Biographies CLXVII: Foreign Peoples, Part IX: The Emishi, First Half

¶The Emishi (Part One). The Emishi were a non-Yamato people who lived in the northeast (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). There were three kinds of Emishi: the Tsukaru, the Ara-Emishi (Rough Emishi), and the Nigi-Emishi (Tame Emishi) (Note: following the book of Iki-no-Hakatoko cited in the commentary of the Nihon Shoki). They were fierce and wild, and skilled at shooting the bow. They always kept arrows hidden in their topknots (motodori, hair tied up on top of the head), loved plunder, and moved as swiftly as if they flew. They had no lords or chieftains; by custom they all tattooed themselves and wore their hair bound in the shape of a mallet. In winter they lived in dug-out pits, and in summer in rough huts. They had neither the five grains nor the art of sericulture; they shot birds and beasts for food and wore their feathers and pelts as clothing. In the beginning they lived mixed with other peoples in the border lands of Koshi, Mutsu, and elsewhere (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

¶In the twenty-fifth year of Emperor Keikō (95) he sent Takeuchi-no-Sukune to inspect the lands and customs of the east. In the twenty-seventh year (97) Takeuchi-no-Sukune returned to the capital and reported: "In the east there is a country called Hitakami. Its land is fertile and broad. Its people are called Emishi, and they could be subdued." In the fortieth year (110), because the eastern barbarians (ebisu) repeatedly rebelled and the borders were in turmoil, Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto was ordered to subdue the eastern lands. Yamato-takeru went from Kazusa on into Mutsu and, taking the sea route, reached the land of the Emishi. Their leaders, Shimatsukami and Kunitsukami, assembled their forces at Take-no-minato to meet him in battle. Yamato-takeru raised a great mirror on his ship and advanced; when the Emishi saw it from afar, their spirit failed, and all of them threw down their bows, bound their own hands behind their backs, and begged forgiveness for their crimes. Yamato-takeru then received them and brought them to obedience. He further attacked the Emishi of Shinano, Koshi, and other provinces and took their chieftains captive. On his return he stopped at Ise and presented the captured Emishi to the Grand Shrine. Afterward, however, the Emishi made an uproar night after night and showed no propriety in their comings and goings, so they were moved to the foot of Mount Mimoro. Even so, before long they felled the trees of the sacred mountain and attacked and plundered the people of the villages. An edict was therefore issued to divide them among the five provinces of Harima, Sanuki, Ise, Aki, and Awa and settle them there. In the fifty-sixth year (126) Mimorowake-no-Ō was ordered to pacify the eastern lands. As the Emishi were then in great disorder, Mimorowake-no-Ō raised troops and attacked them. The Emishi chieftains Ashifuribe, Ōhafuribe, and Tōtsukuraobe pressed their foreheads to the ground, surrendered their lands, and begged forgiveness. Their submission was accepted and only those who would not obey were put to death, and the eastern lands were well governed. In the fifty-fifth year of Emperor Nintoku (367), Taji attacked the Emishi, but his troops were defeated at Iji-no-minato and Taji was killed in battle. In the twenty-third year of Emperor Yūryaku (479), when Kibi-no-Oshiro was setting out to attack Silla, he led five hundred Emishi as far as Kibi province. It happened that the emperor died, and the Emishi said to one another, "The emperor has already died. We must not let this opportunity pass," and together they invaded and plundered the neighboring districts. Oshiro fought them at Saba-no-minato. The Emishi were nimble, and skilled at dodging arrows by crouching and leaping. Oshiro took up his bow and loosed the bowstring with no arrow on it, and by this he struck down two companies; but when the arrows in his quiver ran