Tagajō

Tagajō

Tagajō (多賀城) was an 8th century headquarters established to help in the wars against the Ezo People,¹ constructed in 724 by Ōno no Azumahito.² It consisted of several buildings in a walled area.¹

Orignially known as Taga no ki it later became Tagajō, and is located in Shiogama City, Miyagi Prefecture.

Eventually it was abandoned in 802 after the subjugation of the Ezo, and to this day the remains of the base of a pagoda, a main hall, lecture hall and several other buildings have been been preserved.¹

In 1978, excavations found documents (in the form of mokkan and manuscripts) dating from between 780 and 822 were unearthed in the ruins. They are the oldest writings found in Japan on laquered paper.²

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.

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