Soga no Iruka - Soga no Iruka

A high-ranking official in the Asuka period. Son of Soga Emishi (Emishi). Also written as Soga Kuratsukuri, Soga Hayashinoomi Kuratsukuri, Soga Taro, and Rintaro. Some also write Iruka as Irukaka. The Nihon Shoki records that when Emishi ascended to the throne in January of 642 (the 1st year of the reign of Empress Kogyoku), Iruka (Kuratsukuri)'s influence had already surpassed that of his father, Minister Emishi (Emishi), and he influenced national politics. However, according to the Fujiwara family tradition, Iruka frequented the school of Min, who had returned from Tang, and was evaluated by Min as a first-class person. In October 643, Iruka was awarded the purple crown by his father Emishi (Emishi) and was promoted to the rank of Minister. Immediately after this, Iruka and his allies plotted to destroy Prince Oe Yamashiro and his family, who wanted to become Emperor. This was because the conflict at the time of Emperor Jomei's accession to the throne had lingered, and Prince Oe Yamashiro's accession to the throne had not been realized even after Emperor Jomei's death, which caused Prince Yamashiro and his supporters to become increasingly dissatisfied and to resist the politics of Minister Soga and others in various ways. As a result, in November of the following year, Iruka, Prince Karu (the next Emperor Kotoku), Kose no Omi Tokuta, Otomo no Muraji Umakai, and Haji no Muraji Saba raised an army and raided Prince Oe Yamashiro and his family at Ikaruga Palace, destroying them. When his father, Emishi, heard of this, he was said to have been angry and lamented. After the incident, Prince Furuhito was made the new head of the Soga family, but after that, resentment against the main Soga family grew rapidly, and as the plan to move the capital to Naniwa came up in the spring of 645, plans to destroy the main family were secretly made. In response, the Empress Iruka also prepared by entrenching his house in Amakashi-no-oka. However, on June 12, 645, at the ceremony of the Three Kingdoms' Proclamation at Itabuki Palace in Asuka, Iruka was assassinated by Prince Nakano Oe, Saeki no Murajikomaro, and others who had conspired with Nakatomi no Kamako (Kamatari).

[Teiji Kadowaki]

"Soga no Emishi and Iruka" by Kadowaki Teiji (1977, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

飛鳥(あすか)時代の高官。蘇我毛人(えみし)（蝦夷）の子。蘇我鞍作(くらつくり)、蘇我林臣(はやしのおみ)鞍作、蘇我太郎、林太郎などとも記された。入鹿を入霞と記すものもある。642年（皇極天皇1）正月、皇極(こうぎょく)天皇の即位したときには入鹿（鞍作）の権勢はすでに父の大臣毛人（蝦夷）をしのぎ国政を左右したと『日本書紀』は記す。しかし藤原家伝によれば、入鹿は唐から帰国した旻(みん)の学堂に出入し、旻から第一級の人物としての評価を受けたと記される。643年10月、入鹿は父の毛人（蝦夷）から紫冠を授けられ大臣の位に擬された。この直後に、入鹿らは、天皇位を望む大兄山背(おおえやましろ)皇子とその一族の覆滅を謀った。これは、舒明(じょめい)天皇即位時の紛争があとを引き、さらに舒明天皇没後にも大兄山背皇子の即位が実現されなかったことが原因となり、山背皇子やその支持勢力が不満を募らせ、彼らが蘇我大臣らの政治にさまざまに抵抗したからである。その結果、翌11月、入鹿、軽(かる)皇子（次の孝徳(こうとく)天皇）、巨勢臣徳太(こせのおみとこだ)、大伴連馬飼(おおとものむらじうまかい)、土師連娑姿(はじのむらじさば)らは軍を起こし、大兄山背皇子とその一族を斑鳩(いかるが)宮に急襲し、これを覆滅した。これを知った父の毛人（蝦夷）は怒り嘆いたという。事件のあと、古人(ふるひと)皇子が大兄とされたが、以後、蘇我本宗家に対する反感が急速に高まり、645年春から難波(なにわ)への遷都も日程に上ってくると、本宗家討滅計画がひそかに進められた。これに対し、毛人、入鹿も甘檮岡(あまかしのおか)に堅固に家を構えて備えた。しかし、645年6月12日、飛鳥板蓋(いたぶき)宮での三韓進調とされる儀式の場で、入鹿は、中臣鎌子(なかとみのかまこ)（鎌足(かまたり)）と謀った中大兄(なかのおおえ)皇子、佐伯連子麻呂(さえきのむらじこまろ)らによって暗殺された。

［門脇禎二］

『門脇禎二著『蘇我蝦夷・入鹿』（1977・吉川弘文館）』

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