The Ancient Japanese Good-Family Clans and Piracy (6-4) ——The Further Purge of Silla Connections (4)——

The entry dated November the 13th, 870, in Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku writes: Saeki Matsugu, an additional official of Chicugo Province, reported with an official document from Silla, “Fujiwara Genrimaro, Dazai-fu Subordinate Officer, who belonged the upper class of the upper 7th order in the central nobility, secretly schemed with the Silla King against our country.” Matsugu was restrained and sent to the Prosecutor. The entry dated November the 17th, 870, writes: Fujiwara Genrimaro, Subordinate Officer, was pursued and restrained, along with a valet of the former Director General of the department purchasing fillings for Court and 3 other un-registered commoners, Kiyohara Munetsugu, Nakatomi Toshimaro and Okiyo Aritoshi. Abe Okiyuki, the Upper Secretary, who belonged the lower class of the lower 5th order, was sent to Dazai-fu to question them. Could Genkimaro survive the contest? Fujiwara Yoshimi, who might have been his backer, had died 3 years earlier. Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku tells us no further development of the incident. 3 Kiyohara clans are known in Ancient Japan: one was offspring of the Emperor Tenmu, another was those who did secretarial jobs for the central government, and the other produced chiefs of captive norther aliens in Dewa Province, a part of Northeastern Japan. We can hardly tell which clan Munetsugu belonged to, or whether he belonged to any of the three or not.