emphasized. A few years ago an American researcher  (C. Loring Brace, see below) caused a scandal when he claimed that the Samurai warriors were originally of despised "Ainu" origin. Since the Ainu are often of a relatively fair coloring this could explain the reddish-brown aspect of the Samurai.


<<They [the Ainu] were exploited for slave labor until the Meiji era (1868-1912). The government policy of assimilation prohibited them from observing [their own] daily customs and discrimination against them still remains today, a major social problem. >>
Crespo traces the Horites to Tibet which however he identifies with Gog and sees a union in this area between Gog and Edom
Brit-Am Comment: There is also a link with China and through China to Japan.
<<Jim Bailey, "Sailing to Paradise", pp. 146, 147, 158-"In China it is certain that the irrigation society on the Yellow River in the Anyang area was started by western Semites (Edomites), as the potters' marks of the Shang Dynasty, 1700-1200 B.C.E., clearly prove.>>
Conclusion
The research of Crespo alongside our own findings will be discussed elsewhere. At all events the Japanese are not of Israelite descent though there may be a small minority of Hebrews amongst them in the same way as there could be such amongst any other group.
It may be that the "Hairy Ainu" are descended from the original Horites of Seir who were conquered by descendants of Esau (Edom). it is almost certain that amongst the Samurai and ruling classes of Japan there was a lighter element of "Caucasian" type and build. These have been identified as a clan of the Ainu since they seem the most likely candidiates and their descendants are still to be found in Japan. The Ainu are distantly related to both the Polynesians and the Aborigines of Australia. They are light skinned and combine aspects of both Caucasian and Mongoloid peoples. The possibility however should be considered that not the Ainu but a separate group (that was later thoroughly assimilated) of Edomites from the west comprised this determining element.
Some Sources of Interest Concerning Japan, the Samurai, and the Ainu
http://www.canadiancontent.net/en/jd/go?Url=http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf065/sf065a01.htm

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1060005/posts

THE SAMURAI AND THE AINU
[Extracts Only]
Findings by American anthropologist C. Loring Brace, University of Michigan, will surely be controversial in race conscious Japan. The eye of the predicted storm will be the Ainu, a "racially different" group of some 18,000 people now living on the northern island of Hokkaido. Pure-blooded Ainu are easy to spot: they have lighter skin, more body hair, and higher-bridged noses than most Japanese. Most Japanese tend to look down on the Ainu.

Brace has studied the skeletons of about 1,100 Japanese, Ainu, and other Asian ethnic groups and has concluded that the revered samurai of Japan are actually descendants of the Ainu, not of the Yayoi from whom most modern Japanese are descended. In fact, Brace threw more fuel on the fire with:

"Dr. Brace said this interpretation also explains why the facial features of the Japanese ruling class are so often unlike those of typical modern Japanese. The Ainu-related Samurai achieved such power and prestige in medieval Japan that they intermarried with royalty and nobility, passing on Jomon-Ainu blood in the upper classes, while other Japanese were primarily descended from the Yoyoi." The reactions of Japanese scientists have been muted so. One Japanese anthropologist did say to Brace," I hope you are wrong."

[Extracts Only]
To: Leroy S. Mort; Sam Cree; VOA
My Comments from a previous thread:

"The Samurai were descended from the Ainu and were tall and somewhat Caucasian looking, tall, light-skinned and hairy (even today the Ainu are the hairest people). The Samurai were once the ruling class in Japan and some anthropologists suspect the Japanese practice of 'white-face' originates from that period as a way of emulating the 'royals'."

To: blam
More of my comments:

"Kennewick Man's DNA, although ruled 'inconclusive', showed a high relationship to the Ainu.

"Further, the Jomon culture (which precedes the Ainu in Japan) is identified with a specific type of pottery labeled 'Cord Pottery'. This 'Cord Pottery' has been found in Olmec (1400BC-300BC) ruins in Mexico.

To: Straight Vermonter
The level of racism in Japan never ceases to amaze me.

The Japanese go farther and designate occupations for the lesser races.  No pure blood can be an undertaker, plumber, garbage collector, etc.-- those jobs are for the servant races.

I knew a female engineer from Okinawa who said that the Japanese discriminated against them terribly. She 'looked' Asian to me except that she had real curly hair.

See also
THE AINU NATIVES OF JAPAN
http://www.geocities.com/ominobu/ainu.htm
 
http://www.kto.co.jp/2004sep/article1.html
<<Japanese sources like the Kojiki and Nihon shoki, mention a separate group of people known as the Emishi or Ezo (also the ancient Japanese name for Hokkaido). Whether these words refer to a distinct race (or races) that preceded the Ainu or were simply another name for the Ainu themselves is, however, unclear.>>
 
http://www.jref.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-6095.html
I noticed that many Japanese names sound strikingly similar to Hawaiians, Indonesians and other Pacific people. Also the fact the Japanese are a mainly seafood and vegetable based diet is pointing to this similarity with Pacific Southeast Asians.

I honestly think Japanese are for most part from the base stock of Southeast Asians, but maybe a 10% infusion from Korea changed their language a bit (i.e. some borrowed features).

I notice Japanese are very slightly built compared to Koreans. But, both Japanese and Koreans have more slanted eyes compared to Chinese from what I have seen.
Ancient Greek Connections?
Fingerprint patterns may indicate Mongoloid affinities among ancient Greek lower class

Author: Paul Astrom and Sven A. Eriksson
Filed: 11/02/2003, 00:40:34
Source: Fingerprints and Archaeology

[The authors examined fingerprints on ancient Greek pottery.]


Combining the values into a loop/whorl-pattern index (Fig. 161) we find that the figure for Mycenaean Greece (1.1%) may be compared with that of present-day America (1.2%). Cyprus and Crete have the same index (0.8%) to be compared with North America (0.7%) and China (0.9%). . . .

It is . . . interesting to note that Professor Marinatos has observed mongoloid features in Minoan-Mycenaean art, e.g. in the representations of oblique slit eyes. It is possible that fingerprints of the scribes and potters show that they belonged to a lower class emanating from the indigenous, non-Indo-European substratum of the population. Fingerprints of the Mycenaean rulers would no doubt have given us Indo-European patterns.

Astrom, Paul and Sven A. Eriksson. Fingerprints and Archaeology. Goteborg 1980. p88.

See:
"Brit-Am Now"-731
#2. Japan and Germany"

« Last Edit: April 08, 2007, 10:40:03 AM by Yacov Menashe Ben Rachamim »