Soga no Emishi

A minister in the Asuka period. Son of Soga no Omi Umako, father of Kura-tsukuri (Iruka). Also written as Keto, he was called Toyura no Daijin. In the Nihon Shoki, he first appears as one of the Imperial Court's Maetsugimi in 610 (the 18th year of the reign of Empress Suiko). He succeeded his father Umako as a minister, and when Empress Suiko died, he expelled the supporters of Prince Yamashiro and enthroned Prince Tamura (Emperor Jomei), and attacked and defeated his uncle Sakaibe no Marise, who was strongly opposed to this. However, towards the end of Emperor Jomei's reign and the accession of his successor, Empress Kogyoku (Empress Jomei), Minister Kōhito (Emishi) gradually deepened his conflict with the emperor. When Empress Kogyoku undertook the reconstruction of the royal palace and the Great Temple of Baekje, Kōhito, as if to counter this, built an ancestral mausoleum at Katsuragi Takamiya and mobilized the people to build twin tombs in Imakura, which they called the Great Mausoleum and the Small Mausoleum. In his later years, he left most of the political affairs to his son, Kuramasa (Iruka), and in October 643 (the second year of the reign of Empress Kogyoku), he was given the purple crown of the Minister. However, it is said that he was extremely angry and devastated when the Kamimiya royal family was annihilated shortly afterwards. In April of that year, he received over 40 people, including Gyogi and Baekje officials who had fled from the Baekje political upheaval, and treated them well. After this, in 645, when the anti-Soga movement rapidly grew stronger, he prepared by having the mansion he had built at Amakashi-no-oka strongly defended. However, when Kurasakura (Iruka) was assassinated at the palace in June, he prepared for battle, but his private soldiers were scattered, so he set fire to his mansion and committed suicide.

[Teiji Kadowaki]

"New edition of 'Soga no Emishi and Iruka' by Kadowaki Teiji (1985, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

飛鳥(あすか)時代の大臣。蘇我臣馬子(おみうまこ)の子、鞍作(くらつくり)（入鹿(いるか)）の父。毛人とも記し、豊浦(とゆら)大臣と称された。『日本書紀』には、610年（推古天皇18）に朝廷の大夫(まえつぎみ)の1人として初見する。父馬子の後を受けて大臣となり、推古(すいこ)天皇が死ぬと、山背(やましろ)皇子擁立派を排して田村(たむら)皇子（舒明(じょめい)天皇）を即位させ、これに強く反対した叔父境部摩理勢(さかいべのまりせ)を攻め滅ぼした。しかし、舒明天皇治政の末期から、次の皇極(こうぎょく)天皇（舒明皇后）の即位に至って、大臣毛人（蝦夷）はしだいに天皇との対立を深めた。そして、皇極天皇が王宮と百済(くだら)大寺再建の事業をおこすと、毛人はこれに対抗するかのように祖廟(そびょう)を葛城(かずらき)高宮に建て、民衆を大動員して今来(いまき)に双墓をつくらせ大陵・小陵とよばせた。晩年には、政治はほとんど子の鞍作（入鹿）にゆだね、643年（皇極天皇2）10月には大臣の紫冠も与えた。しかし、その直後に上宮王家討滅事件が起こると大いに怒り嘆いたという。また、この年の4月には、百済の政変から亡命してきた翹岐(ぎょうぎ)や百済高官など40余人を受け入れ、大いにこれを厚遇した。このあと、645年に入って反蘇我本宗家の動きが急速に強まると、甘檮岡(あまかしのおか)に建てた邸宅を堅固に守らせて備えた。しかし、6月鞍作（入鹿）が宮中で暗殺されると、戦備を整えたが、私兵は四散したので邸に火を放って自殺した。

［門脇禎二］

『門脇禎二著『蘇我蝦夷・入鹿』新装版（1985・吉川弘文館）』

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