Ezochi

Japanese: 蝦夷地 - えぞち

From the pre-Taika period to modern times, it was the habitation of people who were written as "barbarians," "Emishi," "Ebisu," "Ezo," etc. Later, it referred to the habitation of the Ainu. The area (scope) changed over time, first to Hokuetsu, Oshu, and Hokkaido, then to northern Oshu and Hokkaido, and finally to Hokkaido (including the Kuril Islands and part of Sakhalin). After the Taika Reforms, the conquest of Ezo, which was carried out by the Ritsuryo state in the form of armed colonization, began with the expedition of Abe no Hirafu, and in the early 8th century, Taga Castle (present-day Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture) was built, and the Chinjufu Shogun and Azechi were appointed. In the late 8th century (780s), the front line of the strategy advanced to the vicinity of Isawa in Mizusawa district, Oshu city, Iwate prefecture, which was the homeland of the Emishi of Hidaka. Emishi from the upper reaches of the Kitakami River gathered and confronted the "Eastern Expeditionary Forces". In June 789, the army led by the Shogun of the Eastern Expeditionary Forces, Kinokosami, attacked the "Aterui residence of the bandit emissary Aterui", but suffered a devastating defeat in the Battle of Subuse Village. Later, in 801, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, who served as Shogun of the Eastern Expeditionary Forces and Shogun of the Chinjufu, took command of the strategy, governed the Isawa and Shiwa regions, and built Isawa Castle. In 803, Shiwa Castle (present-day Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture) was built as a frontline base, and by 814, Shiwa Castle was abandoned and Tokutan Castle (present-day Yahaba Town, Iwate Prefecture) was built. It is believed that the castle continued to exist until the middle of the 9th century. By this time, the strategy of the Ritsuryo state had spread from eastern to northern Iwate Prefecture and even to southern Aomori Prefecture, and continued to advance northward. Minamoto no Yoritoshi, who was appointed as the governor of Mutsu in 1067, defeated the "Arai" of "Isobe Island" and the "Mountain Ascetics" of "Seven Villages of Hei," and the future Hei District of Mutsu Province was still considered to be an Emishi village at that time. This battle was probably the last battle to pacify the Emishi in Oshu. In the Ritsuryo state's strategy to advance northward, Takemikazuchi-no-kami of Hitachi Kashima Shrine was highly valued as a war god who would pacify the country, and a total of 38 descendant shrines of Kashima Shrine in Mutsu Province were listed in the "Dajokan Fu" dated January 20, 866. Buddhism also spread widely, with the Yakushi Nyorai statue at Kokuseki-ji Temple in Mizusawa Ward, Oshu City, said to have been made locally and bearing an inscription written in ink on the inside of the womb from the fourth year of Jogan, and the Tendai-ji Temple in Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture, housing 13 Heian period Buddha statues. During the Middle Ages, Ezo-chi included the Tsugaru and Shimokita Peninsulas, but was eventually limited to Hokkaido. In the 16th century, when the Takeda (Kakizaki) clan (ancestors of the Matsumae clan) established hegemony over the southwestern part of Hokkaido (the Wajin area), the term came to refer to the area north of the Wajin area, and this remained roughly the same in the early modern period. In 1869, Ezo-chi, including the Wajin area, was renamed Hokkaido. →Ainu/Battle of Koshamain/Twelve Castles in Southern Hokkaido/Battle of Shakushain→Related topicsA Study of the Red Ezo Rumors｜Commercial Area｜Iburi Province｜Oshima Province｜Debate on Coastal Defense｜Battle of Kunashiri and Menashi｜Battle of Goryokaku｜Kondo Juzo｜Takadaya Kahei｜Jusanminato｜Nishi-Mawaru Kaiun｜Japan｜Hakodate Kaisho｜Basho Contract｜Hokkaido｜Matsuura Takeshiro｜Mamiya Rinzo｜Mogami Tokunai

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

大化前代から近代にかけて，〈夷〉〈毛人〉〈蝦夷〉などと記し〈えみし〉〈えびす〉〈えぞ〉などとよばれた人々の居住地。のちにはアイヌの居住地を指す。時代によってその地域（範囲）は異なり，最初は北越・奥羽・北海道，のち奥羽北部・北海道，さらには北海道（千島列島・樺太の一部を含む）へと変化した。大化改新後，律令国家により武装植民の形で進められた蝦夷地経略は，阿倍比羅夫(あべのひらふ)の遠征に始まり，８世紀初めには多賀(たが)城（現宮城県多賀城市）が築かれ，鎮守府将軍・按察使(あぜち)などが任命された。８世紀後半（780年代）には経略の前線は現岩手県奥州市水沢区の胆沢(いさわ)付近にまで進んだが，ここは日高見(ひたかみ)蝦夷(えみし)の本国であり，北上(きたかみ)川上流の蝦夷が結集，〈征東〉軍と対峙していた。789年６月征東将軍紀古佐美(きのこさみ)の率いる軍は〈賊使夷阿弖流為(あてるい)之居〉を攻めるが，〈巣伏村〉の戦いで壊滅的な大敗を喫した。その後801年には坂上田村麻呂(さかのうえのたむらまろ)が征夷大将軍・鎮守府将軍を兼ねて作戦の指揮をとり，胆沢・紫波(しわ)地方を統治下に置き，胆沢城を築いた。803年には前線基地として志波(しわ)城（現岩手県盛岡市）が，814年までには志波城が廃されて徳丹(とくたん)城（現岩手県矢巾町）が築かれた。同城は９世紀中ごろまで存続したとみられる。このころまでに律令国家の経略は現岩手県東部から北部，さらに青森県南部にまで及び，その後も北進を続けた。1067年に陸奥守に任じられた源頼俊(みなもとのよりとし)は〈衣曾別島〉の〈荒夷〉と〈閉伊七村〉の〈山徒〉を討ち従えており，のちの陸奥(むつ)国閉伊(へい)郡は当時依然として蝦夷の村ととらえられていた。おそらくこの戦いが奥羽における蝦夷平定戦の最後のものであったと思われる。律令国家の北進経略には，国土平定の武神として常陸(ひたち)鹿島(かしま)神宮の武甕槌(たけみかづち)神が重用され，貞観８年（866年）正月20日の《太政官符》に，鹿島神宮の陸奥国内の苗裔(びょうえい)社が計38社書上げられている。また仏教も教線を延ばし，奥州市水沢区の黒石(こくせき)寺には地方作とされ，貞観４年の胎内墨書銘をもつ薬師如来像があり，岩手県二戸市の天台寺には平安仏13躯がある。中世期の蝦夷地は津軽半島・下北半島を含む時代を経てやがて北海道に限定されていき，16世紀に武田（蠣崎）氏（松前氏の祖）の北海道南西部（和人地）における覇権が確立すると，和人地以北を指すようになり，近世期においてもほぼ同様であった。1869年和人地も含め蝦夷地は北海道と改称された。→アイヌ／コシャマインの戦／道南十二館／シャクシャインの戦
→関連項目赤蝦夷風説考｜商場｜胆振国｜渡島国｜海防論｜国後・目梨の戦｜五稜郭の戦｜近藤重蔵｜高田屋嘉兵衛｜十三湊｜西廻海運｜日本｜箱館会所｜場所請負｜北海道｜松浦武四郎｜間宮林蔵｜最上徳内

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