Hayato people

The Hayato (隼人), which is Japanese for "falcon-people", were a people of ancient Japan who lived in the Satsuma and Ōsumi regions of southern Kyushu during the Nara period. They frequently resisted the Yamato Kingship.

After their subjugation, they became subjects of the government under Ritsuryō, and the Ministry of the Military maintained an office known as the Hayato-shi (隼人司) responsible for their governance. The name also came into use by samurai as a title, Hayato no suke (隼人助).

In modern times, Hayato is a Japanese male given name.

The Hayato might have been the same as the Kumaso group of around the same time, but while the Kumaso are mentioned in the more legendary portions of the Nihon Shoki, the Hayato are recorded in various historical texts until the beginning of the Heian period. Though the Kumaso are generally portrayed as rebellious, the Hayato are listed among the attendants of emperors and princes from as early as Emperor Nintoku's reign. This, along with a mention of Hayato crying before the grave of Emperor Yūryaku after his death, suggests that the Hayato were naturalized as personal servants by the late 7th century.

Even after pledging allegiance to the Japanese court, the Hayato continued to resist its rule. After the establishment of Ōsumi Province in 713, the Ōsumi Hayato fought back in 720 with the Hayato rebellion, but were defeated in 721 by an army led by Ōtomo no Tabito. The Handen-Shūju system was implemented in their lands in 800. The population of Yamato immigrants in Kagoshima Prefecture in the early 8th century has been estimated at approximately 9000, one-seventh of the total population. By this estimate, the Hayato population of the time can be calculated as consisting of around 54,000 people, not including Hayato emigrants to Honshū.

The Hayato were compelled to emigrate to the Kinai and were active in protecting the court, the arts, sumo, and bamboo work. Many lived in Yamashiro Province, in the south of modern Kyoto. There remains an area called Ōsumi (大住) in Kyōtanabe, Kyoto, where many Ōsumi Hayato lived. These were the Hayato governed by the Hayato-shi.

The language spoken by the Hayato is not known, except for two words and several personal names documented in contemporary sources. In the Ōsumi Fudoki, an ancient Japanese text from the 8th century, two words from the Hayato language can be found: kusera (Man'yōgana: 久西良) and pisi (Man'yōgana: 必志). Kusera probably means "comb". Although the meaning "head hair" was suggested as well, the gloss 髪梳 ‘head.hair comb’ in the Ōsumi Fudoki strongly suggests the first meaning. The comparison with Old Japanese kusi (modern Japanese kushi 櫛) and Reconstructed Ryukyuan *kusi suggests borrowing from local Kyushu Old Japanese, as indicated by the diminutive suffix -ra. The second word, pisi 'shoal' is probably a native Hayato word. It suggests a common origin with adjacent languages for this word when compared with proto-Ryukyuan *pisi, proto-Ainu pis ("shore"), and Eastern Old Japanese pîⁿzi³. Despite efforts by some scholars, such as Kakubayashi in 1998, to associate these words with the Austronesian language family, the dominant perspective holds that the Hayato language was related to the Japonic languages. Nonetheless, it is thought to have diverged early from the languages spoken on the islands of Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu.

Their culture is also believed to have been unique to other regions of Japan. In particular, their folk song and dance became famous in the Kinai region as the Hayato dance (隼人舞). An excavation of Heijō Palace discovered wooden shields with a distinctive reverse-S-shaped marking. These shields match those described in the Engishiki, which the Hayato used in court ceremonial functions. The Hayato performed roles in various state ceremonies, including those for the New Year, imperial enthronement, and the visitation of foreign officials.