Updated on August 19, 2017

In 1933, the 8th year of the Showa era, Dr. Yamasaki Seidou, of Kumamoto Medical College, and Shimabukuro Gen-ichiro found the first stone tablet while visiting the grave site of a friend. Although the circumstances of subsequent discoveries are unclear, 11 more “ancient stone tablets” (korai no sekiban) were found in Kadena-cho and Hokutan-cho in Okinawa during the pre-war and the post-war periods; the latest date given is 1952. While their significance remains controversial, the tablets are believed to hold the key to the prehistory of Okinawa [“Okinawa Rosetta”].

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[In process]

This research is intended to support my hypothesis that the Minoans originated in the Karum Kanesh in Anatolia and traveled to Japan, via Okinawa, sometime after the destruction of the Minoan civilization in the second millenium BCE.

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SEKIBAN 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This first tablet appears to document a sea voyage. There are 17 tick marks on the ship’s hull and an additional 46 tick marks underneath, for a total of 63 days.

The configuration of the ship’s sail (the drawing at the top) is significant and is similar to *064 in the LinB grid. Younger shows the value as swi. Compare the ancient name, Sui, for the Okinawans. Sui is alternately spelled Shui and Shuri. In Uchinaguchi (Uchina:), the language of the Okinawans, the final /i/ shifts to /ri/ in Yamatoguchi, the language of mainland Japan. Sui is found at the roots of words that pertain to sailors: suifu or suishu “sailor” and suihei “naval sailor”. Moreover,  水 sui means “water” and has multiple readings that include min.

Despite its tiny size, Okinawa (formerly the Ryukyuan Kingdom), as had Crete, had established amicable trade relationships throughout southeast Asia, which included China, Japan, and Korea. Beginning in the 15th century CE, the Ryukyuan Kingdom paid tribute to the Chinese empire. The Shimazu clan profited from this amicable relationship after its invasion of the militarily unprepared Ryukyuan Kingdom in 1609. However, loathe to upset the China/Ryukyu tributary relationship, Japan did not annex the Ryukyuan Kingdom until 1879, when the latter became the Okinawa Prefecture.

It is believed that Uchina: and Yamato share a common protolanguage that has its roots in the Altaic language family. Anatolia (ancient Turkey) is among those regions in which the Altaic languages were spoken: “The majority of scholarly opinions point toward the Altaic [language] family as the home of [the] Japanese [language].”  Consequently, Yamato must be considered in the context of the Okinawan Sekiban.

Nihon (日本), alternately Nippon, is the Japanese name for Japan. Nihon may be translated as the Land of the Rising Sun, from 日 hi “sun” + 本 hon “origin”. It is significant that the name, Anatolia, is derived from ἀνατολή (anatole), a Greek word that alternately means east, orient, and rising sun.

However, I propose a second meaning for Nihon. The Egyptian word for sailor is pronounced nfw (nifu) and is derived from a determinative that is also used to designate wind or puff.  Compare, also, nfw with 吹 sui , which means puff or blow. Finally, compare 本 and 水 with the shape of the Egyptian sail.

Note that middle Japanese Nifon became modern Japanese Nihon through a series of phonological shifts. The original value, /p/, had weakened to /f/ and then to /h/. Nevertheless, /f/ is still pronounced when followed by /u/ and is reflected in the LinA shift from /pa/ to /fu/. Consequently, I believe that Nifon is derived from nifu to designate the origin of the Japanese and the means by which they arrived in Japan.

Finally, note the figure carved into a natural feature of the stone on Sekiban 1.  Given its position above the boat, the figure suggests kami as the source of 神風 kamikaze “divine wind”.

Entry added on 27 May 2012
Updated on 28 May 2012 * 19 Aug 2017

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SEKIBAN 2

Among the iconic images of ancient Egypt is the pharaoh wearing the uraeus on his crown. The uraeus, as represented by a rearing cobra, symbolized not only royalty but, also, the solar deity, Re (Ra), from which is derived ray. The uraeus was also known as the “fiery eye of Re”, and the solar disk was sometimes flanked by two uraei.  Cf. i-je-re-u > ἱερεύς (iereus) “priest” [e.g. PY Eo 247].  The uraeus is reflected in AB *024 NE and in the Japanese 王 ou “king”. (See also AB *006 NA.)  Cf. the honorary ousama with the Arabic Osama (Ousama) “lion-like”. The lion has long been called the “king of the jungle”.

The uraeus is said to find its equivalent in οὐραῖος (ouraios) “of the tail”, but I believe that this is a reanalysis of the the root, οὐρά (oura) “boundary, limit” as “hinder parts, rearguard”.  An ancient depiction of οὐρανός (ouranos) “heaven”, from which is derived Uranus, is the οὐροβόρος (ouroboros), an encompassing serpent “devouring its tail”.

Moreover, the serpent has a long history in the mythology of the Mediterranean region. Among its representations is the Idaean Mother, who resided on Mount Ida in both Anatolia and Crete and who is depicted with snakes entwining her arms.

Entry added on 28 May 2012
Updated on 28 Jan 2014 * 27 Nov 2016

REFERENCES:

1. Altaic Languages. Wikipedia.org. Ret. on 28 May 2012.
2. Cobra. Ancient Egypt: The Mythology. 2010. Ret. on 28 May 2012. <egyptianmyths.net>
3. History (The) of Okinawa. The Sanshin Shop.com. Ret. on 07 Oct 2011.
4. Japonic Languages. Wikipedia.org. Ret. on 28 May 2011.
5. List of Egyptian Hieroglyphs by Common Name: M-Z. Wikipedia.org. Ret. on 28 May 2012.
6. Mount Ida. Wikipedia.org. Ret. on 16 Oct 2011.
7. Names of Japan. Wikipedia.org. Ret. on 19 Nov 2011.
8. Okinawa Rosetta Stone (The) and the Yonaguni Site. Ancient and Lost Civilizations. Above Top Secret.com. Ret. on 20 Mar 2012.
9. Ships and Boats in Ancient Egypt. I Like Egypt.com. Ret. on 08.19.17
10. Uraeus. Wikipedia.org. Ret. on 28 May 2012.
11. Vogler, Daniel J. The History of the Japanese Language. Brigham Young University. 1998. Ret. on 05 Dec 2011. <linguistics.byu.edu>.