Taira Tadamori (1096-1153), the Second Pirate King in Japan

     It is highly probable that the Tachibana Family in the Ota Manor area had been living there ever since the 9th century, when the Tachibana Clan used to be still thriving in the central government.

     Let me get back to Tadamori’s time, the first half of the 12th century.  Was the Tachibana Family exceptionally preserving and persistent in Bingo Province?  That was highly improbable.  Then, what was Tadamori’s “easy” suppression of pirates like?

     On April 8, 1135, Tadamori was appointed as the commander to pursue and subdue pirates along the Seto Inland Sea.  In August, he took 70 pirates to Kyoto in triumph.  On August 19, a rumor that he had just brought his followers was documented.  Actually, no such big execution was recorded.  Tadamori might have organized pirates to be a pirate king.

     The first pirate king in Japan, Fujiwara Sumitomo (?-941), robbed provincial governments of tax rice, and tried to plunder Dazaifu, where the Kyushu regional government office is located, of goods imported from China.  Tadamori, instead of robbery, contracted to send tax to Kyoto.  Instead of plunder, he opened illegal channels which were tolerated and condoned.

     We will see what the contract was like next time.