tribal confederation · Korea and Japan

Hayato

600 CE – 720 CE (approx.)

The people of southern Kyushu who resisted incorporation into the early Japanese state until their great rebellion was crushed in 720.

Origins

The Hayato lived in the Satsuma and Osumi regions of southern Kyushu and are often linked to the Kumaso of earlier legend. They appear in court records from the late 7th century as a frontier people paying tribute to the Yamato court.

Rule and society

Their society was organised in local groups under chiefs, and their customs, language and dress were considered foreign by the court. Groups of Hayato were brought to the capital to serve as guards and perform ritual dances and chants at court ceremonies. The imposition of ritsuryo provinces and land registers on their territory provoked resistance.

Decline and legacy

A major rebellion broke out in 720 and was suppressed after more than a year by an army under Otomo no Tabito. Southern Kyushu was then integrated into the provincial system; Hayato tribute missions ended in 801, though Hayato still served at court ceremonies in the 9th century.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hayato. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hayato
MLA
“Hayato.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hayato. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Hayato.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hayato.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hayato’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hayato (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