out, he tried to have the men on his ship gather arrows. The men on the ship were seized with fear and fled, so Oshiro, bow in hand, sang a song. When the song was finished he cut down several men himself, then pursued the rest as far as Kake-no-minato on the shore of Tanwa and destroyed them all. In the fourth year of Emperor Seinei (483), the Emishi asked to be allowed to submit. In the first year of Emperor Kinmei (540), the Emishi came over with their people and submitted. In the tenth year of Emperor Bidatsu (581), several thousand Emishi attacked the borders. Their chieftain Ayakasu and others were summoned (Note: of Ayakasu, the commentary of this book says he was "Ō-Emishi"), and the emperor admonished them: "You Emishi—in former times Ōtarashihiko-no-Sumeramikoto (another name of Emperor Keikō) put to death the ringleaders of your rebellion and brought those who submitted to obedience. Now too, following that precedent, the ringleaders should be put to death." Ayakasu and the others were greatly afraid; they entered the Hatsuse River to purify themselves and, facing Mimoro-no-oka, swore: "We Emishi, down to our children and grandchildren, will serve the imperial court with pure and bright hearts. If we break this oath, may the gods of heaven and earth and the spirits of the successive emperors destroy our kin." The emperor therefore pardoned them. In the ninth year of Emperor Jomei (637), the Emishi rebelled. Kamitsukeno-no-Katana, who held the rank of Daijin, was made general and sent to put them down. But he was defeated by the Emishi and fled into a fort. The rebels pursued and surrounded it. At this point his soldiers scattered, but Katana's wife ordered several dozen of her maidservants to twang their bowstrings within the fort. Katana sallied out and fought; the Emishi, believing that many troops still remained, fell back a little. Katana then gathered up his scattered soldiers, attacked again, and took them all captive. In the first year of Empress Kōgyoku (642), several thousand Emishi from the border of Koshi submitted and were entertained at court. The Minister Soga-no-Emishi also received them at his own residence and treated them generously. In the first year of Emperor Kōtoku (645) an edict ordered that the swords, armor, bows, and arrows of the provinces and districts be collected; only in the regions bordering the Emishi were the numbers of weapons to be recorded and the arms lent back to their former owners. In the second year (646) the Emishi signified their submission. In the fourth year (648) the Iwafune-no-ki (the Iwafune palisade) was built as a defense against the Emishi, and people of Shinano, Koshi, and elsewhere were assigned to guard it; the kinoe (palisade households, people who guarded a palisade) were established for the first time. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki) In the autumn of the first year of Empress Saimei (655), ninety-five Emishi of North Koshi were entertained at court, and nine Emishi of the kinoe (palisade-supported households) and six Emishi of Tsugaru were granted two grades of cap rank. In winter, Emishi came over with their people and submitted. In the spring of the fourth year (658), Abe-no-Hirafu led a fleet of one hundred and eighty ships against the two districts of Agita and Nushiro in the Emishi lands, and the Emishi surrendered without fighting. When Hirafu drew up his warships in the bay of Agita, the Agita chieftain Oga came forward and swore: "We eat meat, and so we keep bows and arrows, but we have no thought of turning them against the imperial army. From now on, with pure hearts, we will serve the court for all time. If we break these words, may the god of Agita Bay punish us." Oga was therefore granted the rank of Shōotsu-jō and made district governor of the two districts of Nushiro and Tsugaru. The Emishi of Watarishima (the Island of Crossing) were summoned, entertained, comforted, and sent home. In autumn, Emishi came to court and presented tribute, and were entertained generously