Kyushu waiting to spur neighborly bond

Legend has it that Emperor Yingzheng of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) sent Xu Fu, one of his sorcerers, to a legendary island called Penglai on the eastern end of the sea to look for the elixir of life. Xu, accompanied by 3,000 boys and girls, did not return to the emperor's court. His fleet is believed to have reached modern-day Japan and settled down there. China's first emperor, who hoped to live and rule forever, died in 210 BC. His mausoleum, with a large army of terracotta warriors and extensive other possessions, in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, is one of China's biggest tourist attractions today.

Some Japanese scholars say Xu Fu likely traveled from Shandong province to Kyushu. As the most southwesterly of Japan's four islands, Kyushu is Japan's closest point of contact with China, the Republic of Korea and other Asian countries. Shrines and memorials dedicated to Xu are scattered in Japan honoring him for introducing many tools and farming techniques to the "new land". There is even a tomb of Xu in Shingu, Wakayama. And one Japanese scholar went as far as saying that 30 percent of people in Japan are descended from Xu.

On my trip to Kyushu last week, Masaru Miyazaki, an editorial writer for Saga Shimbun, said Saga prefecture was where Xu Fu most likely landed. The "presence" of the "fictional character" of Xu in many parts of Kyushu is used by local people as proof of the close contact between China and Japan in ancient times.