1. Life
Shimazu Tadahisa's life was characterized by his rise as a key figure in the nascent Kamakura Shogunate, his fluctuating political fortunes, and his pivotal role in establishing the foundation of the Shimazu clan in southern Kyushu.
1.1. Birth and Early Life
The exact details of Shimazu Tadahisa's birth and early life are subject to various historical theories and interpretations due to conflicting accounts in historical records. He was reportedly born at Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka, where a birthstone is said to remain.
His birth year is debated. According to traditional Shimazu family histories, such as the Shimazu Kokushi, he was born on December 31, 1179. However, another historical account, the Yamada Seiei Jiki (written by Shimazu retainer Yamada Seiei in the late 15th century), contains a statement that Tadahisa underwent his genpuku ceremony at the age of 13 during the Ōshū Campaign in 1189, which would place his birth in 1177. The same text also suggests an earlier birth year of 1166 in another passage. Furthermore, the earliest historical records mentioning a "Sabyōe no jō Tadahisa," such as the Sankai Ki (dated February 8, 1179) and Gyokuyō (the following year), describe an individual holding an official military rank. If Tadahisa was born in 1179, it would mean he held such a position at less than 10 years old, which is considered historically unlikely, suggesting his birth year was likely more than a decade prior to 1179 to align with his reported early appointments. His grandson, Shimazu Tadakage, noted in the Shin Gosenshū that his grandfather, Tadahisa, served as a Kebiishi and the Kamo Festival master, indicating an early career in official capacities.
Tadahisa's parentage is also a subject of historical debate. Traditional Shimazu family accounts claim he was an illegitimate son of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate, and his concubine, "Tango no Tsubone." This "Tango no Tsubone" is often identified as Tango Naishi, who was the sister of Hiki Yoshikazu. This claim of Yoritomo's parentage began to appear in clan records around the early 15th century and is not supported by contemporary historical documents. Another genealogy, the Yoshimi-ke Keizu, suggests that Tango Naishi, the third daughter of Hiki Ama (Yoritomo's wet nurse) and a lady-in-waiting to Emperor Nijō in Kyoto, bore Tadahisa with Koremune no Hiromoto. She later married Adachi Morinaga in Kamakura. However, the authoritative historical chronicle Azuma Kagami makes no mention of any relationship between Tango Naishi and Tadahisa. There are also theories suggesting that Tadahisa's biological father was Koremune no Tadayasu, based on the shared character "Tada" in their names, rather than Koremune no Hiromoto, who is often considered his adoptive father due to naming conventions.
Tadahisa initially bore the surname Koremune, being known as Koremune no Tadahisa. However, upon receiving the position of jitō of the Shimazu Estate from Minamoto no Yoritomo, he adopted the name Shimazu. Later in his life, around the time of the Jōkyū War, he also began to use the Fujiwara surname. Several documents from the period, including an entry in the Sanchōki from 1198, refer to him as "Sabyōe no jō Koremune Tadahisa," indicating his prevalent use of the Koremune surname during that time.
1.2. As a Kamakura Gokenin
Shimazu Tadahisa served as a significant gokenin of the Kamakura Shogunate, establishing his standing through early military service and key administrative appointments. He reportedly participated in the subjugation of the Taira clan alongside Hiki Yoshikazu's forces in March 1185. As a reward for his service, Minamoto no Yoritomo appointed him as the jitō of Hade no Mikuriya and Suka no shō in Ise Province in June 1185. The "Shimazu Family Documents" of this period record his name as "Sabyōe no jō Koremune Tadahisa."
On August 17, 1185, at Yoritomo's recommendation, he was appointed as the geshi (estate manager) of the Shimazu Estate (Shimazu shō), a vast proprietary estate spanning Satsuma Province, Ōsumi Province, and Hyūga Province in southern Kyushu. The Koremune clan, from which Tadahisa hailed, had prior connections to these southern provinces, with several members serving as provincial governors (kokushi) in the late Heian period, which may have facilitated his appointment. Soon after, he was further appointed as the sō-jitō (general land steward) of the entire Shimazu Estate. In the same year, he also received the jitō position for Shioda shō in Shinano Province.
