Taira Tadamori’s Family Line (2)

     Taira Korehira (?-?) made a provincial officer in Shimotsuke, Ise, Kozuki, and Hitachi Provinces.  He belonged to the “zuryo” (to take over) class, not to the local-powerful-family class.  He must have his residences in Kyoto and in the northern part of Ise Province, where he managed his manors.  He gathered rice and other products in the residence in Ise Province, accumulated some of them there, and sent some others to Kyoto.  In Kyoto, with the wealth he sent in, he built connections in the central bureaucracy.  With the connections, he was successfully appointed as a provincial officer, and accumulated another amount of wealth in the province.  That was what “zuryo” did.

     His son, Masanori (?-?), made a provincial officer in Hitachi, Dewa, and Echizen Provinces; Masanori’s son, Masahira (?-?), only in Dewa Province.  He was appointed as the provincial officer in 1099.  The “zuryo” class in general made a downfall in the 12th century, but the family didn’t.  Masahira’s son, Masamori (?-1121?), made a brilliant comeback.  He suppressed the revolt by Minamoto Yoshichika (?-1108).

     Prior to the revolt, Fujiwara Korefusa (1030-1096), an officer of Dazai-fu (Kyushu Regional Government), and Fujiwara Atsusuke (?-?), a provincial officer in Tsushima Province, conspired to privately trade with the Liao Dynasty in northern China.  The trade was illegal because Japan had its diplomatic relation with the Song Dynasty but not with the Liao Dynasty.  The both two got a demotion as a penalty.

     In 1099, Emperor Horikawa changed his regnal year names due to a big earth quake and a plague.  Sometime at the time, Yoshichika was appointed as a provincial officer in Tsushima Province.