Toraijin () refers to the ancient people who migrated to the Japanese archipelago, as well as their naturalized descendants. Up until the 1960s, these people were commonly called the "Kikajin ()", meaning "naturalized people", but beginning in the 1970s, the term was replaced by "Toraijin", meaning "people who have crossed over" as not all those who came to Japan became naturalized.
They arrived in Japan as early as the Jōmon period or Yayoi period, and their arrival became more significant from the end of the 4th century (Kofun period) to the late 7th century (Asuka period). During these periods, they introduced Confucianism, Buddhism, Chinese characters (Kanbun/Kanji), medicine, lunar calendar, and cultural practices such as Sue ware production and weaving to Japan. They were favored by the Yamato Imperial Court, and many were appointed to government positions.
Overview Historical records and archaeological data provide strong support for continued population movements from the continent to the Japanese archipelago via the southern Korean Peninsula from 800 BCE to 600 CE. The Toraijin arrived in the archipelago in multiples waves.
In the initial wave starting approximately three thousand years ago, where 20th century anthropologists such as Torii Ryūzō stated that "the Stone Age in Japan and that in Korea are very similar. The similarities are so outstanding that we can say their relationship was like that of cousins, if not of a parent and child, or siblings" in his book , highlighting a close connection between the Japanese and the Koreans even during the prehistoric periods due to the major overlap of immigrants.Early Torajin, who arrived in the 1st millennium BCE (encompassing early-Jōmon period to middle-Yayoi period), are thought to have introduced rice cultivation and earthenware (such as Jōmon pottery and Yayoi pottery) to Japan (mainly in northern Kyushu).
During the formative 5th and 6th centuries, they brought horse breeding and horse driven transportation, stoneware pottery, high temperature iron-working, advanced iron tool manufacturing, and their Chinese-based writing system. In addition to technological and cultural contributions, Toraijin also brought the ideologies of Confucianism and Buddhism from the mainland, which were critical to the state formation and socio-cultural changes during the Kofun period and Asuka period.
The lasting impact of the immigrants from Korea can still be found in placenames within modern Japan in places such as Komae (狛江) city, deriving from the word "Koma (高麗)" from Goguryeo; Niiza (新座) city, deriving from the word "Shiragi (新羅)" from Silla; and possibly Nara (奈良) city, deriving from the word "Nara (나라)" meaning "country". Many ancient shrines also possess legacy of the immigrants in names such as Koma Shrine (Goguryeo), (新羅神社; Silla), and (百済王神社; Paekche).
In other instances, Toraijin influence is not deliberately shown within names, but can still be recognized via remnants left by their cultural impact. In many cases, Toraijin elements that have ancient roots in Korea such as Korean shamanism can be seen throughout modern Japan today. One of the many relics is the presence of Jangseung, known as (将軍標) in Japan, wooden or stone totems (found normally in pairs) that are believed to ward off evil from sacred places.Other relics within Japan also point to Toraijin origins such as architectures, artifacts, etc, despite having no direct correlation. The (東光院), allegedly founded by the Chiba clan, possesses Korean architecture and elements with many speculating that the temple was originally built by Korean immigrants from Goguryeo or Paekche during the Asuka period.インデックス 編著『訪ねてみたい東京のお寺』インデックス、2006年、324-327p In fact, every year on May 3, a Korea-themed farming band parades through the area and performs the Korean folk dance (Pungmul).妙見まつりで韓国伝統公演…百済ゆかりの寺 在日本大韓民国民団 Another temple, known as the Kōryū-ji, also possesses a wooden statue of Bodhisattva (Buddha) called the " (宝冠弥勒)", a national treasure of Japan (registered on June 9, 1951); it is believed to have been given from Silla to the Hata clan, the parent clan that built the Kōryū-ji, in the early 7th century. According to Japanese art historian Shuya Ōnishi (大西 修也), the transmitting of the statue is thought to have been a gift from Silla to its own diaspora as Silla produced numerous statues (both wooden and metallic) including the Maitreya in Meditation, a sculpture that is now considered as a sister statue with Japan's Hōkan Miroku, with its signature pose and facial features found only in Silla's craftsmanship.Pak, Young-Sook and Roderick Whitfield. Handbook of Korean Art: Buddhist Sculpture. Seoul: Yekyong Publishing, 2002. 108-143. The possession of the statue became crucial evidence for determining the Hata clan's true origin and approximate period of immigration in modern times. Other temples such as the Hōryū-ji is also believed to have take much influence from Toraijin after the original building (built in 607) was burnt down and was reconstructed in 670. The temple is thought to have been built by Toraijin from Paekche who brought the temple's sacred artifact and another national treasure of Japan (registered on June 9, 1951), the (百済観音; ) similar to the Hōkan Miroku of the Kōryū-ji. In January 2026, the Hōryū-ji temple was chosen as the place to tour during Korea's President Lee Jae Myung's visit with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as Lee wished to visit Takaicihi's hometown of Nara (where the temple is also located), and because the temple's architecture was influenced by Korean culture, signifying the two countries' historical connections.As such, it is evident that influence from Toraijin is both direct and inert depending on the detail, with some possessing elements such as names that directly allude to Toraijin roots (i.e. Koma for Goguryeo) or having innuendos such as architecture, artifacts, and practices that provide an insight to their likely Toraijin origins.
