Defender - Sakimori

Military service in ancient times. The use of the word "bojin" can be found in the Tang Dynasty in China, but in Japan it is read as "sakimori" because they were stationed at the capes of the Kitakyushu region facing the continent and were in charge of defense. Bojin was first seen in the Nihon Shoki in the second year of the Taika era (646), but it seems that similar positions such as "hinamori" and "shimamori" were also placed in the pre-Taika era. Bojin was actually institutionalized after the defeat of the Tang and Silla forces in the Battle of Baekgang in 663 (the second year of Emperor Tenchi). Under the ritsuryo system, Bojin were gathered from various provinces at Naniwazu and sent by ship to Dazaifu, where they were placed under the command of the Sakimori no Tsukasa. They were deployed to various regions, engaged in military service, and cultivated vacant land to produce their own food. They were generally rotated every three years, but some were not allowed to return home even after the term was up. Also, the song of the defenders in the Manyoshu (volumes 14 and 20) shows that soldiers from the eastern provinces were often assigned to these posts. In 737 (Tenpyo 9), the defenders of various provinces were abolished, and their return to their hometowns can be seen in the tax register for Tenpyo 10, with the Suo Province Tax Register counting around 1,900 people. Adding to this the people who went to Kojima in Bizen, the total number was around 2,300, and it is believed that most of these people were members of the defenders. It seems that the Eastern Defence Forces were conscripted from Totomi, Suruga, Izu, Kai, Sagami, Awa, Kazusa, Shimousa, Hitachi along the Tokaido, and Shinano, Kozuke, Shimotsuke and Musashi along the Tosando. Later, they were revived, revised and abolished, and came to be entrusted to the soldiers of Tsukushi, but by the time of Engi (901-923) they had become a mere name.

[Tatsuo Inoue]

"Kishi Toshio, 'Thoughts on Defenders'" (included in 'Research on Ancient Japanese Political History', 1966, Hanawa Shobo)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代の兵役。「防人」の用例は、中国唐(とう)でみられるが、日本であえて「崎守(さきもり)」と訓(よ)むのは、大陸に面する北九州地方の崎々に配され、防衛にあたったからである。防人の初見は『日本書紀』の大化(たいか)2年（646）条であるが、大化前代にも「夷守(ひなもり)」「島守(しまもり)」などというそれに類したものが置かれていたらしい。防人が実際に制度化されたのは、663年（天智天皇2）白村江(はくすきのえ)の戦いで、唐・新羅(しらぎ)軍に大敗してからである。令制(りょうせい)では、諸国から防人が難波津(なにわづ)に集められ、船で大宰府(だざいふ)に送られ、防人司(さきもりのつかさ)の統率下に入れられた。そして各地に配され、軍務に従事しつつ、空閑地を開墾したりして、食糧を自給していた。一般には3年で交替とされたが、年限を過ぎても帰郷が許されない者もいた。また、東国の兵士が任ぜられることが多かったのは『万葉集』の防人の歌（巻14、巻20）から知ることができる。737年（天平9）に諸国防人が廃止され、その帰郷の姿が天平(てんぴょう)10年度の正税帳(しょうぜいちょう)からうかがうことができ、「周防国(すおうのくに)正税帳」からは約1900人を数える。これに備前(びぜん)児島(こじま)に向かった者を加えて総勢約2300人前後となるが、これがほぼ防人の構成員であったとみなされる。東海道の遠江(とおとうみ)、駿河(するが)、伊豆(いず)、甲斐(かい)、相模(さがみ)、安房(あわ)、上総(かずさ)、下総(しもうさ)、常陸(ひたち)、東山道(とうさんどう)の信濃(しなの)、上野(こうずけ)、下野(しもつけ)、武蔵(むさし)から東国防人は徴発されていたようである。その後、復活・改廃があり筑紫(つくし)の兵にゆだねるようになったが、延喜(えんぎ)（901～923）のころには有名無実となった。

［井上辰雄］

『岸俊男著「防人考」（『日本古代政治史研究』所収・1966・塙書房）』

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