Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (坂上田村麻呂 758 - 811) was a general and
shogun is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The modern rank is equivalent to a Generalissimo...
of the early
Heian PeriodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyoto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Confucianism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
of
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was the first shogun of Japan. He was the son of
Sakanoue no KaritamaroSakanoue no Karitamaro was a samurai commander, and later Chinjufu-shōgun , during Japan's Nara period.Karitomo's father was Sakanoue no Inukai....
.
Serving
Emperor Kammuwas the 50th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 781 through 806.-Genealogy:...
, he was appointed shogun and given the task of conquering the
EmishiThe were a group of people who lived in northeastern Honshū in what is today known as the Tōhoku region. They are referred to as in contemporary sources. Some Emishi tribes opposed and resisted the rule of the Japanese Emperors during the late Nara and early Heian periods...
(蝦夷征伐
Emishi Seibatsu), a people native to the north of Honshū, which he subjugated. Recent evidence suggests that a migration of Emishi from northern Honshū to
Hokkaidō, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshū, although the two islands are connected by the underwater Seikan Tunnel...
took place sometime between the seventh and eighth centuries, perhaps as a direct result of this policy that pre-dated Tamuramaro's appointment.
Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (坂上田村麻呂 758 - 811) was a general and
shogun is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The modern rank is equivalent to a Generalissimo...
of the early
Heian PeriodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyoto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Confucianism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
of
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was the first shogun of Japan. He was the son of
Sakanoue no KaritamaroSakanoue no Karitamaro was a samurai commander, and later Chinjufu-shōgun , during Japan's Nara period.Karitomo's father was Sakanoue no Inukai....
.
Serving
Emperor Kammuwas the 50th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 781 through 806.-Genealogy:...
, he was appointed shogun and given the task of conquering the
EmishiThe were a group of people who lived in northeastern Honshū in what is today known as the Tōhoku region. They are referred to as in contemporary sources. Some Emishi tribes opposed and resisted the rule of the Japanese Emperors during the late Nara and early Heian periods...
(蝦夷征伐
Emishi Seibatsu), a people native to the north of Honshū, which he subjugated. Recent evidence suggests that a migration of Emishi from northern Honshū to
Hokkaidō, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island and the largest, northernmost of its 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshū, although the two islands are connected by the underwater Seikan Tunnel...
took place sometime between the seventh and eighth centuries, perhaps as a direct result of this policy that pre-dated Tamuramaro's appointment. However, many Emishi remained in the
Tōhoku regionThe is a geographical area of Japan. Tōhoku is Japanese for "northeast", and the Tōhoku region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. The area is also known as...
as subjects of the expanding
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Empire, and later established independent Fushu domains. After Emperor Kammu's death, the general continued to serve
Emperor HeizeiEmperor Heizei was the 51st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession...
and
Emperor SagaEmperor Saga was the 52nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 809 through 823.-Genealogy:...
as
and
It is said that the famous
Tanabatais a Japanese star festival, derived from the Chinese star festival, Qi Xi ．It celebrates the meeting of Orihime and Hikoboshi . The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh...
festivals and parades of
Aomori prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :The Aomori Prefecture came into existence in 1871. Aomori Town was established in 1889. The town was incorporated as a city in 1898 with a population of 28,000....
(also celebrated in the city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture), which draw over 3 million people to the prefecture a year, were popularized in remembrance of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro's campaign to subdue the tribal societies then living in Tōhoku. These annual
matsuri are called the
Nebuta festival in Aomori CityThe is a Japanese summer festival that takes place in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The festival attracts the most tourists of any of the country's nebuta festivals, and is counted among the three largest festivals in the Tōhoku region...
and
Neputa festival (ねぷた祭り) in Hirosaki City.
Tamuramaro's military successes are commemorated today in autumn matsuri which feature a number of gigantic, specially-constructed, illuminated paper floats. These huge festival structures are colorfully painted with mythical figures; and teams of men carry them through the streets as crowds shout encouragement. Aomori's great nebuta lanterns are said to hark back to Tamuramaro's innovative strategy in that early ninth century campaign. According to legend, the taishogun is remembered for having ordered huge illuminated lanterns to be placed at the top of hills; and when the curious Emishi approached these bright lights to investigate, they were captured and subdued. Until the mid 1990s the prize awarded for the best float of the parades was called the Tamuramaro Prize. However, there is no historical record that he went farther north than
Iwate prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Morioka.- History :Iwate was historically part of Mutsu Province. It was brought into the empire around 800.In the Jōmon period it was an area abundant in fishing and hunting...
.
Tamuramaro's name is linked with payments for construction projects at
Kiyomizu Temple, known more fully as is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage site...
(
Kiyomizu-dera) in the late 8th century.
- 811 (Kōnin
Konin is a city in central Poland.Konin may also refer to:*Emperor Kōnin , emperor of Japan who reigned 770–781*Kōnin , a Japanese era name for the years 810–824...
2, 3rd month): Tamuramaro died at age 54, to the great regret of Emperor Saga, who expressed his sense of loss by distributing large quantities of silk cloth, cotton cloth and rice in honor of his dead counselor. His bow, arrows, quiver and sword were placed in his coffin by order of the Emperor.
Tamuramaro is reputedly buried at Shōgun-zuka, and his spirit is said to be guarding Kyoto still; but even if part of that tale is only myth, the recorded final resting place of the old warrior was near the village of Kurusu (
Kurusu-mura 栗栖村) in
Yamashirowas a province of Japan, located in Kinai. It overlaps the southern part of modern Kyoto Prefecture on Honshū. Aliases include , the rare , and . It is classified as an upper province in the Engishiki....
's Uji district.
External links
- Shogun-zuka – Tamuramaro's reputed grave site overlooking Kyoto is at coordinates