Wake no Kiyomaro

A nobleman from the end of the Nara period to the early Heian period. His father was Omaro, and his elder sister was Hiromushi (Hokin). He was the father of his eldest son Hiroyo, his fifth son Matsuna, and his sixth son Nakayo. He was from Fujino District, Bizen Province (Wake District, Okayama Prefecture). His real surname was Iwanashiwake no Kimi. He served the court under Emperor Junnin, and in 765 (Tenpyo Jingo 1) he was awarded the Order of the 6th Class for his service in hunting down and killing Emi no Oshikatsu. At that time he was a junior lieutenant of the Right Guard and a Junior Sixth Rank Upper. He was then given the name Fujino no Wake no Mahito, which was later changed to Kibi Fujino Wake no Mahito. The following year he was awarded the Junior Fifth Rank Lower. In 769 (Jingo Keiun 3), Fujino no Masato. In the same year, Dazainokanzukasasugenoasomaro, the chief priest of the Imperial Court, flattered Dokyo and falsely claimed to be the emperor of Usa Hachiman, and submitted a petition saying that peace would be brought to the world if Dokyo were to ascend to the throne. Empress Shotoku was greatly confused, and summoned Kiyomaro and ordered him to confirm the divine teachings in place of her sister, Hokin. At the time of his departure, Dokyo tried two strategies: intimidation (severe punishment) and appeasement (minister), and Dokyo's Confucian teacher, Michino Toyonaga, complained that if Dokyo ascended to the throne, he would become today's Hakui (living in seclusion). Having made up his mind, Kiyomaro returned from Usa and immediately presented a divine teaching that said, "The heir to the heavens must be a descendant of the imperial line. Unethical people should be quickly wiped out." Infuriated, Dokyo abolished Kiyomaro's official title, changed his name to Wakebe no Kitanamaro, and exiled him to Osumi (Kagoshima Prefecture). The following year, when the empress died and Emperor Kōnin ascended to the throne, he was immediately recalled to the rank of Jugoi (Junior Fifth Rank), and was subsequently given the titles of Wake no Kimi and Wake no Sukune, before being granted the title of Wake no Ason in 774 (Hōki 5). In 784 (Enryaku 3), he was promoted to Junior Fourth Rank Upper for his contribution to the construction of Nagaoka-kyo, and in 796 to Junior Third Rank for his contribution to the construction of Heian-kyo. During this time, he proposed moving the capital to Heian, and as Settsu no Daibu, he tried to divert the Yamato River to the west to prevent flooding in Naniwa. He died in 799 and was awarded the rank of Senior Third Rank, but in 1851 (Kaei 4), he was given the rank of Senior First Rank Go'o Daimyojin, and in 1886 (Meiji 19), he was enshrined at Go'o Shrine in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City.

[Hiromichi Mayuzumi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良末から平安初期の公卿(くぎょう)。父は乎麻呂(おまろ)、姉は広虫(ひろむし)（法均(ほうきん)）。長子広世(ひろよ)、5子真綱(まつな)、6子仲世(なかよ)らの父。備前(びぜん)国藤野郡（岡山県和気郡）の人。本姓は磐梨別公(いわなしわけのきみ)。淳仁(じゅんにん)朝に仕えたが、恵美押勝(えみのおしかつ)追討の功により765年（天平神護1）勲六等を授けられた。時に右兵衛少尉(うひょうえのしょうじょう)、従(じゅ)六位上。ついで藤野別真人(ふじののわけのまひと)を改めて吉備(きび)藤野和気(わけ)真人を賜った。翌年従五位下。769年（神護景雲3）輔治能(ふじの)真人。同年大宰主神習宜阿曽麻呂(だざいのかんづかさすげのあそまろ)は道鏡(どうきょう)に媚(こ)び宇佐八幡(うさはちまん)の神教と偽って道鏡を皇位に即(つ)ければ天下太平ならんと奏上した。称徳(しょうとく)女帝は大いに迷い、清麻呂を召し姉法均(ほうきん)にかわって神教を確かめるよう命じた。その出発にあたり道鏡は清麻呂に威嚇（厳罰）と懐柔（大臣）の二策を試み、道鏡の儒学の師路豊永(みちのとよなが)は、道鏡即位せば我は今日の伯夷(はくい)たらん（隠棲(いんせい)する）と哀訴した。意を決した清麻呂は宇佐から帰るとただちに「天(あま)つ日嗣(ひつぎ)は必ず皇儲(こうちょ)（皇統に連なる人）を立てよ。無道の人は宜(よろ)しく早(すみやか)に掃(はら)い除くべし」との神教を奏上した。激怒した道鏡は清麻呂の官爵を削り名も別部穢麻呂(わけべのきたなまろ)と改めて大隅(おおすみ)（鹿児島県）に配流した。翌年女帝が崩じ光仁(こうにん)天皇が即位するとただちに召還され、ついで本位従五位下に復し、和気公(わけのきみ)、和気宿禰(すくね)を経て774年（宝亀5）和気朝臣(あそん)を賜った。784年（延暦3）長岡造京の功により従四位上、796年平安京造営の功により従三位(じゅさんみ)に昇る。この間平安遷都を建議し、摂津大夫(せっつのだいぶ)としては大和(やまと)川を西に通じて難波(なにわ)の洪水を除かんとした。799年に没して正三位を贈られたが、降って1851年（嘉永4）正一位護王(ごおう)大明神の神階神号を授けられ、86年（明治19）京都市上京(かみぎょう)区の護王神社に祀(まつ)られた。

［黛　弘道］

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