and given gifts. Two Emishi of the kinoe received one grade of rank; Sanikuna, the senior district governor of Nushiro district, received the rank of Shōotsu-ge, and Usagi, the junior district governor, the rank of Kenbu; two brave men were each advanced one grade. Sanikuna and the others were also given separately twenty tako-hata (octopus banners), two drums, two sets of bow and arrows, and two suits of armor. Mem, the senior district governor of Tsugaru district, and Aohiru, the junior district governor, were given rank and goods in the same way as Sanikuna and the others. In addition, the palisade overseer of the Tsukisara palisade, whose name is not given, received two grades of rank and his assistant officer one grade, and Ōtomo-no-Inazumi, palisade overseer of the Nutari palisade, received the rank of Shōotsu-ge. An edict also ordered Sanikuna, the senior governor of Nushiro district, to take a census of the households of the barbarians and of the captives. In the fifth year (659), Emishi of the two provinces of Mutsu and Koshi were entertained east of Amakashi-no-oka (Note: following the Nihon Shoki). Abe-no-Hirafu was again made to lead a fleet of one hundred and eighty ships to attack the Emishi. Hirafu summoned and lavishly entertained two hundred and forty-one Emishi of Agita (Note: written earlier with a different character, but the reading is the same) and Nushiro, one hundred and twelve Emishi of Tsugaru, and twenty Emishi of Iburisae, and gave them goods. He then advanced as far as Shishiriko, asked about the words of Ikashima and Uhona of the Uno-Emishi, and, setting up his government office at Shiribeshi, appointed district governors. He then attacked the Mishihase and returned. In this year, Sakaibe-no-Iwashiki and Tsumori-no-Kisa went as envoys to Tang and showed two Emishi of Mutsu, a man and a woman, to the Tang emperor. The Emishi presented the Tang emperor with white deerskins, three bows, and eighty arrows (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and a variant account in this book. The Tang Shu places this in the first year of Emperor Tenji, which is mistaken). In the first year (662) and the fourth year (665) of Emperor Tenji, Emishi came to court. In the tenth year of Emperor Tenmu (681), rank was granted to twenty-two Emishi of Mutsu. Itakagina, an Emishi of Koshi province, reported: "The households of captives have reached seven thousand. We beg that they be established as a district." This was permitted. In the second year of Empress Jitō (688), more than one hundred and ninety Emishi, each carrying tribute-cloth and taxes, brought them and offered their condolences at the mourning palace of Emperor Tenmu. Two hundred and thirteen Emishi, men and women, were entertained beneath the zelkova tree west of Asuka-dera, were granted cap ranks, and were given goods according to their station. In the third year (689), the Emishi of the kinoe of Ukitamu district in Mutsu, Shiri, Kō, Maro, and Kanaori, holders of the rank of Mudai-shi, asked to shave off their side locks and become monks. The empress decreed: "Maro and the others are young, yet their manner is gentle and their nature has few desires. Let them eat vegetables, keep the precepts, and devote themselves to practice throughout their lives." Next, the Emishi monk Dōshin of Koshi was given one Buddha image, a consecration banner, a bell, a bowl, five lengths of colored silk in each of the five colors (Note: "shaku" is probably a mistake for "hiki"), five ton of cotton, ten tan of cloth, ten hoes, and one saddle. The Emishi monk Jitoku of Mutsu asked for gilt-bronze images of Yakushi and Kannon, a bell, a sāla, a jeweled canopy, an incense burner, banners, and the like, and an edict granted them. Yatsurio and other Emishi of Koshi were also given goods according to their station. In the tenth year (696), Inarimushi and other Emishi of Watarishima in Koshi were given brocade robes and trousers, scarlet and dark-blue silk, axes, and other goods (Note: following the Nihon Shoki).