Tadahisa continued to serve Yoritomo loyally. In 1189, he joined Yoritomo's forces in the Ōshū Campaign, which led to the downfall of the Ōshū Fujiwara clan. He also accompanied Yoritomo during his ceremonial visit to Kyoto in 1190. In December 1197, he was appointed as the shugo (provincial governor) of Ōsumi and Satsuma Provinces, and shortly thereafter, also for Hyūga Province. In 1198, he was appointed as Saemon no jō (Left Division of Outer Palace Gates Lieutenant). Although he held various shugo and jitō positions across different provinces, he chose the expansive Shimazu Estate as his home domain, adopting "Shimazu" as his surname, becoming known as Shimazu Saemon no jō. His first mention in the Azuma Kagami, a primary chronicle of the Kamakura Shogunate, occurs on February 26, 1200, where he is listed as one of the twenty attendants for Minamoto no Yoriie's visit to Tsurugaoka Hachimangū.
1.3. Hiki Rebellion and Restoration
Shimazu Tadahisa faced a significant setback in his political career following the Hiki Rebellion (also known as Hiki Yoshikazu's Coup) in September 1203. Due to his familial ties with Hiki Yoshikazu (through his alleged mother, Tango no Tsubone), Tadahisa was implicated in the rebellion and subsequently had his shugo titles for Ōsumi, Satsuma, and Hyūga Provinces confiscated by the Hōjō clan. At the time of the rebellion, Tadahisa was absent from Kamakura, having traveled to Ōsumi Province-marking his first recorded visit to his assigned domain-to resolve a dispute concerning Taimyō-ji temple. After completing his duties, on October 19, 1203, he offered prayers at Taimyō-ji for his safe return to Kyoto.
Following the Hiki Rebellion, Tadahisa remained in Kyoto, undergoing a period of political marginalization. His restoration began in February 1213 when he was appointed to the Gakumonsho Ban, a study chamber guard position under the third shogun, Minamoto no Sanetomo, signifying his reintegration into the gokenin ranks. In June of the same year, during the Wada Rebellion, Tadahisa sided with the victorious Hōjō forces. As a result, he was granted Hakari no shō in Kai Province, which had belonged to the rebellious Furugōri clan. In July 1213, his jitō position in Satsuma Province was restored, and he was likely reappointed as shugo of Satsuma around the same time. However, the shugo titles for Ōsumi and Hyūga Provinces remained under Hōjō control and were not restored to the Shimazu clan until the Nanboku-chō period.
1.4. Later Years and Death
After his restoration, Shimazu Tadahisa continued to serve the Kamakura Shogunate in various capacities. In July 1221, following the Jōkyū War, he was appointed as the shugo of Echizen Province. In May of the same year, he had also been granted the jitō position for Tōgō no shō in the Ashū County of Echizen. It was around this period that he transitioned from using the Koremune surname to the Fujiwara surname.
Tadahisa's later appointments reflect his continued importance within the shogunate. In 1224, he served as an attendant for the Yasoshima Festival envoy. In 1225, he was reappointed as a Kebiishi, a position he had previously held. His final major appointment came in 1226 when he was named Bungo no Kami (Governor of Bungo Province).
Shimazu Tadahisa died on August 1, 1227 (the 18th day of the 6th month of Karoku 3), during the Hour of the Dragon, from what the Azuma Kagami records as beriberi and dysentery. He was buried in Kamakura, near the tomb of Minamoto no Yoritomo. His tomb, located in Nishimikado, Kamakura, approximately 230 ft (70 m) from Yoritomo's grave, was established by the 25th head of the Shimazu clan, Shimazu Shigehide, during the late Edo period.
2. Origin and Lineage Theories
The origin and lineage of Shimazu Tadahisa are topics of considerable historical debate, with various theories presented in different historical records and scholarly works. These theories primarily revolve around his parentage and the circumstances of his birth.
The most widely circulated theory, particularly within the Shimazu clan's own traditions such as the Shimazu Kokushi and Shimazu-shi Seitō Keizu (Official Shimazu Family Genealogy), asserts that Tadahisa was the illegitimate son of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate. This theory claims that his mother was "Tango no Tsubone," identified as a concubine of Yoritomo and the sister of Hiki Yoshikazu. According to this narrative, Tango no Tsubone gave birth to Tadahisa at Sumiyoshi Taisha in Settsu Province (modern-day Osaka). This account suggests that Tadahisa received preferential treatment from Yoritomo, including his appointments as jitō, due to this filial connection. However, it is important to note that this specific claim regarding Yoritomo's parentage only began appearing in Shimazu clan records around the early 15th century, centuries after Tadahisa's birth, and is not corroborated by contemporary historical documents.
Another theory regarding Tadahisa's biological father suggests it was Koremune no Hiromoto, though this view has been increasingly questioned in recent scholarship due to issues with the customary naming patterns (tsūji) of the Koremune clan. If he was not Hiromoto's biological son, it is suggested he might have been adopted into the Koremune family. In this context, another candidate for his biological father is Koremune no Tadayasu, based on the shared character "Tada" in their names, a common practice for identifying father-son relationships within samurai families.
