Iyo Province

• See also: List of Provinces

Iyo Province

Iyo Province (伊予国) was one of the many provinces of Japan.

Branches of the Date Clan are known to have controlled the Yoshida and Uwajima Domains in this province.¹

The kojiki states that this place is inhabited by the kami Ehime.

Legendary Period

The Emishi were sent to Harima, Sanuki, Iyo, Aki and Aha Provinces by Emperor Keikō as they were too violent and scared those that lived around Mount Mimoro.³

Heian Period

In the early 930’s Fujiwara no Sumitomo was sent here to serve as a minor provincial offical. Later in 936AD he was given orders to surpress pirate activity in the Inland Sea. However, he eventually became the leader of the pirates instead. The leader of Iyo then adopted a policy of appeasement and so pirate activity lessened. In January 940AD Sumitomo rose up against the government. The Court tried to stop Sumitomo by giving him the 5th Court Rank, however he continued to attack settlements in 11 provinces along the Inland Sea with his pirates.

A few months later the court turned their attention to Sumitomo. A large fleet was sent against him, led by Ono no Yoshifuru and Sumitomo found himself defeated in Hakata Bay. He fled to Iyo where he was then killed¹ by Fujiwara no Tadabumi.²

Later, during the events of the Earlier Nine Years War a man known as Abe no Munetō defeated the forces of the court at the Torinomi Palisade in 1057. However, in 1062 he surrendered after his brother was killed. Afterwards he was exiled to Iyo in 1064 and later Dazaifu (Kyushu).¹

Footnotes

1. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
2. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.
3. Aston. W.G. (1896) “Nihongi Volume 1: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD697”. Tuttle Publishing.

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