“The ”Nihonshoki“ , which has a similar status to the “Inscriptions,” was compiled based on the idea that Japan, ruled by the emperor, was the center of the world. “The Kih describes Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and Gaya as Japan's vassal states. However, the interpretation of the emperor's “descent into heaven” as the “vertical descent into heaven” of the “horizontal Tōhae” of the Joseon nations suggests that the emperor may be limited to the Joseon people. In fact, the imperial line, with Emperor Shinmu as the ancestor, was traced to the Joseon lineage, but after the 16th Gyecheon Emperor, it was limited to the Baekje line. This fact implies that Japan itself recognized the rule of a “Joseon emperor” in Article 1 of the Meiji Constitution of 1889 (“Japan shall be ruled by an emperor of Korean descent”). After the failure of the Baekje Revival Movement in 663, the Baekje-oriented Japanese rulers and emigrants sought to renew the stagnant atmosphere and inherit the history and culture of Baekje by changing the national anthem from “Why” to “Japan,” which is used as the name of Baekje.“ In response to this need, they adopted ”Japan” as the national anthem and compiled the Nihon Shoki, which was written in accordance with the idea of heaven and earth. Therefore, it is prudent to discuss the relationship with the Joseon Dynasty based on the Nihon Shoki.
Kwon et al. (2025) studied this question.