¶In the first year of Emperor Monmu (697), the Emishi of Mutsu presented local products as tribute. In the second year (698), the Emishi of Echigo and Mutsu presented local products, and an edict ordered the repair of the Iwafune palisade in Echigo. In the third year (699), rank was granted to one hundred and six Emishi of Echigo. In the second year of Wadō under Empress Genmei (709), the Emishi of Mutsu and Echigo grew violent and repeatedly wounded and harmed good people; Kose-no-Maro was therefore made Mutsu Chintō Shōgun (General Pacifying the East), Saeki-no-Iwayu Sei-Echigo-Emishi Shōgun (General Subduing the Emishi of Echigo), and Ki-no-Morohito his deputy general, and troops were raised from Tōtōmi, Suruga, Kai, Shinano, Kōzuke, Echizen, Etchū, and other provinces, advancing from two directions to attack and pacify them. In the spring of the third year (710), Emishi came to court to congratulate the court on the new year. In the seventh year (714), two hundred households of people from Owari, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Echigo were moved to Dewa to serve as palisade households. In the eighth year (715), the Emishi presented local products and congratulated the court on New Year's Day, and rank was granted to seventy-seven persons in all, Emishi and people of the Southern Islands. On the accession of Empress Genshō, Orashibetsu-no-Kimi Usomina and other officers of the third grade among the Emishi of Mutsu reported: "Our kin have died out, and we fear that our descendants will be attacked and carried off by the Teki (northern barbarians). We beg that a separate district be established at Kagawa village and that we be entered in the registers." This was permitted. Suga-no-Kimi Komahiru and other Emishi petitioned: "From generation to generation we have offered kelp as tribute, and we always gather it in the northern lands. Now the provincial capital is very far from those northern lands, and going and returning takes more than ten days. We beg that a new district be established at Hejimura, that we may settle there with our kin and be treated on a par with the people of the inner lands." This was permitted. In the fourth year of Yōrō (720), the Emishi of Mutsu rebelled and killed the inspector (azechi) Kamitsukeno-no-Hirohito. Tajihi-no-Agatamori, inspector of Harima, was therefore made Jisetsu Sei-i Shōgun (General Subduing the Barbarians, bearing the ceremonial sword), Shimotsukeno-no-Iwashiro his deputy general, and Abe-no-Suruga Jisetsu Chin-teki Shōgun (General Pacifying the Teki), and they were sent to put the rebels down. In the fifth year (721), Agatamori and the others defeated the Emishi and returned. In the seventh year (723), Tajihi-no-Ienushi, governor of Dewa, reported: "The merits of fifty-two Emishi are already evident, yet they have not received any reward. Now, beyond a fragrant bait there will always be fish from the deep pool, and beneath a generous stipend there will always be loyal retainers. The barbarians are foolish and dim to reason, and do not understand loyalty. If rewards are withheld for long, I fear they will quickly scatter. I therefore set out the circumstances in detail and report." The emperor permitted this, and rank was added according to merit. In the spring of the first year of Jinki under Emperor Shōmu (724), the Emishi of the sea-road (kaidō) of Mutsu rebelled and killed the Senior Secretary (daijō) Saeki-no-Koyamaro. Fujiwara-no-Umakai was therefore made Jisetsu Daishōgun (Great General bearing the ceremonial sword) and Takahashi-no-Yasumaro his deputy general, and they were sent to subdue the Emishi of the sea-road. Ono-no-Ushikai was made Chin-teki Shōgun and sent to pacify Dewa. Thirty thousand troops of the nine provinces of Bandō (the eastern provinces) were drilled in mounted archery and battle formation. Two hundred bolts of colored silk, one thousand bolts of coarse silk, six thousand ton of cotton, and ten thousand tan of cloth were transported to the garrison of Mutsu. In winter, Umakai subdued the Emishi and returned (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi). In this year the Commander of the Garrison, Ōno-no-Azumabito, first established the Taga palisade in Mutsu (Note: following the Taga Castle stele. The account of the palisade rests on the entry for the ninth year of Tenpyō in the Shoku Nihongi. The stele says "castle," which was probably rewritten later). In the second year of Tenpyō (730), Mutsu reported: "The Den-i (Emishi of the fields) and the Emishi of the villages have already abandoned their rebellious hearts and long obeyed the court's