Sakanoue no Tamuramaro

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:Sakanoue Tamuramaro.jpgSakanoue no Tamuramaro (坂上田村麻呂 758 - 811) was a general and shogun of the early Heian Period of Japan.

Serving Emperor Kammu, he was appointed shogun and given the task of conquering the Emishi (蝦夷征伐 Emishi Seibatsu) whom he subjugated. Recent evidence suggests that a migration of Emishi from northern Honshu to Hokkaido took place sometime between the Seventh and Eighth centuries AD, perhaps as a direct result of this policy that pre-dated Sakanoue's appointment, however, many Emishi remained in the Tohoku region as subjects of the Japanese Empire, and later established independent Fushu domains. After emperor Kammu's death, the general continued to serve Emperor Heizei and Emperor Saga.

Sakanoue no Tamuramaro first built Kiyomizu Temple (Kiyomizu-dera), one of the most famous landmarks to be seen in Kyoto.

It is said that the famous Tanabata festivals and parades of Aomori prefecture (also celebrated in the city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture) that draw over 3 million people to the prefecture a year, called the Nebuta festival in Aomori City and Neputa festival (ねぷた祭り) in Hirosaki City, are in remembrance of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro's conquering of the natives' land. Until the mid 1990s the prize awarded for the best float of the parades was called the Tamuramaro Prize. However, there is no historical record that he went farther north than Iwate prefecture.ja:坂上田村麻呂 ru:Саканоуэ но Тамурамаро