Grave of Japanese envoy to Silla （けんしらぎしのはか）

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Area: Iki

Category: History＆Culture

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Yukinomuraji Yakamaro was a Japanese envoy of the 8th-century diplomatic mission sent by the then Japanese emperor to the Kingdom of Silla on the Korean peninsula. It is said that on the way, he fell ill and passed away here on Iki, where he was buried. The local people venerate him to this day.

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Address		811-5221　長崎県壱岐市石田町池田東触320
Parking		Parking lot available
Access		10 minutes by car from Indoji Port

In 736, a diplomatic mission from Japan to the Kingdom of Silla on the Korean Peninsula came through Iki. Among them was a man named Yukinomuraji Yakamaro, who died here from illness before he could continue on his journey. Yakamaro was buried atop this hill and is venerated by the local people to this day. His exact role in the delegation is not clearly known, but one story suggests that he was an expert in conducting divinations with turtle shells.　
The Man'yōshū, which is Japan's oldest collection of poems, includes one that was written in memory of Yakamaro's death. The verse has been translated into English as follows: “O you, who lie at Iwata Field, if your housefolk ask me where you are, how shall I answer them?” （The Manyōshū - The Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai Translation of One Thousand Poems. (1969). New York: Columbia University Press.）
This poem is engraved on a stone stele that stands in a park called Man'yō Park, located approximately 3 kilometers, or 1.8 miles, away.