Concerning his mother, historical evidence from the Hiki Rebellion in 1203 provides some clarity. Tadahisa was implicated in the rebellion due to his "縁坐" (enja, guilt by association) as a relative of Hiki Yoshikazu. This strongly suggests that his mother was indeed a member or close relative of the Hiki clan. The Yoshimi-ke Keizu identifies his mother as Tango Naishi, the eldest daughter of Hiki Ama (Minamoto no Yoritomo's wet nurse). This account supports the idea that Tango Naishi bore Tadahisa after a relationship with a Koremune clan member, and subsequently married Adachi Morinaga.
Furthermore, Tadahisa's activities and roles within the Kamakura Shogunate indicate a deep understanding of court culture and public affairs. His appointment to Minamoto no Sanetomo's study guard (Gakumonsho Ban) and his responsibilities in managing Onmyōdō-related events suggest a background imbued with knowledge of Kyoto's aristocratic traditions. This aligns with the description of Tango Naishi in the Yoshimi-ke Keizu as an "unrivaled poet." It is also notable that Tadahisa's direct descendants, including his grandson Shimazu Tadakage, great-grandson Shimazu Tadamune, and great-great-grandson Shimazu Tadahide (of the Echizen Shimazu clan), were renowned poets. The association of his birthplace, Sumiyoshi Taisha, with both maritime deities and waka poetry further supports a potential lineage connected to the poetic arts. A theory proposed by Takeshi Nomura suggests that Iikimonomin Tango, one of the Nyōbō Sanjūrokkasen (Thirty-Six Female Immortals of Poetry) who participated in the Sumiyoshi Shrine poetry gathering in 1208 and was from the Settsu Minamoto clan, could have been Tadahisa's mother.
The discrepancy in Tadahisa's birth year, as discussed in the "Birth and Early Life" section, further complicates his lineage. While Shimazu Keizu lists 1179, his documented official appointments in that very year imply he must have been an adult at the time, leading historians to estimate his birth year to be at least a decade or more earlier than 1179.
3. Establishment of the Shimazu Clan's Foundation
Shimazu Tadahisa's most enduring legacy lies in his pivotal role in laying the solid foundation for the Shimazu clan's long-term dominance in the southern Kyushu region. His administrative and territorial strategies, though often executed indirectly, were crucial for the family's future prosperity.
3.1. Appointment as Shimazu Estate Jitō and Shugo
The appointment of Shimazu Tadahisa as jitō of the Shimazu Estate and subsequently as shugo of Satsuma, Ōsumi, and Hyūga Provinces was rooted in a complex interplay of political connections and strategic considerations within the burgeoning Kamakura Shogunate. Before the Kamakura period, Tadahisa's Koremune clan was a family of samurai who served to guard Kyoto's court nobles. His relatives had a history of serving as provincial governors in Ōsumi and Hyūga Provinces.
The Koremune family had a long-standing relationship with the Konoe family, one of the most powerful branches of the Fujiwara clan and a prominent regent family (sekkan-ke) in the imperial court. The Koremune clan traditionally served as kanei (household administrators) for the Konoe family. Tadahisa, therefore, was serving the Konoe family while simultaneously being a trusted gokenin of Minamoto no Yoritomo. His familiarity with court rituals and his connections to influential Eastern warriors like the Hiki and Hatakeyama clans earned him Yoritomo's confidence.
The Konoe family itself held significant sway over the Shimazu Estate, having become its shōen (manor) lords since the Kamakura period, as descendants of Fujiwara Yorimichi, who received the estate as a donation from Taira Suemoto. There is even a suggestion that Tadahisa might have been involved in the proposal for Minamoto no Yoritomo's eldest daughter, Ōhime, to marry Konoe Motomichi (son of Konoe Motosane) after the tragic death of her fiancé, Minamoto no Yoshitaka. Although this marriage did not materialize, Tadahisa's potential role in such high-level negotiations underscores his unique position bridging the shogunate and the imperial court.
It is believed that these deep-rooted connections-his family's historical presence in southern Kyushu, his loyal service to Yoritomo, and particularly his close ties with the powerful Konoe family who held the Shimazu Estate as their manor-were crucial factors that led to his strategic appointments as jitō and shugo. These appointments provided the Shimazu clan with its initial foothold and legitimate authority over the vital southern Kyushu region.
