Fujiwara No Sumitomo

was a Japanese Heian era court noble and warrior. From 939 to 941 he aided the

Taira clan The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divide ...

in a series of revolts. Sumitomo built his power base in Northern

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

. After making a secret agreement with Taira no Masakado, who was leading a revolt in Shimōsa Province, Sumitomo led his own revolt in

Iyo province was a province of Japan in the area of northwestern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Iyo bordered on Sanuki Province to the northeast, Awa to the east, and Tosa to the south. Its abbreviated form name was . In te ...

in 939, and soon afterwards invaded the provinces of Harima and Bizen. The revolt quickly spread throughout the whole San'yō region. Pursued by imperial forces led by Ono no Yoshifuru and

Minamoto no Tsunemoto was a samurai and Imperial Prince during Japan's Heian period, one of the progenitors of the Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the ...

, Sumitomo fled to Dazaifu, burning down the Dazaifu headquarters before he was defeated in battle at

Hakata Bay is a bay in the northwestern part of Fukuoka city, on the Japanese island of Kyūshū. It faces the Tsushima Strait, and features beaches and a port, though parts of the bay have been reclaimed in the expansion of the city of Fukuoka. The b ...

. He then fled back to Iyo province, where he was captured. He was executed shortly afterwards, in 941, by

Tachibana no Tōyasu The term has at least two different meanings, and has been used in several contexts. People * – a clan of ''kuge'' (court nobles) prominent in the Nara and Heian periods (710–1185) * – a clan of ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) prominent in the Mu ...

. His father was

Fujiwara no Yoshinori Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamata ...

, and he was the ancestor of the

Arima clan The is a Japanese samurai family. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 6-7 of 80">"Arima," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 2-3 DF_...

_of_Hizen_province.html" ;"title="DF 6-7 of 80/nowiki>">DF ...

References