THE HISTORIOGRAPHICAL INSTITUTE THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
#8
8. THE SHO-GUN'S VASSALS IN SATSUMA, 1187-1198
THE go ke-nin, literally, "men(nin) of the household(ke)" of the suzerain (go being an honorific),1
was the term by which the warrior-chiefs in immediate vassalage to the sho-gun, fuedal overlord
of Japan, were called. Shimadzu Tadahisa was a go ke-nin, but when he came from Kyoto, where
he had sojourned awhile, to Shimadzu sho probably about 1196, he, as deputy of the domanial
lord of the sho and military governor of the three kuni, naturally enjoyed a certain degree of
precedence of his peers who had already been established in southern Kyu-shu. It was precisely
these, however, who made his position one of extreme delicacy, for many of them were reluctant
to submit at once to the new lord, who was, after all, their equal as regards their common status
as vassals. Here are three lists of the names of go ke-nin who lived in Satsuma at this time.
#8-A
A
The first list occurs in the Ko zho-shu rai-yu ki, an anonymous work in manuscript compiled
more than five hundred years later. An avowedly incomplete catalogue of go ke-nin in all the three
provinces is there given, of which those of Satsuma only are transcribed below. It will be seen that
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most of the warrior-families had assumed the names of the places of their residence. The compiler
evidently assumed that Tadahisa went south as early as 1187; and some of the names in the list
are, by error, even older than that date.
Yamato Saemon Hidetada;2
Beppu Goro Tada-akira;3
Kawanabe Hei-zhiro Michihira;4
Masuyama Taro Kanezumi;5
Wada Hachiro Chikazumi,6 at Isaku;
Ada Hei-zhiro Nobuzumi;7
Ichiku Zhuro Iefusa;8
Ei Hei-ta;9
Samezhima Shiro Mune-ie;10
Satsuma Taro Tadatomo,11 at Nari-eda;
Kushikino Taro Tadamichi;12
Izhuin Shiro nyu-do Ko-Sei;13
Zai-koku-shi Taro Michi-akira,14 at Togo;
Iguchi Taro Kaneyasu15 at Togo;
Satsuma Shiro Motohira,16 at Ushikuso;
Ibusuki Goro Tadamoto;17
Chiran Shiro Tadanobu;18
Ueno Hei-zhiro Tadayori;19
Ono Taro Ietsuna;20
Yagami Uemon-no-zho Morizumi;21
Haseba Kagoshima-goro Iezumi;22
Kiire Zhiro-zaemon;23
Nan-go Man-yo-bo Gaku-Sai;24
Miyasato Taro;25
Hayaki Taro;26
Eda Shiro;27
Takemitsu Taro,28 at Taki;
Tokiyoshi Mata-taro Michihide,29 at Ke-to in;
Akune Goro-zaemon;30
Kokubun Saemon Tomonari;31
Iriki Mata-goro Yorimune.32
#8-B
B
The second list has been prepared by the editor from the cadastral report of Satsuma, of 1197,
which will be partially translated in the next No.
In Hioki:-Ko-to-da Tadazumi, the original gun-zhi, of the north go, and Ono Taro
Ietsuna, the ge-shi of Hioki sho.
In Ada kori:-Samezhima Shiro33 the ji-to of two districts; the priests An-Gyo, An-
Zho, and Kyo-So, all ge-shi of domains of Mi-roku zhi and An-raku zhi; and Zai-
cho Tane-akira,34 an original myo-shu.
In Kaseda Beppu:-Shiwoda Taro Mitsuzumi, ge-shi; Ishii nyu-do, resident in Hizen,
myo-shu; Iya-hei-go Nobutada, go-shi; Samezhima Shiro,35 ji-to.
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In Kawanabe kori:-Hei-ta Michitsuna,36 ge-shi and gun-zhi.
In Chiran in:-Tadamasu,37 ge-shi and gun-zhi.
In Ei kori:-Zai-cho Tane-akira,34 the original gun-zhi; and Ei Zhiro Tadayasu,38
ge-shi.
In Ibusuki kori:-Tadamoto39 and Hei-zo Tadahide,40 both ge-shi.
In Kiire in:-Ko-daibu Kaneyasu,41 gun-zhi.
In Kagoshima kori:-the former Uchi-no-toneri Yasutomo,42 gun-zhi and ge-shi; the
priest An-Zho, ge-shi.
In Izhu in:-Hachiro Kiyokage,43 the in-shi; Zai-cho Michitomo,44 Gon-taro Kane-
nao, Ki-shiro Tokitsuna, Ki-hei-zhi Motonobu, and the priest Chu-Gaku, all myo-
shu.
