Yamato Takeru

Yamato Takeru was the son of one Tennō and the father of another, but not a Tennō himself, at least not in the central myths. There are many stories about him, and while they are individually interesting, there are a lot of mysteries about them, and about how they fit together. This essay retells these myths, with some commentary.

Torii image © Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.