The was a ''
shōen
A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4'').
Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private, ...
'' (estate or manor) in southern
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 surroun ...
of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, covering large portions of
Satsuma Satsuma may refer to:
* Satsuma (fruit), a citrus fruit
* ''Satsuma'' (gastropod), a genus of land snails
Places Japan
* Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town
* Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture
* Satsuma Domain, a sou ...
,
Ōsumi and
Hyūga Province
was an old province of Japan on the east coast of Kyūshū, corresponding to the modern Miyazaki Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hyūga''" in . It was sometimes called or . Hyūga bordered on Bungo, Higo, Ōsumi, and Sats ...
s. It was the largest ''shōen'' of medieval Japan. The
Shimazu clan
The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan.
The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contrast ...
took its name from this estate as the clan succeeded the position of ''
jitō
were medieval territory stewards in Japan, especially in the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates. Appointed by the ''shōgun'', ''jitō'' managed manors including national holdings governed by the provincial governor ( kokushi). There were also d ...
'' (land steward).
History
Heian Period
No contemporary source recorded the foundation of the Shimazu Estate. According to a document dated circa 1291, a "wasteland belonging to no one" was developed during the
Manju era (1024–1028) and was donated to
Kampaku (de facto ruler of Japan)
Fujiwara no Yorimichi
(992–1071) was a Japanese court noble. He succeeded his father Michinaga to the position of Sesshō in 1017, and then went on to become Kampaku from 1020 until 1068. In both these positions, he acted as Regent to the Emperor, as many of his ...
to break free from the provincial government's control. Another document states that its founder was
Taira no Suemoto
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 divided i ...
, the
Dazai Daigen (high-ranking official of the administrative center of Kyūshū). It is likely that Taira no Suemoto was the founder of the ''Chinzei Heishi'', a branch line of 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 divided ...
in Kyushu. A notable member of the Chinzei Heishi was
Ata Tadakage
, also known as , was a de facto ruler of Satsuma Province during the late Heian period of Japan.
Life
Ata Tadakage was a son of Izaku Yoshimichi. He was a distant relative of Taira no Suemoto, who founded the Shimazu Estate in the 1020s. His na ...
.
The Shimazu Estate originally covered Shimazu, Morokata District of southern
Hyūga Province
was an old province of Japan on the east coast of Kyūshū, corresponding to the modern Miyazaki Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hyūga''" in . It was sometimes called or . Hyūga bordered on Bungo, Higo, Ōsumi, and Sats ...
(modern-day
Miyakonojō
is a city in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1924. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 161,137, with 70,549 households and a population density of 247 per km2. The total area is 653.36 km2 ...
,
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,073,054 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 7,735 km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefecture borders Ōita Prefecture to the north, Kuma ...
) but was soon expanded into the neighboring lands of the province. Under the patronage of the powerful
Fujiwara clan
was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...
, Taira no Suemoto exercised effective administrative control over the lands. In 1029, Taira no Suemoto even raided the government office of the neighboring
Ōsumi Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Kagoshima Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Ōsumi bordered on Hyūga and Satsuma Provinces.
Osumi's ancient capital was near modern Kokubu. During the Sengoku a ...
but a fragmentary sources suggest that he was not punished severely.
The Shimazu Estate was expanded substantially in the first half of the 12th century. Large portions of
Satsuma Satsuma may refer to:
* Satsuma (fruit), a citrus fruit
* ''Satsuma'' (gastropod), a genus of land snails
Places Japan
* Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town
* Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture
* Satsuma Domain, a sou ...
, Ōsumi (including the island of
Tanegashima
is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 444.99 km2 in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to New ...
) and southern Hyūga became part of the estate, either as ''ichien no shō'' (estate under complete control) or ''yose gōri'' (where tax revenue was shared with the provincial government).
The Shimazu Estate was inherited by the Fujiwara family, but came under the control of 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 divided ...
in the second half of the 12th century. Yorimichi's 6th generation descendant, Kampaku
Fujiwara no Motozane
Fujiwara no Motozane (藤原 元真 1143–1166) was a middle Heian period ''waka'' poet and Japanese nobleman. He is designated as a member of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals
The are a group of Japanese poets of the Asuka, Nara, and Heia ...
, was married to
Taira no Moriko, a daughter of
Taira no Kiyomori
was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan.
Early life
Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first so ...
. After Motozane died in 1166, his widow Moriko managed the property of the Fujiwara clan. After Moriko's death in 1179, the estate was inherited by the
Konoe branch family of the Fujiwara clan.
Kamakura Period
With the establishment of the
Kamakura shogunate
The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459.
The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Y ...