teaching. We beg that districts be established and they be entered in the registers." This was permitted. In the spring of the ninth year (737), Ōno-no-Azumabito, inspector of Mutsu, reported: "The road from Mutsu to the Dewa palisade is roundabout. We beg to open a direct road from Ogachi to ease travel." An edict permitted this. Fujiwara-no-Maro was made Jisetsu Taishi (Envoy bearing the ceremonial sword), and with Saeki-no-Toyohito and others he went to the Taga palisade and, in consultation with Azumabito, began the work. Fearing that the Emishi would grow suspicious and afraid and rise in revolt, they sent messengers to explain and reassure them. Azumabito, together with Maro and Tanabe-no-Naniwa, governor of Dewa, entered the barbarian lands, cut stone and felled trees, opened a road of one hundred and sixty ri, displayed their troops, and returned. In the second year of Tenpyō-hōji under Empress Kōken (758), more than one thousand six hundred and ninety Emishi, men and women, who had submitted in Mutsu province were given fields and entered in the registers (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi). In the sixth year (762), the Commander of the Garrison Fujiwara-no-Asakari rebuilt Taga Castle and set up a stone stele recording the distances of the roads. At that time, it is said, territory was being opened one place after another, until the Emishi border lay one hundred and twenty ri away (Note: following the Taga Castle stele). In the third year of Jingo-keiun (769), the Emishi came to court to congratulate the court on New Year's Day, were given a banquet in the Hall of State, and received rank and goods. In this year the two castles of Momonoo and Iji were built in Mutsu, and people of the eight provinces of Bandō were recruited to farm and raise silkworms there, making use of the land, and to serve as garrison (chinju). In the fourth year (770), Ukanmeukuhau and other Emishi of Mutsu fled with their kin. Men were sent to call them back, but they would not comply and told the envoys, "We will surely attack the palisades together with our kin." Michishima-no-Shimatari and others were therefore sent to Mutsu to investigate the truth of this (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi).

¶In the fourth year of Hōki under Emperor Kōnin (773), the Emishi and fushū (submitted Emishi) of Mutsu and Dewa came to court, were given rank and goods, and were sent home. In the spring of the fifth year (774), the Emishi and fushū of Dewa were given a banquet in the Hall of State and received rank and goods, but soon after an edict ordered their visits to court stopped. In autumn, the Emishi attacked the borders, and Ōtomo-no-Surugamaro, inspector of Mutsu and Commander of the Garrison, and others requested permission to attack them, which was granted. At this time the Emishi of the sea-road burned bridges and blocked the roads, made a sudden assault on Momonoo Castle and broke its western outer wall, and the garrison troops could not hold. The provincial governor of Mutsu raised troops and went to the rescue, and Surugamaro reported the emergency by express horse. An edict was therefore issued to the eight provinces of Bandō: "If an emergency arises at a border fortress, raise troops of no more than two thousand and no fewer than five hundred, according to the size of the province, and go to its relief." In winter, Surugamaro attacked the Emishi of Tōyama. Tōyama was a place of steep terrain where the barbarians and fushū lived gathered together. Until then none of the generals had been willing to advance and attack them. At this time Surugamaro struck straight at their lair; the Emishi scattered, and he pursued and attacked them thoroughly until all had surrendered. In winter of the sixth year (775), Dewa reported: "The Emishi are not yet pacified. We beg to move the provincial headquarters and to raise nine hundred and ninety-six troops to hold the strategic positions for three years." An edict therefore ordered troops of the four provinces of Sagami, Musashi, Kōzuke, and Shimotsuke to be sent to guard Dewa. In the spring of the seventh year (776), Mutsu requested: "We wish to raise twenty thousand troops and attack the rebels of both the mountain road (sandō) and the sea road." An edict therefore ordered that Dewa also raise four thousand troops and attack the western border of the rebels by way of the Ogachi road. In summer, Ki-no-Hirozumi, Commander of the Garrison of Mutsu, reported: "The barbarians and fushū of Shiwa village in Dewa have rebelled, and the troops of the province have had no success in attacking