In Ichiku in:-the preist . . . ,45 the in-shi.
In Satsuma kori:-Tadatomo,46 the gun-zhi; the priests An-Zho and An-Gyo, ge-shi;
Arakawa Taro Tanefusa, Fujiwara Iehiro, Zai-cho Michitomo,44 Zai-cho Tane-
akira,34 and Sakida Goro, all myo-shu.
In Miyasato go:-Ki Roku-daibu Masa-ie, the go-shi; Zai-cho Michitomo44 and the
priest Kyo-So, ge-shi.
In Iriki in:-Okura Tane-akira34 ge-shi and the original ji-to; Osaki Michitomo, the
original gun-zhi; the priests An-Zho and An-Gyo, ge-shi; Chiba-no-suke, the ji-to.47
In Mitsue in:-Narihira,48 the in-shi.
In Ke-to in:-Kumado-Maru, the original gun-zhi; Zai-cho Michitomo,44 Takigiki
Taro Michifusa, and Numada Taro Sanehide, resident in Higo, all original myo-
shu; Chiba-no-suke, the ji-to.47
In Ushikuso in:-Motomitsu,49 the in-shi; the former Uchi-no-toneri Yasutomo42 and
Kuro-dayu Kuniyoshi, myo-shu.
In Yamato in:-Hidetada,50 the in-shi.
In Taki kori:-Yakushi-Maru, the original gun-zhi; Chiba-no-suke,47 the ji-to; Zai-
cho Morotaka,51 and the priests An-Zho, An-Gyo, and Kyo-So, all ge-shi; Zai-cho
Morotaka,51 Zai-cho Michitomo,44 Zai-cho Tane-akira,34 Numada Taro Sanehide,
resident in Higo, and Ki Dai-bu Masa-ie, all myo-shu.
In Togo beppu:-Zai-cho Michitomo,44 the go-shi,ge-shi, and myo-shu; Chiba-no-
suke47 the ji-to; the priest An-Gyo, ge-shi; Numada Taro Sanehide, resident in
Higo, Zai-cho Morotaka,51 and Ko-daibu Kaneyasu,41 all myo-shu.
In Akune in:-Narimitsu,52 the in-shi; Ko-daibu Kaneyasu,41 myo-shu.
In Idzumi kori:-Ko-daibu Kaneyasu,41 ge-shi.
In Koshiki islands:-Chiba-no-suke,47 the ji-to; Zai-cho Michitomo,44 and Yakushi-
Maru, the original ji-to.
Of these districts, Shimadzu Tadahisa was ji-to in the following:-Isaku, Kawanabe,
and Taniyama kori; Mitsue, Ushikuso, and Akune in; Hioki south go; five myo in
Satsuma kori; and the "public domains" in Kaseda, Chiran, Ei, Ibusuki, Kagoshima,
Miyasato, and Yamato.
This list suggests impressively how many warrior-families, some of them formidable, were en-
trenched in various parts of Satsuma, holding hereditary shiki, and always liable to dispute the
claims of the new deputy and military governor when their own interests were seriously involved.
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#8-C
C
(Eda doc., in SK, I; and Haseba docs.)
The third list occurs in an order by Tadahisa himself calling upon the go ke-nin of Satsuma to
perform their customary knight's service as periodical Grand Guardsmen53 at the imperial palace at
Kyoto.
"THE men who should, in accordance with the command [from the sho-gun], perform
[the service of] the Grand Guard at the imperial palace:
Kawanabe Hei-zhiro;
Beppu Goro;
Kagoshima gun-zhi,54
Ei Hei-ta;
Isaku Hei-shiro;55
Satsuma Taro;
Chiran gun-zhi;
Masuyama Taro;
Taki gun-zhi;
Zai-koku-shi;56
Muki Taro;
Eda Shiro;
Akune gun-zhi;
Yamato gun-zhi;
Kiire gun-zhi;
Ibusuki Goro;
Nango Man-yo-bo;
Ono Taro;
Ichiku gun-zhi;
Mitsue gun-zhi;
Miyasato Hachiro;
Hagizaki Saburo;
Izhuin gun-zhi;
Idzumi Taro.
Each shall, according to the instructions, go to the Capital during the third month57
of the next Spring, and learn his post of service. Thus has the Lord at Kamakura
commanded. It is hereby ordered that this should be taken note of.
"Ken-kyu 8y. 12m. 24d. [2 February 1198]. Uemon-no-zho (Tadahisa's mono-
gram).
"To the Ji-to and Go ke-nin of Satsuma kuni."
This has been translated from the text in SK. The Haseba family owns an old copy of an almost
identical document bearing the same date as the above, but lacking the names Eda and Nango.
To a trained student, the comparison of the three lists should afford much information and
suggest several problems. If one should, in order to facilitate comparison, place in parallel columns
the names that occur in the lists in relation to the same localities, the result would be somewhat as
follows. (The persons who appear to be identical in the lists are marked with =.)
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A B C
Ei Hei-ta= Ei Zhiro Tadayasu, ge-shi =Ei Hei-ta.
Zai-cho Tane-akira, orig. gun-zhi
Ueno Hei-ahiro Tadayori Tadamasu, ge-shi and in-shi at Chi-
ran in
Kiire Zhiro-zaemon Ko-daibu Kaneyasu, the gun-zhi= =Kiire gun-zhi
Ibusuki Goro Tadamoto= =Tadamoto, ge-shi;= =Ibusuki Goro
Hei-zo Tadahide,ge-shi
Beppu Goro Tada-akira= =Beppu Goro
Masuyama Taro Kanezumi= Shioda Taro Mitsuzumi, ge-shi; =Masuyama Taro
Iya-hei-go Nobutada, go-shi; at Ka-
seda
Kawanabe Hei-zhiro Michihira= =Kawanabe Hei-zhiro
Hei-ta Michitsuna,58 ge-shi and gun-
zhi
Wada Hachiro Chikazumi, at Isaku Ko-to-da Sadazumi, orig. gun-zhi, at Isaku Hei-shiro
Hioki north go
Ono Taro Ietsuna= =Ono Taro Ietsuna, ge-shi, at Hioki
sho =Ono Taro
Eda Shiro= =Eda Shiro
Ada Hei-zhiro Nobuzumi
Samezhima Shiro Muneie= =Samezhima Shiro, ji-to;
Zai-cho Tane-akira, orig. myo-shu
Hayaki Taro= =Muki Taro
Yagami Uemon-no-zho Morizumi
Haseba Kagoshima-goro Iezumi Tadazumi, orig. gun-zhi;= =Kagoshima gun-zhi
Yasutomo, ge-shi and gun-zhi
Izhuin Shiro n.-d. Ko-Sei Hachiro Kiyokage,59 in-shi= =Izhuin gun-zhi
Zai-cho Michitomo, Kanenao, Ki-
shiro Tokitsuna, Ki-hei-zhi Moto-
nobu, Chu-Gaku, all myo-shu
Nango Man-yo-bo Gaku-Sai= =Nango Man-yo-bo
Ichiki Zhuro Iefusa= the priest in-shi =Ichiki gun-zhi
Kushikino Taro Tadamichi
Satsuma Taro Tadatomo, at Nari- =Tadatomo, gun-zhi, at Nari-eda= =Satsuma Taro
eda=
Zaicho Michitomo, Zaicho Tane-
akira, Zaicho Iehiro, Arakawa
Tane-fusa, Sakida Goro, all myo-
shu at other places in Satsuma kori
Miyasato Taro= Ki Roku-daibu Masaie, go-shi; =Miyasato Taro
Zaicho Michitomo, ge-shi
Zaikokushi Michiakira, at Togo Zaicho Michitomo, myo-shu, go-shi, Zaikokushi
and ge-shi; Zaicho Morotaka,
myo-shu; Ko-daibu Kaneyasu,
myo-shu
Kokubun Tomonari
Takemitsu Taro, at Taki Yakushi-Maru, orig. gun-zhi; Zaicho Taki gun-zhi
Michitomo, myo-shu; Zaicho
Morotaka, ge-shi and myo-shu; Ki
Masaie, myo-shu
Iriki Yorimune Zaicho Michitomo, orig. gun-zhi;
Zaicho Tane-akira, orig. ji-to and
ge-shi
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A B C
Tokiyoshi Michihide, at Ke-to in Zaicho Michitomo, orig. myo-shu;
Takigiki Michifusa, orig. myo-shu;
Kuma-do-Maru. orig. gun-zhi
Satsuma Motohira, at Ushikuso Motomitsu, in-shi; Kuni-yoshi and
Yasutomo, myo-shu
Iguchi Kaneyasu, at Idzumi= =Ko-daibu Kaneyasu, ge-shi= =Idzumi Taro
Akune Goro-zaemon Narimitsu, in-shi;
Ko-daibu Kaneyasu, myo-shu
Yamato Hidetada= =Hidetada, the in-shi= =Yamato gun-zhi
Narihira, the in-shi of Mitsue Mitsue gun-zhi
Hagizaki Saburo
Zaicho Michitomo and Yakushi-
Maru, orig. ji-to, at Koshiki island
Special attention is called to the names relating to Iriki in. The compiler of the first list mentions
Yorimune, and says he was descendant of Yoritaka, of the Fujiwara stock, who was remembered as
donor of land, early in 1014, to the Niita temple. In the alleged letter accompanying the gift, which
is cited, Yoritaka signed his name thus: "Fujiwara-no-Ason Yoritaka, the original chief(hon-shu)
of [or in] Iriki in." It is regrettable that no source is given of this quotation in either the Ko zho-
shu rai-yu ki or any of the other works, like the Ke-to in ki, which refer to it. It seems that the
original text, whether authentic or not, is lost beyond recovery. It is most desirable, but now im-
possible, to know when a Fujiwara first settled in Iriki, and in what capacity Yoritaka and Yori-
mune were lords of the in. Neither the latter nor his descendants meet us again; in fact, they were
no longer important in 1197, or they should appear in the land report of that year (No.9).
