• • Period: Heian Period
  • Occupation: Provincial Officer of Iyo Province
  • Family: Fujiwara no Yoshinori (father)
  • Birth: –
  • Death: 941AD

Fujiwara no Sumitomo

Fujiwara no Sumitomo (藤原 光隆) was a member of the Fujiwara Clan. He was the son of Fujiwara no Yoshinori and died in 941AD after leading a failed rebellion.¹

In the early 930’s he was sent to serve as a minor provincial offical of Iyo Province and later in 936AD was given orders to surpress pirate actrivity 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.

Later in January 940AD Sumitomo rose up against the government, corresponding with another rebellion in the north-east led by Taira no Masakado. 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 in March, Masakado was killed and so 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 killed.² He was killed by Fujiwara no Tadabumi.¹

Footnotes

1. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.
2. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.

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• Period: Nara Period / Heian Period
• Occupation: General of the Imperial Troops, sei-i-tai-shōgun
• Family: Fujiwara no Tsuneyoshi (father)
• Birth: 873AD
• Death: 947AD

Fujiwara no Tadabumi

Fujiwara no Tadabumi (藤原 忠文) was a member of the Fujiwara Clan, living from 873-947, he was the son of Fujiwara no Tsuneyoshi. He was also known as Uji no Mibu-kyō.

During his lifetime he was General of the Imperial Troops and by 941AD was given the title of sei-i-tai-shōgun. That same year he was given the task of putting down a revolt led by Fujiwara no Sumitomo and Taira no Masakado. During his attempts to quell the revolt he was helped at sea by Ono no Yoshifuru who saw to Sumitono’s pirates being defeated.

This led to Sumitono seeking refuge on Kyushu where Tadabumi eventually tracked him down in Iyo Province where he killed him.¹

Footnotes

1. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.

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Hear about Fujiwara Hidesato on Episode 6 of our Podcast, the Japan Archives.

• Period: Heian Period
• Occupation: Chinjufu-shōgun, Governor
• Family: Fujiwara no Uona (ancestor) Fujiwara no Murao (father)
• Birth: –
• Death: –

Fujiwara Hidesato

Fujiwara Hidesato (藤原 秀郷) also known as Tawara Tōda (俵藤太)³ is included in the Folktale My Lord Bag of Rice. He is noted to have had the nature of a warrior with a huge bow much taller than himself.¹

Family

Hidesato was a decendant of Fujiwara no Uona and son of Fujiwara no Murao and as such is a part of the Fujiwara Clan.³

Historical Background

He is known to have been a military beaurocrat serving under Emperor Suzaku.²

Exiled in 916 he later was pardoned and appointed as an Ōryōshi (Military Constable) in Shimotsuke.³

In 940AD he is noted to have formed an alliance with Taira no Sadamori in order to defeat Taira no Masakado. Afterwards, he was given the position of Chinjufu-shōgun as well as Governor of Shimotsuke. Hidesato had many descendant clans, those amongst them being the Ōshu-Fujiwara, Shimokōbe, Oyama and Yūki clans.²³

My Lord Bag of Rice

In the story, Fujiwara wanting adventure set out over Seta-no-Karashi Bridge on Lake Biwa whereupon he found a dragon laying across it. Undeterred he walked over it, straight afterwards the dragon turned into his human form revealing himself as The Dragon King.

He beseeches Tawara to help him kill the giant centipede Seta who is taking members of his family, living upon Mount Mikami. He agrees.

They wait in the Dragon King’s Palace at the bottom of the lake until the centipede appears. Afterwards, he goes to confront the centipede firing two arrows at his forehead. Both hit the creature in the centre of its head but they deflect, its shell protecting it.

After a few moments, he remembers that human saliva is deadly to centipedes and so wetting his last arrow with his saliva he shoots it again. This time the arrow pierces the creature and kills it. As thanks, the King throws a banquet for him in his palace, and gifts him with:

• • A large bronze bell.
  • A bag of rice.
  • A roll of silk.
  • A cooking pot.
  • A bell.

