The
Mishihase (粛填) were a people of ancient Japan
, believed to
have lived along the northern portion of the coast of the Sea of Japan
.
They are believed to have spoken a
Tungusic language.
The name
Sushen, which is rendered 肅愼 but
pronounced Mishihase or Ashihase in Japanese, can also be found in
Japanese documents. According to
the
Nihon shoki, the Mishihase first
arrived at
Sado Island during the reign
of
Emperor Kimmei.
In 660, Japanese
General Abe no Hirafu 阿倍比羅夫 defeated
the Mishihase in Hokkaidō
at the
request of the Ezo. Some historians
consider that the Mishihase were identical to the Sushen in Chinese
records, but others think that the Japanese named the indigenous
people in the northeast based on their knowledge of Chinese
records, just as the Chinese did during the
Three Kingdoms Period.