Who they were
Himiko was the shaman queen of Yamatai, known entirely from the Chinese Wei chronicle’s account of the Wa people (the Gishi Wajinden). Chosen to rule after decades of strife, she practiced spirit mediation, remained unmarried, and was attended by a thousand women, while her younger brother handled daily affairs.
What they did
In 239 she sent envoys to the Wei court and received the title “Queen of Wa, Friend of Wei” along with bronze mirrors. She died around 248 and, the chronicle says, was buried in a great mound.
Legacy
She is the first named ruler in Japan’s recorded history. Where Yamatai lay — Kyushu or the Kinai — remains Japan’s most famous historiographical dispute; some scholars link her to the Hashihaka mound in Nara, though that attribution is debated.