The Rebellion of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu — The Dazaifu Uprising Against Genbō and Kibi no Makibi

The Rebellion of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu, which broke out between August and November of 740, was the largest internal conflict of the Nara period and had a profound impact on the reign of Emperor Shōmu.

Hirotsugu's Demotion

Fujiwara no Hirotsugu, a son of Fujiwara no Umakai of the Shiki (Ceremonial) House, held the rank of Junior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade as Deputy Minister of Ceremonial in 737, but was rapidly promoted thereafter to Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade, and also served concurrently as Governor of Yamato. In December 738, however, he was relieved of both posts and, while retaining the same court rank, was appointed Deputy Governor-General of Dazaifu—a demotion that removed him from the capital to Kyūshū. This was widely seen as a demotion, and it deepened Hirotsugu's resentment toward the court.

The Memorial and the Uprising

After taking up his post at Dazaifu, Hirotsugu submitted a memorial to the court in August 740. It argued that the natural disasters and epidemics then afflicting the realm (including a major smallpox outbreak) stemmed from the misgovernment caused by two of the emperor's confidants: the monk Genbō, who had studied in Tang China, and the scholar Kibi no Makibi—and demanded their removal. Genbō and Makibi had risen rapidly under the regime of Tachibana no Moroe, who enjoyed Emperor Shōmu's deep trust, and their influence is thought to have played a role in Hirotsugu's own demotion. Without waiting for a reply from the court, Hirotsugu launched his uprising around the end of August.

The Battle of the Itabitsu River and Defeat

Hirotsugu levied troops from across the provinces of Kyūshū, amassing a force said to have exceeded 10,000. In response, the court appointed Ōno no Azumabito as commander-in-chief and dispatched a punitive force—said to number over 17,000—levied from provinces along the Tōkaidō, Tōsandō, San'indō, San'yōdō, and Nankaidō circuits. The two armies faced off across the Itabitsu River in Buzen Province (near present-day Kitakyūshū) and engaged in battle. Hirotsugu's forces are said to have held the advantage in the early stages, but were gradually pushed back and ultimately routed.

Hirotsugu's End

Defeated, Hirotsugu fled westward by sea with his brother Tsunate, reaching as far as Chika Island in Matsura District, Hizen Province (thought to be around the present-day Gotō Islands), but could not escape the pursuing forces and was captured. On November 1, 740, Hirotsugu and Tsunate were executed in Matsura District, Hizen Province (near present-day Karatsu, Saga Prefecture), bringing the rebellion to an end.

Aftermath: Emperor Shōmu's Five Years of Wandering

The rebellion dealt a severe shock to Emperor Shōmu. During the uprising, the emperor abruptly left Heijō-kyō, toured Ise, Mino, and Ōmi, and then relocated the capital to Kuni-kyō in Sagara District, Yamashiro Province, entering an unstable period in which the capital was repeatedly moved—to Kuni-kyō, Naniwa-kyō, and Shigaraki-kyō—over the following years. This period later became known as the "five years of wandering," and is thought to reflect how deeply the fear generated by the rebellion, and the resulting political instability, weighed on the emperor's decisions. Between 742 and 745, in the rebellion's aftermath, Dazaifu was temporarily suspended, replaced by the more overtly military Chinzeifu, strengthening vigilance across Kyūshū. In this period of turmoil, Emperor Shōmu deepened his commitment to the doctrine of a Buddhism-protected state, which led directly to the 743 edict ordering the construction of the Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji.

Relevance to Sword History

In Nara-period warfare, soldiers levied from the provinces under the ritsuryō military system are understood to have been mobilized primarily with chokutō (unreflexed straight swords, the era's dominant blade type) and bows. The Fujiwara no Hirotsugu rebellion, for which records survive of a force exceeding 10,000 levied from across Kyūshū, offers a valuable case study in the realities of the ritsuryō military system of the Nara period, and is an important battle for understanding how provincial notables and soldiers were armed and mobilized. The swords of the Nara period preserved in the Shōsōin repository show that weapons of the time still retained a strongly ceremonial character, suggesting that large-scale military mobilizations such as the Hirotsugu rebellion represent one of the last major internal conflicts fought under this ancient system of armament.