Villain - Akuto

Akuto refers to a group of local feudal lords, emerging merchants, and powerful farmers who acted against the shogunate and the manor system from the middle to the end of the Kamakura period through the Nanboku-cho civil war. Along with bandits and pirates, the Kamakura shogunate targeted the akuto for suppression. The akuto emerged as a result of factors such as (1) the denial of the magistrate's position by the manor lords, (2) the denial of the Gokenin's land (jito position) by the Tokuso (Hojo) government, (3) the Tokuso government's enforcement of economic policies (monopolizing ports, cities, etc.), (4) contradictions and conflicts with the peasants under its control, and (5) the sudden changes in the social and economic situation triggered by the Mongol invasion. They gathered relatives such as family members, servants, and retainers around the villain Chohon, and sometimes even cooperated with local feudal lords to organize mercenaries numbering in the hundreds, aiming to control the division of labor and distribution in the region.

The villains of Kuroda-sho in Iga Province (Mie Prefecture), who began their activities in the second half of the 13th century, stole rice tax from Todaiji Temple, expelled the temple's messengers, and cut off its access to the temple. Eventually, with the support of the manor's residents, they declared their independence from Todaiji Temple. In the early 14th century, in Yano-sho in Harima Province (Hyogo Prefecture), the local lord Terada clan came into conflict with the peasants over labor duties, built a castle in the manor and fought against the punitive forces, eventually becoming known as the villains of honor in the capital and the countryside. The villains who attacked Hyogo Barrier in 1315 (Showa 4) were a group of over 100 merchants led by the mountain monk Ryokei, who had bases along the Seto Inland Sea coast and the Yodo River basin. They rose up in revolt against the Tokuso family's monopoly on ports. The akuto "hurled stones and threw pebble" (Houso-ki) to harass enemy troops, excelled at surprise attacks, and sometimes their range of action extended over several provinces. They were called "people of strange and extraordinary appearances," but their organizational behavior was clearly different from the vassal system of the Kamakura shogunate. Uprisings by akuto from various provinces created a state of civil war, and Emperor Godaigo, who organized akuto from the Kinai region and nearby provinces, led to the collapse of the Kamakura shogunate with his movement to overthrow the shogunate. The akuto organizations that aimed for regional domination were succeeded by the organizations of kokujin ikki in the second half of the 14th century.

[Kazuhiko Sato]

"Sato Kazuhiko, 'The History of the Civil War Between the Northern and Southern Courts' (1979, University of Tokyo Press)" ▽ "Koizumi Yoshisuke, 'The Villain' (Kyoikusha History Books)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉中・末期から南北朝内乱期にかけて、反幕府、反荘園(しょうえん)体制的行動をとった在地領主、新興商人、有力農民らの集団をいう。悪党は、山賊、海賊とともに、鎌倉幕府から鎮圧の対象とされた。悪党は、(1)荘園領主による代官職の否認、(2)得宗(とくそう)（北条）政権による御家人(ごけにん)所領（地頭職）の否定、(3)得宗政権の経済政策（港湾・都市など独占）の強行、(4)支配下農民との矛盾対立、(5)蒙古(もうこ)襲来を契機とする社会経済情勢の急激な変化、などを要因として発生した。彼らは、悪党張本(ちょうほん)を中心に、一族、下人(げにん)、所従(しょじゅう)など血縁関係者を集め、さらに近隣の在地領主層と連携して、当該地域における分業、流通の支配を目ざし、数百人に及ぶ傭兵(ようへい)を組織することもあった。

　13世紀の後半に活動を開始した伊賀国（三重県）黒田庄(しょう)の悪党は、東大寺の年貢米を奪い、寺使を追放して路次(ろじ)を切りふさぎ、やがて荘民の支持を受けて、東大寺から独立を宣言するに至った。14世紀の初頭、播磨(はりま)国（兵庫県）矢野庄では、在地領主寺田氏が夫役をめぐって農民と対立し、荘内に城郭を構えて討伐軍と戦い、ついには都鄙(とひ)名誉の悪党と称されるまでになった。1315年（正和4）兵庫関を襲った悪党は、瀬戸内海沿岸から淀(よど)川流域にかけて拠点をもつ山僧良慶以下100余人の商人集団であり、彼らは、得宗家の港湾独占に反対して蜂起(ほうき)したのであった。悪党は「ハシリヲツカイ、飛礫(ひれき)ヲナゲ」（峰相(ほうそう)記）て、敵軍を悩ませ、奇襲攻撃を得意とし、行動範囲が数か国に及ぶこともあった。異類異形(いるいいぎょう)の人々とよばれているが、その組織行動は、鎌倉幕府の御家人体制とは明瞭(めいりょう)に異なっている。諸国悪党の蜂起は内乱状況を生み出し、畿内(きない)近国の悪党を組織した後醍醐(ごだいご)天皇の討幕運動が鎌倉幕府を崩壊させたのである。地域的支配を目ざす悪党の組織は、14世紀の後半には国人一揆(こくじんいっき)の組織へと受け継がれていく。

［佐藤和彦］

『佐藤和彦著『南北朝内乱史論』（1979・東京大学出版会）』▽『小泉宜右著『悪党』（教育社歴史新書）』

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