Shigaraki Palace

One of the palaces of Emperor Shomu. It is also written as Shigaraki Palace and is also called Koga Palace. The palace grounds consist of the area of ​​the Koga Temple ruins in Maki and Kinose, Shigaraki Town, Koga City, Shiga Prefecture, and the Miyamachi ruins in the Miyamachi district, located slightly north of that. It is a nationally designated historic site. Old tiles and cornerstones have been discovered at the Koga Temple ruins, giving an idea of ​​the layout of the temple buildings. In recent years, excavations have progressed at the Miyamachi ruins, where the remains of a colonnade of a huge building and wooden tablets have been unearthed, and it is believed that the Imperial Palace was located here. The shape of Shigaraki Palace is gradually becoming clearer along with the surrounding ruins. Following the rebellion of Fujiwara Hirotsugu in 740 (Tenpyo 12), the capital moved away from Heijo until 745. Emperor Shomu first moved the capital to Kuni in Yamashiro Province, and when the Tohoku Road to Koga County in Omi Province was opened in 742, he built a villa in Shigaraki in August and made five visits there. The following year, tributes from the eastern provinces were presented to Shigaraki Palace, and the construction of the Vairocana Buddha, the precursor to the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple, began here. In 744, despite the capital being temporarily located in Naniwa, he made a visit to Shigaraki and stayed there until the capital was returned to Heijō in May of the following year. With the announcement that the capital would be "moved to a new capital and palace buildings built there," Shigaraki Palace effectively became the imperial capital. Behind the hectic capital moves was a power struggle between Tachibana Moroe, Fujiwara no Nakamaro and others. After the palace was abolished, it was converted into a provincial temple.

[Mitsuru Yagi]

"Ancient Japanese Capitals" by Mitsuru Yagi (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

聖武(しょうむ)天皇の宮の一つ。信楽宮とも書き、甲賀宮(こうがのみや)ともいう。宮地は、滋賀県甲賀(こうか)市信楽町牧・黄瀬(きのせ)にある「甲賀寺跡」の一帯と、それよりやや北に位置する宮町地区にある「宮町遺跡」からなる。国指定史跡。「甲賀寺跡」からは古瓦や礎石などが発見され、伽藍(がらん)配置などがうかがえる。近年、発掘調査が進んだ「宮町遺跡」からは、巨大建築の列柱跡や木簡(もっかん)などが出土、ここに内裏があったと推定され、近隣の関係遺跡群とともに紫香楽宮の姿が明らかになりつつある。740年（天平12）の藤原広嗣(ひろつぐ)の乱を契機に745年まで都は平城を離れた。聖武天皇は、まず山城(やましろ)国恭仁(くに)に遷都し、742年近江(おうみ)国甲賀郡への東北道が開通すると、8月紫香楽に離宮をつくって、前後5回行幸した。翌年東国の調庸物を紫香楽宮に納め、東大寺大仏の前身にあたる盧舎那仏(るしゃなぶつ)の建立がこの地で始まった。744年いったん難波(なにわ)を都としたにもかかわらず、紫香楽に行幸、翌年5月の平城還都まで滞留した。「新京ニ遷(うつ)リ宮室ヲ造ル」と、紫香楽宮は実質的に皇都となった。めまぐるしい遷都の背後に橘諸兄(たちばなのもろえ)、藤原仲麻呂(なかまろ)らの政権抗争があった。宮は廃止後、国分寺に転用した。

［八木　充］

『八木充著『古代日本の都』（講談社現代新書）』

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