According to modern Japanese academia, in each major epoch in Japanese history, Toraijin arriving from the Korean peninsula acted as transmitters and transplanters of advanced continental technology and culture to the Japanese archipelago; just as the population groups on the Korean peninsula experienced similar transformations with the arrival of millet and rice agriculture, bronze and iron objects and technologies, and culture and religion from further west and north in the continent.
History The periods of arrival of the Toraijin can be divided into four categories: 2nd–3rd century BCE, around 5th century BCE (Five kings of Wa's reign), late 5th–6th century, and 7th century.
Early periods The early Toraijin, known as the indigenous Jōmon people, were engaged in subsistence based primarily on fishing, hunting, and gathering. Early to middle Jōmon period pottery, known as (曽畑式土器), show significant similarity with the Jeulmun period pottery of Korea not only in the surface patterns, but also in the use of talc mixed into the clay, giving it the signature brownish color. Both styles are part of the bigger Comb Ceramic pottery which is found worldwide (Xinglongwa culture in Northeast China; Comb Ceramic culture in Northeast Europe, etc), however, early Jeulmun and Jōmon styles and their production methods are unique to Korea and Japan. Despite starting similar, Korea's Jeulmun period is believed to have ended much earlier than Japan's Jōmon period (around 500 years) due to the incoming migrants.After the Jōmon period, a new batch of immigrants arrived in Japan at a time known as the Yayoi period who introduced wet-rice farming to the archipelago. Similar to the Jeulmun–Jōmon style pottery, Yayoi pottery is often associated with the Mumun period pottery of Korea due to the lack of decorations found in the design and for its signature "plain ()" look. The Mumun people are believed to have replaced the Jeulmun people around 1500 BCE who then migrated to the archipelago which marked the beginning of the Yayoi period of Japan. Similar to the Mumun period being labelled as the "Korean Bronze Age", middle-Yayoi period Toraijin arrived with bronze technology.Pearson, Richard J. Chiefly Exchange Between Kyushu and Okinawa, Japan, in the Yayoi Period. Antiquity 64(245) 912–22, 1990.The direct descendants of these two groups are believed to have resulted in the Samhan people, an ancient group that possessed many similarities with the contemporary ancient Japanese of Wa. However, due to the constant migration from the north by the Yemaek people, the indigenous Samhan people eventually assimilated with the incoming Yemaek people and became what are known as the Three Kingdoms period Koreans.
Kofun period
During the Kofun period and the turbulent Three Kingdoms period of Korea, there were extensive migrations from Korean polities to the Japanese archipelago, particularly from Paekche and Kaya confederacy, both of which developed friendship as well as economic and military alliances with Yamato Kingship. According to the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, the first major arrival to Japan was during the reign of Emperor Ōjin. Due to a major upheaval on the Korean peninsula at that time, it is believed that many people from the peninsula migrated to Japan to escape the political chaos and subsequently introduced new technology such iron tools, irrigation technology, Chinese knowledge, religions and much more. The tools and technology they brought with them may have revolutionized the production methods and labor patterns that had existed until then. These immigrants from Korea also introduced horses, a foreign species to the archipelago at the time, and horse harnesses. With this, horse riding became a common practice in Japan and were later incorporated into future military purposes.
Minimal travel occurred between the kingdom of Silla and the archipelago owing to a hostile relationship between the Yamato Kingship and Silla, especially after the Silla–Goguryeo and Paekche–Kaya–Wa War. The Wa elites, such as Yamato elites in Kinki, Tsukushi elites in Fukuoka, and Kibi elites in Okayama, sought to establish socio-political advantages in the archipelago and welcomed and integrated the newcomers with peninsular goods and advanced technology. In 552 CE, King Seong of Baekje sent envoys to the Yamato court, bringing Buddha statues and Buddhist classics, and Buddhist culture was also introduced to Japan. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan, it became one of the main religions in Japan and a part of today's Japanese culture.
These immigrants settled and re-established themselves as farmers, iron technicians, horse breeders, merchants and traders, dam builders, craftsmen, among others, earning them the name "Imaki no Tehito (今來才技, “recently arrived skilled artisans”)" in the Nihon Shoki. Groups arriving from the peninsula have settled in and formed communities in various parts of the archipelago, including Fukuoka in northern Kyushu to Okayama on the Inland Sea, to the Kyoto–Osaka– Nara area, to Gunma north of Tokyo, and as far as Sendai in northeastern Honshu. Once fully settled on the Japanese Archipelago, these immigrants became known as "Kikajin", or "naturalized immigrants". While migrants initially settled in Kyushu due to geographic proximity to the peninsula, by the fourth century, migrants had shifted their destination to the Kinki region, the core base of the Yamato elites, of Nara, Osaka, Kyoto, and Otsu region.