The Ancient Japanese Good-Family Clans and Piracy (2-2) ——The Enclosure and the Salt Production around the Seto Inland Sea (2)——

It seems that the occupation of the salt pans in Ako was transferred from Tomo Clan to Todai-ji Temple, violently or by mutual consent, sometime in the latter half of the 8th century. What fate did Hata Clan face then? Were they employed by Todai-ji Temple to run the salt pans? Or did they just get pitched out of the salt industry? In the latter case, by Fujiwara Yasunori’s classification, leading piracy might have been their unavoidable choice. The presence of salt pans in the 8th century is supported by other documents. Nihon Koki, for example, has an entry dated November the 14th, 799, which tells us: Bizen Province said, “People in Kojima County have made their living by producing salt, and prepared for Cho and Yo taxes with the salt. The mountains, the wilds, the seashores, and the islands there have been for common use as a rule. Powerful clans and families have come to disturb and deprive the people. The more prosperous the powerful become, the more distressed the poor turn. We beg things to be replaced.” The Emperor ordered, “It is against the public benefit that the powerful intimidate the poor. It must be stopped and never be allowed to happen.”