Taira Tadamori’s Family Line (6)

      How swift Masamori’s victory was! He must have had certain know-how to make local powerful families come over to him, other than just militarily destroying them.  In 1113, Masamori was appointed as a provincila officer in Bizen Province along the Seto Inland Sea.  In 1114, he was accused of hiding 5 robbers from Kyushu in his residence in Kyoto.  In the same year, he hired 9 pirates.  In 1118, another royal order was issued to him to hunt down and kill Taira Naozumi (?-?) in Fujitsu Manor in Hizen Province, Kyushu Island.  Masamori dispatched his followers, most of whom were powerful family members from Kyushu and Shikoku Islands.  Masamori had successfully built connections in the area, or along the sea lane between Kyoto and the continent, or China.  In 1120, he was appointed as a provincial officer in Sanuki Province, Shikoku Island.

     Masamori’s son, Tadamori (1096-1153), made a splendid debut.  He was named as a holy dancer in a non-regular festival of Kamo Shrine on November 14, 1119.  Fujiwara Sanesuke (957-1046) wrote about that in his journal, “His costume was so gorgeous that it made his walk brilliant and spectacular.  Every move of his dance surprised audience.  It was infinitely superior performance.”  Taking Japanese production level at the time into consideration, his costume should have been made in China.

     Tadamori made a good start in his career, taking advantage of achievements and accomplishments of his father, and exploiting rare imported goods which might have been obtained through the pirate network his father had built along the Seto Inland Sea.