The Ancient Japanese Good-Family Clans and Piracy (7) ——Conclusion——

All in all, whether you are a pirate or not depends on the result of power games among central noble families in the Heian-kyo Capital, one of which you belong to. As Fujiwara Yasunori, a competent governor at the time, put it on piracy, “Most leaders are not local registered people, but dropouts (from the hierarchic center, the Henan-Kyo Capital). Some are young members of good family who have pursued means of support. Some others are officers’ valets who have married local women. They have made the remote provinces their hometowns.” Those young members and valets who belonged to Tomo, Ki, and Tachibana Clans must have had a hard time finding a new job, other than piracy. Furthermore, the fall and the further purge of Silla connections must have caused certain vacuum of human resources who could handle water transports and foreign trading. The vacuum should be filled with Fujiwara Clan’s young members and/ or butlers. A road was paved to have a Fujiwara Sumitomo . Sumitomo was actually a young member of Fujiwara Clan, and became a third officer in Iyo Province. He later became a pirate, or was accused of piracy once he was judged to be a menace for the community of noble-blooded highborn people of central power. However, it was not only a pirate but the first pirate king in Japan that he made. It was not difficult to become a pirate, or be judged to be a pirate, but the reason why he could become a pirate king is yet to be researched.