3.2. Activities in Southern Kyushu and Actual Residence
Despite being granted vast territories in southern Kyushu, Shimazu Tadahisa did not personally reside there for much of his life. Historical records indicate that he primarily conducted his activities from Kamakura, the seat of the shogunate, and later from Kyoto. The traditions recorded in texts like the Yamada Seiei Jiki and Shimazu Kokushi (composed in the late Edo period) that claim Tadahisa entered Kimure Castle in Yamatoin (Satsuma Province) in 1186, and later moved to Horinouchi Gosho or Iwaiyoshi Gosho in Shimazuin (Hyūga Province) in 1196, are widely regarded by modern historians as legends rather than historical facts.
Instead of direct residence, Tadahisa administered his southern Kyushu territories through trusted vassals. Most notably, he sent his retainer, Honda Sadachika, to take possession of the provinces on his behalf. According to an explanatory board at the Kimure Castle site in Izumi City, Kagoshima Prefecture, after Tadahisa was appointed jitō of the three provinces in 1186, he dispatched Honda Sadachika to survey the local conditions. In 1196, Sadachika successfully pacified the local powerful families in Yamatoin and constructed Kimure Castle, thereby establishing the fundamental base for the Shimazu clan's control over the three provinces. While Tadahisa himself never settled at Kimure Castle, it served as the shugo residence and a permanent base for the Honda clan and other Shimazu vassals, becoming the core stronghold of the Shimazu shugo forces. This arrangement continued until the time of the fifth Shimazu clan head, Shimazu Sadahisa. The Kimure Castle site also includes the "Takebayashi Castle site," believed to be Honda Sadachika's personal residence.
Tadahisa remained active in Kamakura throughout his life and died there. His successor, the second head Shimazu Tadatoki, also resided and died in Kamakura. The actual localization of the Shimazu clan in southern Kyushu began to intensify with the third clan head, Shimazu Hisatsune, who relocated to the region in response to the Mongol invasions of Japan. The fourth head, Shimazu Tadamune, was the first Shimazu clan leader to die in Satsuma Province, marking a significant step towards full territorial integration. Permanent residence by the Shimazu clan head in southern Kyushu is confirmed from the fifth head, Shimazu Sadahisa, onwards, who established his shugo residence at Ikarigashira Castle in Satsumasendai City.
4. Legacy and Assessment
Shimazu Tadahisa's historical legacy is profound, as he laid the groundwork for one of Japan's most enduring and powerful samurai clans. His actions had a lasting impact on the political landscape of southern Kyushu and the broader course of Japanese history.
4.1. Contribution as Founder of the Shimazu Clan
Shimazu Tadahisa's most significant contribution was his role as the progenitor and first head of the Shimazu clan. Through his strategic acquisition of jitō and shugo positions, particularly within the expansive Shimazu Estate, he established a legitimate and firm administrative and territorial base for his family in southern Kyushu. Although he primarily operated from Kamakura and Kyoto, his decision to send loyal vassals like Honda Sadachika to manage and secure these distant territories was a crucial administrative strategy that allowed the clan to gradually solidify its control.
His ability to navigate the complex politics of the early Kamakura Shogunate, maintain the trust of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and later achieve political restoration after the Hiki Rebellion, demonstrates his political acumen. These early successes provided the essential framework and authority for his descendants to expand and consolidate their power, leading to the Shimazu clan's eventual status as one of the most prominent and long-lasting daimyō families in Japan, enduring for over 700 years until the end of the Edo period. His foundational work effectively set the stage for the clan's future prosperity and influential societal position.
4.2. Relationship with the Konoe Family
The relationship between the Shimazu clan and the Konoe family, one of the five regent houses of the Fujiwara clan, was a significant factor in the early development and governance of the Shimazu domain, lasting for many centuries. This connection stemmed from Shimazu Tadahisa's background in the Koremune clan, which traditionally served as household administrators for the Konoe family.
The Konoe family held the prestigious position of shōen (manor) lords over the vast Shimazu Estate. Tadahisa's appointment as jitō and later shugo of this key territory was greatly influenced by his ties to both the Kamakura Shogunate and the Konoe family. This dual allegiance allowed him to secure official recognition and administrative control over the estate, which was the core of the future Shimazu domain.
The ongoing relationship with the Konoe family meant that the Shimazu clan, even as they asserted their military and political power in southern Kyushu, maintained a degree of connection to the imperial court and Kyoto's aristocratic culture through their historical ties to the Konoe family. This relationship likely provided the Shimazu with a unique position, allowing them to balance their regional power with a facade of legitimacy and influence in the central political sphere. The long-standing connection helped shape the Shimazu clan's identity and its approach to governing its extensive domains throughout Japanese history.