What are the Takeuchi Documents?
The Takeuchi Documents is the collective name for the ancient documents and sacred treasures made public in 1928 by Takeuchi Kiyomaro, head of the Koso Kotaijingu (Amatsukyo) religious group in Ibaraki Prefecture. Said to have been handed down in the Takeuchi family for generations, they drew attention for supposedly recording the super-ancient history of Japan.
What do they say?
The Takeuchi Documents claim that long before Emperor Jimmu there were super-ancient dynasties such as the “Ugayafukiaezu dynasty,” and that emperors traveled around the world in flying ships. They also stated that Moses, the Buddha and Christ had visited Japan. In 1935, a “Tomb of Christ” was said to have been found in Herai Village, Aomori Prefecture (today’s Shingo), based on the documents, and it remains a tourist spot where a Christ Festival is held.
Are the Takeuchi Documents genuine?
Before the war, Takeuchi Kiyomaro was tried for lese-majesty and other charges, but was ultimately acquitted. Meanwhile, in 1936 the philosopher Kano Kokichi published a paper criticizing them as forgeries made in modern times, based on their script and language. Most of the originals are said to have been destroyed during the war. Today historians regard them as forgeries, but they are still told of as a classic of super-ancient history romance.