them." Mounted troops of Shimōsa, Shimotsuke, Hitachi, and other provinces were therefore raised to support them, and Saeki-no-Kuramaro was given the concurrent post of deputy Commander of the Garrison of Mutsu and sent to pacify Dewa. In autumn, Awa, Kazusa, Shimōsa, and Hitachi were ordered to build fifty ships and send them to Mutsu to prepare for the unexpected. Three hundred and ninety-five fushū were moved to the provinces under the Dazaifu. In winter, three thousand troops of Mutsu were raised to attack the rebels of Isawa. Three hundred and fifty-eight fushū of Dewa were moved to Sanuki and elsewhere, and seventy-eight of them were given to various offices and court officials as slaves (yakko). In summer of the eighth year (777), the troops of Mutsu attacked the rebels of both the mountain road and the sea road. The Emishi of Dewa rebelled, and the troops of the province were badly defeated and lost many weapons and implements. In the spring of the eleventh year (780), rebel Emishi of Mutsu attacked Nagaoka and burned the houses of the people. The troops of the province defended against them, and there were casualties on both sides, so an edict ordered three thousand troops to be raised and sent against them. Iji-no-Azamaro, senior district governor of Kamihari district in Mutsu, who held the Outer Junior Fifth Rank Lower, rebelled and killed the inspector and councillor Ki-no-Hirozumi. Azamaro was originally of barbarian and fushū stock and had long borne a grudge against Hirozumi, but outwardly he pretended to follow him while secretly plotting to strike him down. Michishima-no-Ōtate, senior district governor of Oshika district, also constantly humiliated Azamaro, and Azamaro resented him too. Previously, because the rebel Emishi had rebelled again and again, Hirozumi had proposed building Kakubetsu Castle to guard against the rebels' assaults. At this time Hirozumi led an army of fushū into the castle, and Ōtate and Azamaro followed him. Azamaro had joined in advance in the plot of the rebel fushū; he first killed Ōtate, then closed in on Hirozumi and killed him. The rebel fushū rose in response. Ōtomo-no-Matsuna, deputy governor of Mutsu, broke out of the encirclement and fled. The rebels entered Taga Castle and then advanced their troops and plundered widely, destroyed the storehouses, carried off the army's provisions and weapons, and burned what was left. In the third month, the Middle Counselor Fujiwara-no-Tsugutada was made Sei-tō Taishi (Great Envoy for the Subjugation of the East), Ōtomo-no-Masutate and Ki-no-Kosami deputy envoys, Ōtomo-no-Matsuna deputy Commander of the Garrison, and Abe-no-Ieamaro Chin-teki Shōgun of Dewa, and Masutate was given the concurrent post of governor of Mutsu. An edict was sent to Dewa: "The barbarians of Watarishima have long been accustomed to the court's teaching and have never failed to send tribute. Now the fushū who submitted have raised a revolt, but let the generals and provincial governors do their utmost to soothe and pacify them." In the sixth month, Kudara-no-Shuntetsu was made deputy Commander of the Garrison. In the seventh month, an edict ordered troops of Bandō to be sent to Taga Castle, and six thousand koku of dried rice from Shimōsa and ten thousand koku of dried rice from Hitachi were set aside and sent to the army's camp. In the eighth month, Unako, a fushū of Shirasu among the Teki, asked to hold Akita Castle to the end. When the Commander of the Garrison Abe-no-Ieamaro reported this, the court replied: "Akita Castle was built by the generals and ministers of earlier reigns after careful thought. It has defended against the enemy and protected the people for many years now. To abandon it at one stroke would be a very poor policy. Send soldiers to hold it, and do not dampen their wish to submit. The Yuri palisade is also a strategic position, and troops should likewise be stationed there to help the defense. Earlier the provincial governor said, 'Akita is hard to defend, and Abe (Note: "a" is probably a mistake for "ka") is easy to govern.' At the time his opinion was followed, but time dragged on, and to this day no one has yet moved there. Thinking on this, it is clear that the people dislike moving. Ask the Teki fushū and the people in detail, and have them state concretely the advantages and disadvantages of each side." Next, Fujiwara-no-Oguromaro was made Jisetsu Sei-tō Taishi. In the tenth month, an edict rebuked the generals of the eastern expedition and of the Chin-teki command for dawdling and missing their chance. The envoy of the eastern army therefore sent two thousand troops