Prince (Crown Prince) Uji no Wakiiratsuko (菟道稚郎子)
Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko [(菟道稚郎子) Uji no Wakiiratsuko; his date birth is unknown and his date of death was in '312.'] appeared in the Kiki ["Kojiki" (A Record of Ancient Matter) and the "Nihonshoki" (Chronicles of Japan)] as an Imperial family (royal family) during the Kofun period (tumulus period) in Japan. Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko (菟道稚郎子) also known as; Imperial Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko [(菟道稚郎子皇子), in the "Nihonshoki" [Chronicles of Japan]]; Uji no Wakiiratsuko [(宇遅能和紀郎子), in the "Kojiki" [The Records of Ancient Matters]]; Uji no Wakiiratsuko [(宇治若郎子), in the "Yamashiro no Kuni Fudoki" (records of the culture and geography of the Yamashiro Province)]; and the Emperor Uji [(宇治天皇), in the "Harimanokuni Fudoki" (records of the culture and geography of the Harima Province)]. Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko was Imperial prince of the Emperor Ojin, and his mother was Miyanushi Yakahimi [(宮主宅媛), also known as Miyanushi Yagahaehime (宮主矢河枝比売)], a daughter of Hifure no Ohomi [(日触使主); his name was also written in this way "比布礼能意富美") in being an ancestor of the Wani Uji Clan.] [However, according to the "Sendai Kujihongi" (Ancient Japanese History), the mother of Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko appeared as Yamanashi Hime (山無媛), a daughter of 'Mononobe no Tajima no Muraji' (物部多遅麻連).]. Younger maternal half-sisters of Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko were Imperial Princess Yata no Hime [(八田皇女) Yata no Hime Miko] and Imperial Princess Metori no Hime [(雌鳥皇女) Metori no Hime Miko]. Although the Emperor Ojin, the prince's father, favored Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko and chose him as the Crown Prince. Then Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko would commit suicide in order to pass the Imperial Throne to Prince Osazaki (Osazaki no Mikoto, later Emperor Nintoku); this episode became a well known and beautiful story in Japan.
Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko learned from the books with instructors, Achiki (an emissary sent from Paekche) and Wani (Wang In), who visited Japan from Paekche ("Kudara" in Japanese; an ancient Korean kingdom). He attained proficient knowledge, and hus became favored by his father, the Emperor Ojin. In 309, Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko became the Crown Prince. The next year, the Emperor Ojin passed away, but the Crown Prince (Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko) did not ascend to the throne. Then, Prince Uji and Prince Osazaki insisted on devolving the Imperial throne on each other. On the other hand, Prince Oyamamori (大山守皇子), an older paternal half-brother, bore malice toward Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko since he was not chosen to be the Crown Prince himself; he raised his army against Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko to kill him. Prince Osazaki immediately realized his assassination conspiracy, and Prince Oyamamori was killed by the plot of Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko conversely.
After this incident, Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko moved into Uji no miya Palace [(菟道宮); Uji Gami Shirine is its legendary place, located in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture
Itsubun (unknown or lost writing) article inside the "Yamashiro no Kuni Fudoki" describes that he lived in Kiriharahigeta no miya (桐原日桁宮). Then, Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko and Prince Osazaki had been talking about the Imperial Throne for over the next three years. Afterward, Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko was worried the prolonged vacancy on the Imperial Throne could lead to the disaster of the nation; then he finally decided taking his own life to settle the issue on the Imperial Throne. Prince Osazaki was saddened and then approached the Uji no miya Palace via Naniwa (Osaka prefecture). When Prince Osazaki performed Shokon (invocation of the dead) ceremony for the Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko, he suddenly resuscitated, long enough to declare his will, that he would present Princess Yata no Hime (八田皇女) as princess of Prince Osazaki. Then, the Crown Prince met his demise once more.
The Crown Prince (Prince Uji no Wakiiratsuko) was buried in the Todo-san mountain (In "the Engishiki" [an ancient book for codes and procedures on national rites and prayers], this place was entered in the text as the "Uji burial mound" under the section of Shoryouryou [an administrative organization established by the Ritsuryo laws]). This burial mound is currently identified as Maruyama Kofun (It is a keyhole-shaped mound, with a total length is about eighty meters.) in Todo Maruyama, Uji City. Now, the Ministry of the Imperial Household manages this place.