In the end, he donates the bell to Mii-dera Temple. The bag of rice never grew empty. The roll of silk never grew shorter. The cooking pot, no matter what was put in cooked delicious food. Due to this, he became very wealthy.¹

Yōkai connections

Some sources claim that Hidesato fought against a creature known as the Dōmeki.⁴

Footnotes

1. Ozaki, Y.T. (1903) “The Japanese Fairy Book”. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co. Ltd.
2. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.
3. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
4. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

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• Co-ordinates: 33°N 131°E
• Prefectures: Fukuoka Prefecture, Kagoshima Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, Miyazaki Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, Oita Prefecture, Okinawa Prefecture, Saga Prefecture

Kyushu

Kyushu (九州, Nine Provinces) also called Tsukushi (筑紫島, Lands End) in the kojiki and nihongi is one of the four main islands of Japan, the islands older name of Tsukushi could also be read as ‘Stone Carvers’ due to the stone effigies of people, animals and shields which ring many barrows on the island.¹

It is stated in the nihongi during the events of Emperor Keiko’s life that the common people of Tsukushi called a drinking cup an ‘Ukushi’.²

Mythical Associations

According to the kojiki this island is the fourth of the Great Land of Eightfold Isles to have been born by Izanami and Izanagi¹, whereas the nihongi says it was the third to have been created.²

The Kojiki elaborates more stating the island is made up of one body with four faces. Each face of the island was inhabited by a kami. The North face called Tsukushi (Lands End) is inhabited by Shirahiwake, with South face called the land of the Bear Folk inhabited by Takehiwake.

The North-West face is called Toyo (Abundance) inhabited by Toyohiwake, according to a fudoki named as such by Emperor Keikō after seeing the abundance of yams growing here. The South-West face is called Hi (Firelight) inhabited by Takehimukaitoyokujihinewake, according to a fudoki named as such due to occurrence of mysterious supernatural fires which occur here.¹

Later in the narrative of the kojiki and nihongi it is said that this island is the location of the Tachibana River, where Izanagi cleanses himself after venturing into Yomi to see his deceased wife.¹²

We see it briefly mentioned again in the nihongi with connections to the kami Isotakeru. He wished to fill the islands of Japan with trees, and it is said the island of Kyushu was the first island he did this to.²

Reign of Emperor Sujin

During the reign of this Emperor, it is said that Izumo Furune was spending time here when the Emperor sent for the Sacred Treasures that were under his care in Izumo Shrine.²

A Place of Exile

Kyushu during its history became a place associated with exile, and being posted here, no matter how elaborately disguised it may have been; was seen as exile by those sent there.⁵

Those that were exiled there (and the date they were sent) include:

• • ??Haji no Mimichi??
  • ??Abe no Hirafu??
  • ??Fujiwara no Takaie??
  • ??Matsudono Motofusa??
• • 723 – Priest Manzei
  • 727/728 – Ōtomo no Tabito
  • 738 – Fujiwara no Hirotsugu
  • 745 – Priest Genbō
  • 901 – Sugawara no Michizane
  • 996 – Fujiwara no Korechika
  • 1064 – Abe no Munetō

Heian Period

In 941AD Fujiwara no Tadabumi was given the task of putting down a revolt led by Fujiwara no Sumitomo and Taira no Masakado. During his attempts to quell the revolt he was helped at sea by Ono no Yoshifuru who saw to Sumitono’s pirates being defeated.

This led to Sumitono seeking refuge on Kyushu where Tadabumi eventually tracked him down in Iyo Province where he killed him.⁶

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

During this period the Battle of Mimikawa occurred. On one side was Ōtomo Sōrin who wished to bring Kyushu under his rule as a Christian state.⁴

Yōkai

The island has links to the Yōkai known as the Hyōsube, small dolls which became alive and vengeful after being dumped in a river close to Shiomi Jinga Shrine in Saga Prefecture. Additionally the natural phenomenon known as the Shiranui has links to the island.³

Footnotes

1. Yasumaro. O, translated by Gustav Heldt. (2014) “Kojiki. An Account of Ancient Matters”. New York: Columbia University Press.
2. Aston. W.G. (1896) “Nihongi Volume 1: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD697”. Tuttle Publishing.
3. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: over Publications, Inc.
4. Yoda, H & Alt, M. (2012) “Ninja Attack: True Tales of Assassins, Samurai and Outlaws” Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing.
5. Miller, R. A.. (1981) “The Lost Poetic Sequence of the Priest Manzei”. Monumenta Nipponica. Vol.36 No.2 pp.133-172
6. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.

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