to fell trees and dig deep ditches, planning to block the five roads of Washikura, Tatekura, Tateishizawa, Ōsugaya, and Yanagisawa to guard against the rebels' charges. The deputy Commander of the Garrison Kudara-no-Shuntetsu fought the rebel fushū, but his men were exhausted and his arrows spent, and, hard pressed by the rebel troops, Shuntetsu escaped alone. In the fifth month of the first year of Tenō (781), the inspector Fujiwara-no-Oguromaro reported that the rebels' strength had somewhat declined and asked to withdraw the army to rest the troops and horses, but this was not permitted, and an edict instead rebuked him for deceiving the court. At the outset, the deputy envoy of the eastern expedition Ōtomo-no-Masutate had been dispatched having been granted the Junior Fourth Rank Lower, but he held his camp without advancing, and many fortresses were seized by the rebels. The Great Envoy Fujiwara-no-Oguromaro arrived later and at last recovered some of the lost fortresses. In the ninth month, Masutate's Junior Fourth Rank was stripped from him. In the twelfth month, Kura-no-Matanari, governor of Mutsu, was made deputy Commander of the Garrison. In the second year of Enryaku under Emperor Kanmu (783), because the army of the east was weak and unequal to the fighting, an edict ordered the eight provinces of Bandō to select, from among the sons and younger brothers of unranked district officials and from commoners without any particular post, those able to bear military service, and to drill one thousand in each province, or at least five hundred, so that in an emergency the provincial governor could lead them to the scene. In the seventh year (788), Tajihi-no-Umashi, inspector of Mutsu and Dewa, was given the concurrent post of Commander of the Garrison and Abe-no-Sashima-no-Suminawa made deputy general; thirty-five thousand koku of dried rice were sent to Taga Castle in Mutsu, twenty-three thousand koku of dried rice and a certain amount of salt from the provinces of Tōkai, Tōsan, and Hokuriku, and more than fifty-two thousand eight hundred foot soldiers and cavalry were levied from the provinces of Tōkai, Tōsan, and Bandō. The councillor Ki-no-Kosami was made Sei-tō Taishi and given the ceremonial sword, with Iruma-no-Hironari as his deputy envoy. In the third month of the following year (789), the armies of the provinces had all gathered at Taga Castle and entered the rebels' land by separate roads. Kosami advanced as far as the Koromo River, but halted his army and did not advance. An edict was issued urging him on. In the sixth month, the deputy general of the eastern expedition Iruma-no-Hironari, Ikeda-no-Mahira, commander of the left central army (separate commander), and Abe-no-Sashima-no-Suminawa, commander of the vanguard (separate commander), each sent deputy commanders across the river to attack, and the rebel troops withdrew. The imperial army set fire to the land and, pressing its advantage, advanced as far as Subushi village, intending to join the vanguard. But the vanguard was blocked by the rebels and could not advance. More than two hundred rebel troops advanced further to block and fight them, and the imperial army fell back a little. About four hundred rebels came around behind the army, so the imperial army was struck from front and rear and in the end could not hold. The separate commander Hasetsukabe-no-Yoshimasa and others were killed in battle, and the number of others killed or drowned was very large. Afterward Kosami asked to withdraw the army on the grounds that supplies could not be kept up, but this was not permitted. Kosami and the others remained long in the field without achieving anything. In the ninth month they finally withdrew the army, and the generals were tried for losing military discipline and achieving no success; Kosami in particular, because he had long been in the field, was exempted, while Ikeda-no-Mahira, Sashima-no-Suminawa, and the others were each demoted or punished according to degree. In the spring of the ninth year (790), an edict ordered the provinces of Tōkaidō east of Suruga and of Tōsandō east of Shinano to make two thousand suits of leather armor to supply the eastern expedition. Next, an edict ordered the provinces of Tōkaidō east of Sagami and of Tōsandō east of Kōzuke to prepare one hundred and forty thousand koku of dried rice for military use. In winter, more than four thousand eight hundred and forty soldiers of the eastern expedition who had done meritorious service were granted decorations of merit and advanced in rank (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi).