Kumano Navy

Japanese: 熊野水軍 - くまのすいぐん

They are also called Kumano pirates. With an abundance of timber and a good port, the Kumano region had a developed navy since ancient times, and was closely related to the trends of the central political world. The descendants of Kumano betto Kyoshin are well known, and the Shingu betto family in particular had many military ships. During the Genpei War, Tanabe betto Tankai and his son Tanmasu, and the Yuasa clan, said to be one of the Kumano Hasshoji, initially sided with the Taira clan, but later switched to the Genji clan and played an active role in the capture of Yashima. During the Nanboku-cho period, the Udono, Taiji, and Shiozaki clans belonged to the Southern Court, and are known to have participated in attacks on the Satsuma Shimazu army by the Kumano pirates and in the invasion of Shikoku by Wakiya Yoshisuke, but their overall movements are unknown.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

熊野海賊ともいう。豊富な材木と良港を背景にもつ熊野地方には，古くから水軍が発達し，中央政界の動向とも密接に関係した。著名なのは熊野別当教真の子孫で，とくに新宮別当家は兵船を多く持った。源平抗争期に，田辺別当湛快･湛増父子や熊野八庄司の一つと言われる湯浅氏らは初め平氏についたが，のちに源氏方に転じ，屋島攻略などに活躍したという。南北朝期には，鵜殿･泰地･潮崎らの諸氏が南朝に属し，熊野海賊による薩摩島津軍攻撃や，脇屋義助の四国攻めへの従軍などが伝えられるが，全般的動静は不明である。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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