We tread on a firmer ground when we deal with the other two families which held shiki at
Iriki; the Okura and the Osaki. Both were illustrious by birth and powerful as go ke-nin and local
chieftains. The origin of the Okura has already been explained.60 That of the Osaki is not known as
clearly, but whether, as some would say,61 of a Tachibana or, according to others,62 of a Minamoto
descent, the ancestry of the family is traceable to the imperial house. It is claimed that both the
Okura and the Osaki held for generations posts in the government of Satsuma; indeed, in 1197
Okura Tane-akira and Osaki Michitomo were both assistant civil governors,63 and assumed the titles
Zai-koku-shi64 and Zai-cho65 as a sort of family-names. A branch of the Osaki kept the hereditary
office of gun-zhi at Togo, and another, at least since the middle of the twelfth century,66 assumed
the same capacity at Ke-to in,67 Michitomo probably belonged to the second branch, and derived
most of his resources from his domains of Tokiyoshi myo, extending over the three districts Sat-
suma, Taki, and Ke-to, of which he was myo-shu. He was, besides, ge-shi of Miyasato and ji-to
in Koshiki islands. Likewise, Okura Tane-akira was the original myo-shu of Hisayoshi myo in Ada,
original gun-zhi of Ei, and myo-shu of Wakamatsu and Nagatoshi myo in Satsuma and of Saburo-
Maru myo in Taki kori.68 It should be noted that these domains were widely scattered over the
province. Of more immediate interest to us is the fact that both men were lords of iriki,-Tane-
akira as ben-zai shi69 and original ji-to70 of the yose-gori there of Shimadzu sho, and ge-shi of a
Mi-roku zhi domain in the in,70 and Michitomo as the original gun-zhi of the same yose-gori.70
Both the Okura and the Osaki families settled in Satsuma, as has been shown, generations before
the arrival thither of Tadahisa; his descendants found in them, specially in the Osaki or Zaikokushi,
worthy political rivals,71 before they were completely subdued in the fourteenth century.72 The
same family also resisted stubbornly the claims of the Shibuya lords who, as we shall soon see,
came as ji-to in 1247 to the districts Iriki, Ke-to, Togo,73 Tsuruta, and Taki, the very localities
where the Zaikokushi were most strongly established. The facts of the struggle at Iriki are, however,
little known, except that here, as in the other places, the old family succumbed to the military
prowess of the Shibuya within a century after their coming.74
1 The sho-gun's rear-vassal, as distinguished from immediate vassals, was called ke-nin, "men of
the household" (of his lord), without the honorific.
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2 A Taira; in Yamato in, northwest Satsuma.
3 A Taira; at Kaseda, southwest Satsuma.
4 A Taira; at Kawanabe, south.
5 A Taira (?);at Kaseda, southwest.
6 An error: Chikazumi lived earlier (cf. note 55 below). Wada was a Fujiwara; Isaku is middle
southwest Satsuma.
7 A Fujiwara adopted into a Taira family; in Ada, southwest Satsuma. Later replaced by the
Samezhima.
8 A Koremune; at Ichiku, on middle west coast.
9 A Taira; at Ei, south coast.
10 A Fujiwara; at north Ada, southwest.
11 A Taira; at Hirasa, in central Satsuma, a little to northwest of Iriki.
12 A Taira; at Kushikino, north of Ichiku, on west coast.
13 A Ki and Fujiwara; at Izhuin, northwest of Kagoshima.
14 An Osaki; at Togo. Michi-akira may be a wrong name.
15 A Tomo; at Idzumi, northwest Satsuma.
16 A Taira; at Ushikuso, northeast of Iriki. Motohira is too early.
17,18,19 Taira; in south Satsuma, at Ibusuki, Chiran, and Ueno.
20 An Oe; probably in Hioki, middle west coast.
21,22 Fujiwara; about Kagoshima.
23 A Taira; south of Kagoshima, on the coast.
24 A Ki and Fujiwara; at south Hioki, southwest of Izhuin.
25 A Ki; at Miyasato, west of Iriki.
26 Hayaki may be an error of Muki.
27 Related to the Ono;probably in Hioki.
28 A Tomo,-probably Zaicho (Tomo) Morotaka; in Taki, north of the Niita temple.
29 An Osaki; at Ke-to in, northeast of Iriki.
30 A Taira (?); at Akune, northwest Satsuma.
31 A Koremune; at Midzuhiki, near the temple.
32 A Fujiwara; at Iriki.
33 Mune-ie, a Taira.
34 An Okura. For Zaicho, see n.65 below.
35 The same names recur, showing that these men held shiki at different places at the same time.
36 A son of Michi-akira, of the first list; a Taira.
37 Heir of Tadanobu, of the first list; a Taira.
38,39,40 Taira.
41 A Tomo.
42 A Koremune.
43 Son of Ko-Sei, of the first list; a Ki.
44 Osaki.
45 Two characters gone.
46 Satsuma Taro, of the first list; a Taira.
47 In a document dated Bun-ji 2y. 8m. 3d. (17 September 1186), Chiba no suke Tsunetane is
mentioned as the gun-zhi of the five yose-gori of Shimadzu sho (SK,I). In the report of 1197, from
which the present list has been compiled, there are many yose-gori in Satsuma, of which Tsunetane
was ji-to of five, namely, Taki kori, Togo beppu, Irikiin, Ketoin, and Koshiki islands; the ji-to
of the other yose-gori was the recently arrived Shimadzu Tadahisa. He came about 1197, but
Tsunetane probably never lived in Satsuma, but stayed in Kamakura, and in Satsuma was repre-
sented by a deputy (see No.16).
Chiba Tsunetane (1118-1201), a Taira, was a wise and greatly respected go ke-nin of Yoritomo,
who always treated him with the utmost consideration. It was he, according to the Adzuma-kagami
i (Ji-sho 4y. 9m. 9d.), who counseled Yoritomo to establish his headquarters at Kamakura.
48 An Okura.
49 Related to Motohira, of the first list; a Taira.
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50 A Taira, who heads the first list.
51 A Tomo.
52 A Taira.
53 For this service called O ban, see No.13, n.17.
54 A Haseba, of the Fujiwara stock.
55 The Ko zho-shu rai-yu ki thinks this may be Sanezumi, grandson of Wada Chikazumi of the
first list.
56 Michitane (?).
57 8 April-7 May 1198.
58 Michihira's son.
59 Son of Tokikiyo, Buddhist name Ko-Sei.
60 Nos.3 and 5.
61 KK, X.
62 Shimadzu koku-shi, vi.
63 Tane-akira as dai sa-kwan was of a lower grade than Michitomo as gon no zho.
64 Meaning a resident kuni governor.
65 Meaning an official present at the kuni government office, as distinguished from an absentee
at Kyoto; it had become customary for the kuni governor to remain in the capital and to maintain
a deputy's offices in the kuni. See the preface to No.22.
66 Miya-no-zho ki; Ke-to in shi; Ko zho-shu rai-yu ki; San-goku mei-sho dzu-ye, xviii, 21.
67 Shimadzu koku-shi, vi.
68 The land survey of 1197.
69 Nos.2 and 4-6 above.
70 The second list of names in this number.
71 For instance, Kurodo Michiyoshi of Togo who harassed the Shimadzu in the second quarter
of the fourteenth century was a Zaikokushi. KK, X.
72 The sho-gun's order dated Bunna 2y. 5m. 11d. (12 June 1353) granted to Shimadzu Ujihisa
the domains which had been held by Zaikokushi Do-Cho, presumably at Togo.SK, XVIII.
73 There is a legend that the impetuous Shibuya Shigechika, after having tried in vain to subdue
a Zaikokushi chief at Togo, was about 1290 driven by desperation to bury himself alive, fully
armored and mounted on his steed. (Miya-no-zho ki, etc.) This Zaikokushi was probably Michi-
tsugu, who was also the myo-shu of Tokiyoshi myo (from a Kwan-zhuin document, now lost,
quoted in the same work).
74 Men of the Onobuchi family, a branch of the Zaikokushi, are found among the vassals of the
Iriki-in lords from the fifteenth century. KK, X. Further see No.51, below.