The Kingdom of Jiaozhi Kōchi Jiaozhi was the historical name for northern Vietnam during various periods of Chinese and Japanese engagement

Illustration Description: A traditional woodcut depicts two men from the Kingdom of Jiaozhi. The man on the left wears a formal, long-sleeved robe and carries a folding fan, suggesting a civil or scholarly status. The man on the right is more rugged and muscular, semi-clothed, and carries three long wooden poles or spears, likely representing the local warrior or hunter class.

Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms original: "Sancai Tuhui," a famous Ming Dynasty encyclopedia widely used in Japan: Volume 12, Figures

Page Eight

Panhu originates from the palace of Emperor Ku of the Gaoxin clan Emperor Ku is a legendary figure in Chinese mythology, one of the Five Emperors said to have lived around 2400 BCE. An elderly woman living in the palace suffered for a long time from a painful ear ailment; when she finally picked at her ear to find relief, she removed a small object shaped like a silk cocoon. She placed this curious object inside a gourd original: "hu" shell and covered it with a plate original: "pan".

Before long, the object inside miraculously transformed into a dog with vibrant, five-colored fur. Because of the items used to house it during its transformation—the plate and the gourd—it was given the name Panhu.

At that time, the empire was under invasion by the Quanrong Quanrong; literally "Dog-Barbarians," an ancient nomadic people who frequently clashed with early Chinese dynasties. None of the Emperor’s bravest soldiers were able to capture the enemy leader, General Fang. Facing a stalemate, the Emperor issued a formal decree: he promised that he would grant his daughter’s hand in marriage to anyone who could bring him the head of the General.

Soon after the decree was issued, the dog Panhu arrived at the palace gates carrying a human head in its mouth; upon inspection, it was confirmed to be the head of General Fang. The Emperor was overjoyed by the victory but found himself in a dilemma regarding the reward, as the victor was a dog. However, the Princess, having heard her father's public decree, insisted that a sovereign's word could not be broken without destroying his credibility. She requested to honor the vow and follow the dog as her husband.

The Emperor, left with no choice, gave the Princess to the dog. Panhu then carried the woman...