Wake Hiromushi - Wake Hiromushi

Japanese: 和気広虫 - わけのひろむし

Year of death: Enryaku 18 (799)
Year of birth: Tenpyo 2 (730)
A female court attendant in the Nara period. Daughter of Wake no Omaro and older sister of Kiyomaro. Also called Fujinowake no Masato Hiromushi no Onna, or Hokin. At the age of 15, she became the wife of Katsuragi no Tonosu, and served Empress Kōken, gaining her trust. In December 756, she adopted nine adult boys and one girl from among the orphans in Kyoto whom she had been providing clothing and raising. In 762, when the retired Empress Kōken became a nun, she took the name Hokin. In the same year, 375 people who were deemed worthy of execution during the Emi no Oshikatsu Rebellion were spared the death penalty and exiled because she earnestly remonstrated with the retired emperor. Furthermore, after the rebellion, the common people suffered from hunger and epidemics, and many children were abandoned, but she rescued 83 of them and adopted them. In 769, when an oracle from Usa Hachiman that Dokyo would ascend to the throne reached him, he was chosen as an envoy to verify its authenticity, but the long journey was too much for him, so his younger brother Kiyomaro went to Usa in his place and delivered an oracle to dismiss Dokyo. For this, they were both punished, and they returned to secular life, changed their name to Bebe no Samushi, and were exiled to Bingo Province. However, in 770, Emperor Shotoku suddenly died, and Dokyo lost his position. After Emperor Konin ascended to the throne, he and Kiyomaro were recalled from their exiles and restored to the rank of Junior Fifth Rank. In 770, he was given the title of Wake no Ason, and in 781, he was promoted to Junior Fifth Rank Upper Grade, and in 781, to Senior Fifth Rank Upper Grade and Junior Fourth Rank Lower Grade. Around this time, he was appointed as a treasurer, and in 785, he became a Junior Fourth Rank Upper Grade and in 785, he became a court lady in the office of the Naishi no Tsukasa. Later generations have mixed reviews of the chamberlains, but no one has ever said anything bad about Hiromushi. Although she lost her husband at a young age, she was praised for being faithful and having no lack of integrity.

(Sugawara Seiko)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：延暦18(799)
生年：天平2(730)
奈良時代の女官。和気乎麻呂の娘,清麻呂の姉。藤野別真人広虫女,法均ともいう。15歳で葛木戸主の妻となり,孝謙天皇に仕えて信任を得る。天平勝宝8(756)年12月,それまで衣糧を与えて養育していた京中の孤児のうち成人した男9人,女1人を養子とした。天平宝字6(762)年孝謙上皇の出家に従って尼となり,法均と号した。また同8年,恵美押勝の乱で斬刑に相当とされた375人は,彼女が上皇を熱心に諫めたことにより死刑を免れ流罪となった。さらにこの乱後,庶民は飢えと疫病に苦しみ捨て子が続出するが,うち83人の子供たちを救い養子にした。神護景雲3(769)年,道鏡即位という宇佐八幡の託宣が伝わり,その真偽を確かめるための使者に選ばれるが,遠路に耐え難く,弟の清麻呂が代わって宇佐に赴き道鏡を退ける神託を奏上。このため共に処罰され,還俗して別部狭虫と名を改め備後国に流された。しかし宝亀1(770)年,称徳天皇の急逝で道鏡は失脚し,光仁天皇の即位後,清麻呂と共に配所より召し返され従五位下に復した。同5年に和気朝臣を賜り,同8年従五位上,天応1(781)年正五位上,従四位下と昇叙。このころ典蔵に任ぜられ,延暦4(785)年従四位上,同8年に内侍司典侍となる。諸侍従の臣に対する後世の評価は毀誉入り乱れているものだが,広虫についてはいまだかつて悪くいう者はいない。若くして夫に死別したが,貞順にして節操に欠けるところがなかったともたたえられる。

(菅原征子)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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