, supporters of the Taira clan were replaced by the shōgun's retainers. In 1185,
Koremune no Tadahisa was appointed as ''jitō'' of the Shimazu Estate. Although he was originally a retainer of the Konoe family, he moved in an inner circle of the shogunate for his kinship ties with the first shōgun
Minamoto no Yoritomo
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...
and his powerful retainer
Hiki Yoshikazu
was a Japanese samurai lord and a powerful ''gokenin'' of the Kamakura Shogunate during the Kamakura period. He was related to the ruling Minamoto clan through his daughter's marriage. He, and much of the Hiki clan, were killed for allegedly cons ...
. He was also appointed as the
military governor
A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an occup ...
of Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga Provinces. Thereafter he claimed
the clan name of Shimazu, which indicated the ownership of the estate.
By the time Tadahisa took the position of ''jitō'', the Shimazu Estate occupied 70% of agricultural fields of Satsuma Province although over 70% of the lands were ''yose gōri'' and were not under the estate's full control. A small portion of the Shimazu Estate in Satsuma was controlled by the
Chiba clan
The Chiba clan (千葉氏 ''Chiba-shi'') was a Japanese ''gōzoku'' and samurai family descending from the Taira clan. The clan was founded by Chiba Tsunetane, the son of Taira no Tadatsune. The Chiba governed in Shimōsa Province, and the clan w ...
. In Satsuma, the provincial government was fused with the Shimazu Estate, as a large overlap in membership between the two polities is observed. The Shimazu Estate's area of influence was smaller in Ōsumi Province, being just over half, and the largest part of the remaining portion was controlled by
Ōsumi Shō-Hachimangū. However, it had a stronger control over the land, as over half of the lands were ''ichien no shō''. The provincial government and the estate remained largely separate entities.
In 1203, Shimazu Tadahisa was ousted from his positions as a ''jitō'' of the estate and the military governor of the three provinces because his relative Hiki Yoshikazu was annihilated by the
Hōjō clan
The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this period ...
. He managed to regain the posts of the ''jitō'' of the Shimazu Estate ''in Satsuma'' (1213) and the military governor of Satsuma Province (1205). However, the ''jitō'' of the estate ''in Ōsumi'' and the military governor of Ōsumi Province were succeeded by the Hōjō clan. The Nagoe branch family of the Hōjō clan maintained the post of ''jitō'' in Ōsumi until the end of the Kamakura period. They sent the
Higo clan to Ōsumi as deputy rulers. After the Hōjō clan was annihilated, one line of the Higo clan made itself autonomous in Tanegashima and began to claim the
clan name of Tanegashima. The post of the military governor of Ōsumi Province was transferred from the Nagoe family to the Chiba clan in the early 1280s and then to the Kanesawa branch family of the Hōjō clan in the early 1290s. Because the Nagoe family kept the position of the jitō of the estate in Ōsumi, the military governor had to devote much effort to consolidate power. In fact,
Kanesawa Tokinao actively incorporated the officials of the military government as his retainers and relabeled their lands as the "private territories of the military governor" (守護私領).
Even in Satsuma Province, the Shimazu clan's rule was not stable. As a result of the
Jōkyū War
, also known as the Jōkyū Disturbance or the Jōkyū Rebellion, was fought in Japan between the forces of Retired Emperor Go-Toba and those of the Hōjō clan, regents of the Kamakura shogunate, whom the retired emperor was trying to overthr ...
, Satsuma's Kawanabe District came under the control of the Tokusō (mainline) family of the Hōjō clan. Hōjō's retainer, the
Chikama clan, served as the district governor and deputy jitō of Kawanabe District.
Afterwards
During the downfall of the Kamakura shogunate,
Shimazu Sadahisa successfully sided with
Ashikaga Takauji
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromac ...
. In reward for his service, the Shimazu clan won back the ''jitō'' of the Shimazu Estate ''in Ōsumi'' and the military governor of Ōsumi and Hyūga Provinces. Because the military government and the estate in Ōsumi remained distinct entities, the Shimazu clan had much trouble regaining control over the province and eventually collapsed.
Notes
External links
The Documents of Iriki The documents of the
Irikiin clan published and translated by
Kan'ichi Asakawa
was a Japanese academic, author, historian, curator and peace advocate. Asakawa was Japanese by birth and citizenship, but he lived the majority of his life in the United States.
Early life and education
Asakawa was born in Nihonmatsu, Japan ...
. The clan was a land steward of Iriki-in, which was a ''yose-gōri'' of the Shimazu Estate.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shimazu Estate
Government of feudal Japan
History of Kagoshima Prefecture
History of Miyazaki Prefecture