Prisoner - Fushu

The term refers to the Emishi (Emishi) of the ancient Tohoku region who were conquered by the Ritsuryo state and placed en masse in various parts of Japan. Both "fu" and "shu" mean "captives." A Fushu-ryo (Emishi Fushu-ryo) was set for each state and used to support the lives of the prisoners placed there. Fushu-ryo was set for almost the entire country ("Engishiki" - "main tax"), and it is known that there were prisoners placed on a national scale. The first appearance of prisoners was in 725 (Jinki 2), and although the Emishi problem existed from early on, it was around this time that they were separated from their homes and placed in various places. Efforts were made to turn them into farmers, but disturbances occurred frequently, making governance and administration difficult, especially the Gangyo Rebellion that occurred in Akita County, Dewa Province in 878 (Gangyo 2), which was a large-scale event.

Furthermore, because discriminated buraku are rare in the Tohoku region and common in areas west of the Kanto region, there is a theory that they originated from fusuo prisoners. However, while it is true that initially their residential areas were limited and that some fusuo prisoners were placed in discriminatory status, these disappeared with the dissolution of the ancient class system. The term fusuo prisoner also no longer appears in the late Heian period, and there is no evidence that the discriminatory situation of fusuo prisoners continued into the Middle Ages and beyond. Therefore, the theory that later discriminated buraku originated from fusuo prisoners is not academically valid.

[Inoue Mitsuro]

"Hirakawa Minami, 'Captives and Barbarians'" (included in 'Ancient Japanese Politics and Culture' edited by the 60th Birthday Memorial Committee of Aoki Kazuo, 1987, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "Inoue Mitsuro, 'Omi and Captives'" (included in 'History and Culture of Omi' edited by Kimura Yoshihiro, 1995, Shibunkaku Publishing)" ▽ "Oi Haruo, 'On Captives'" (included in 'Nihon Rekishi No. 690')"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代東北地方の蝦夷(えみし)で、律令国家に征服されて日本各地に集団的に配置されたものをいう。俘も囚も虜(とりこ)の意。俘囚料（夷俘料）が各国に設定され、その地に配置された俘囚の生活給付にあてられた。俘囚料はほぼ全国にあり（『延喜式』主税）、全国的規模での俘囚の配置があったことが知られる。俘囚の初見は725年（神亀2）で、蝦夷問題は早くからあったものの、居住地から切り離して各地に配置することはこの頃からのことである。農耕民化が図られたがしばしば擾乱(じょうらん)が起こり、その統治、行政には困難が伴い、とくに878年（元慶2）に出羽国(でわのくに)秋田郡で起こった元慶の乱(がんぎょうのらん)は大規模であった。

　なお被差別部落が東北地方に少なく関東以西に多くみられることから、俘囚をその起源とする説がある。しかし当初は居住区も限定され、また一部の俘囚が差別的身分に置かれていたことは事実であるが、古代的身分制度の解体とともにそれらは消滅する。俘囚という表現も平安後期を最後としてみえなくなり、中世以降への俘囚の差別的状況の継続は確認できない。したがって後世の被差別部落の起源が俘囚であるという説は学問的には成立しない。

［井上満郎］

『平川南著「俘囚と夷俘」（青木和夫先生還暦記念会編『日本古代の政治と文化』所収・1987・吉川弘文館）』▽『井上満郎著「近江と俘囚」（木村至宏編『近江の歴史と文化』所収・1995・思文閣出版）』▽『大井晴男著「『俘囚』について」（『日本歴史690号』所収）』

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