Divine Fire

Incidents of arson against provincial and county government storehouses and grain (tax) depositories occurred mainly in the eastern provinces from the end of the Nara period to the beginning of the Heian period. Examples confirmed by historical documents include Sashima County in Shimousa Province, Iruma County in Musashi Province, Shimotsuke Province, Midorino County in Kozuke Province, Namekata County in Mutsu Province, Isumi County in Kazusa Province, and Niihari County in Hitachi Province. There are various interpretations as to the cause of the sacred fires, including that the gunji set the fires to cover up unpaid taxes by farmers and maintain control over the area, that powerful clans were fighting over the gunji position and wanted to make the current gunji lose his position, or that the kokushi and gunji set the fires to cover up their own embezzlement. In any case, the eastern provinces at the time were tasked with the role of rear logistics for the Ritsuryo state's Tohoku expedition (conquest of the Emishi), and it cannot be denied that this heavy burden was one of the causes of the sacred fires.

[Kenichi Yano]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良末期から平安初期にかけて東国を中心に発生した、国衙(こくが)・郡衙正倉および収納穀（正税）への放火事件。史料的に確認されるものに、下総国(しもうさのくに)猨嶋(さしま)郡、武蔵(むさし)国入間(いるま)郡、下野(しもつけ)国、上野(こうずけ)国緑野(みどの)郡、陸奥(むつ)国行方(なめかた)郡、上総(かずさ)国夷隅(いすみ)郡、常陸(ひたち)国新治(にいはり)郡などの例がある。神火発生の原因については、郡司らが農民の未納をかばい在地における支配を維持するために火を放ったとするもの、豪族同士が郡司職をめぐって争い、現任郡司のおちどをつくるために、あるいは国司・郡司が自らの横領を隠蔽(いんぺい)するために火を放ったとするものなど、さまざまな解釈がある。いずれにせよ、当時の東国は律令(りつりょう)国家の東北出兵（蝦夷(えぞ)征討）の後方兵站(へいたん)の役割を負わされており、その過重な負担が神火発生の一原因であったことは否めない。

［矢野建一］

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