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Sakanoue no Tamuramaro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (坂上田村麻呂 758 - 811) was a general and shogun of the early Heian Period of Japan.
Serving Emperor Kammu, he was appointed shogun and given the task of conquering the Emishi (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 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 region as subjects of the Japanese Empire, and later established independent Fushu domains. After Emperor Kammu's death, the general continued to serve Emperor Heizei and Emperor Saga as dainagon and hyōbukyō (minister of war).
Tamuramaro is credited with the building of Kiyomizu Temple (Kiyomizu-dera), one of the most famous landmarks to be seen in Kyoto.
It is said that the famous Tanabata festivals and parades of Aomori prefecture (also celebrated in the city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture), which draw over 3 million people to the prefecture a year, are in remembrance of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro's conquering of the natives' land. These festivals are called the Nebuta festival in Aomori City and Neputa festival (ねぷた祭り) in Hirosaki City. 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 prefecture.
He was the son of Sakanoue no Karitamaro. Tamuramaro's grave is in Shōgun-zuka, just east of Kyoto.