Iji Azamaro - Iji no Azamaro

Date of birth and death unknown. Lord Iji. Chief of the ancient Ezo people. He was the head of Kamiji County (Iji County) in Mutsu Province, but in 780 (Hōki 11), he killed the inspector Kino Hirozumi and Oshika County head Michishima no Otate at Iji Castle (Kurihara County, Miyagi Prefecture) and started a rebellion, leading to a major uprising that took Taga Castle and Nagakage. The military action to quell this provoked resistance from the Isawa Emishi, who were behind them, and this led to a war for national unification that lasted for about a quarter of a century, the last time the ancient nation was defeated. Although Ikamaro was of Emishi origin, he was organized on the government side and was the head of a group of prisoners of war, which was connected to the lowest level of power, namely, a fifth-rank rank officer and a district governor. For this reason alone, this rebellion was a major incident that showed the serious breakdown of high-level politics of "conquering the barbarians with the barbarians." The arrogance of the Akanshi and his colleague Odate, who used his authority to scorn him as a barbarian prisoner, triggered an explosion of twisted resentment. There is no record of what happened to Ikamaro afterwards.

[Takahashi Tomio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。伊治公(きみ)。古代蝦夷(えぞ)の族長。陸奥(むつ)国上治(かみじ)郡（伊治郡か）の大領(たいりょう)であったが、780年（宝亀11）伊治城（宮城県栗原郡）に按察使(あぜち)紀広純(きのひろずみ)、牡鹿(おしか)郡大領道島大楯(みちしまのおおたて)を殺して反乱を起こし、長駆、多賀(たが)城まで陥れる大乱となる。これを鎮定するための軍事行動は、その背後にあった胆沢(いさわ)蝦夷の抵抗を誘発し、およそ四半世紀にわたる古代国家掉尾(とうび)の国家統一戦争に発展する。呰麻呂は蝦夷出身ではあるが、政府側に組織され、外従(じゅ)五位下、郡司というその権力の末端機構に連なる俘囚(ふしゅう)の長であった。それだけに、この乱は「夷(い)を以(もっ)て夷を征す」という高等政治が重大な破綻(はたん)を見せ始めた一大異変であった。按察使の傲慢(ごうまん)、権威を笠(かさ)に着た同僚大楯が彼を夷俘(いふ)として侮蔑したことがきっかけとなり、屈折した憤懣(ふんまん)が爆発したものだった。呰麻呂のその後については記録がない。

［高橋富雄］

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