37 保元の乱（下）
保元の乱、戦いは僅か四、五時間で終わりました。然しこの戦いの傷跡は大きい。大
きいと云いますのは、人の人たる道、人倫が破壊せられたからであります。どのように
人倫が破られ、道徳が踏みにじられたかと云いますと、第一はこの乱は、崇徳上皇と、
後白河天皇と、御兄弟の御争いであります。いろいろのいきさつがあるにせよ、天皇と
上皇と争われ、御兄と御弟とが戦われる事は、実に残念な事と云わなければなりません
。
第二にこの戦いは、藤原忠通と、その弟頼長と、兄弟の争いであります。兄は関白、
弟は左大臣、それでありながら、氏の長者は兄より取り上げられて弟になっています。
父は弟を愛して兄を憎んでいます。藤原氏一家のこの内輪喧嘩が、皇室内の対立とから
みあい、遂に大乱をひき起こしてきたのです。もしこれが無ければ、皇室内に感情の対
立があっても、戦乱とまでにはならなかったでしょう。
第三に源氏、これが親子兄弟、左右に分かれて戦っています。一方は義朝、今はすで
に源氏一門の棟梁、家来も多い。之に対して一方は為義、親ではありますが、棟梁の地
位を嫡子義朝に譲って、いわば隠居ですから、家来も少ない。しかし義朝以外の子供は
、皆父について行く。四郎頼賢、五郎頼仲、六郎為宗、七郎為成、そして八郎為朝、こ
れ等は父に従って上皇の御所を守り、兄の義朝と戦うのです。
第四に平家、これもまた一族、敵味方に分かれて戦うのです。上皇の御所を守る者は
、右馬助平忠正、その子長盛･正綱等をひきつれて、一方の大将となっています。之を
攻める清盛から見れば、忠正は叔父であり、長盛や正綱などは従兄弟に当たります。そ
れが今、双方に分かれて戦うのです。
かように親子、兄弟、叔父甥の間の戦いである事が、すでに不道徳であります上に、
戦後の処分に、大変な過失が犯されました。戦いの勝敗がきまるや、朝廷では、崇徳上
皇を讃岐へお移し申し上げました。左大臣頼長は流れ矢に当たって死にましたが、その
子兼長は出雲に、師長は土佐に、隆長は伊豆に、そして僧の範長は安芸に流されました
。その外、上皇方に加わった公卿、方々へ流されたのは、いずれも致し方の無いところ
でしょう。過失と云うのは、これ等を指すのではありません。武士に対する処分が、い
かにむごたらしく、人の道を踏みはずしている事を云うのです。即ち、平忠正父子を捕
らえて、その首を清盛に斬らせ、また源為義父子を捕らえて、その首を義朝に斬らせら
れたのです。
武士たる以上、戦に負けて捕らえられ、斬罪に処せられるのは、元より覚悟していな
ければならぬところですが、我が子に斬られ、我が甥に斬られ、従兄弟に斬られると云
う事は、いかにも残酷、心外な処分でしょう。朝廷の命令も誤っており、御命令のまま
に実行した者も誤っていましょう。
殊に最悪の者は、源義朝です。彼は父為義を斬り、弟頼賢･頼仲等を斬ったばかりで無
く、戦乱には何の関係も無く、一点の罪も無い幼少の弟をも、斬ったのです。即ち乙若
丸十三歳、亀和歌丸十一歳、鶴若丸九歳、更に天王丸七歳、之を斬ったのです。
戦後の処分を取りしきって命令した者は、少納言入道信西、その命令のままに親と弟
とを斬ったのが義朝、叔父と従兄弟とを斬ったのが清盛、彼等はこの非常の処置につい
て責任を取り、その報いを受けなければならぬ。それも遠い将来では無い、信西は三年
後、義朝は四年後、そして清盛は二十数年後に、それぞれ恐るべき報いを受けるのです
。
（中略）
嵯峨天皇の弘仁元年（西暦八一〇年）に藤原仲成の乱あってより後、今保元元年（西
暦一一五六年）まで、その間三百四十六年、朝廷では死刑が行われなかったと云う事は
、大体において事実です。大体においてと云いましたのは、たとえば将門や純友の様な
反乱、又は奥羽の戦争は、之は例外としなければならないからです。普通の場合、朝廷
で捕らえて死刑に当たる事が確定しても、之を天皇に上奏しますと、思し召しによって
特に罪一等を減じて流罪に処せられたのでした。例えば、淳和天皇の天長五年、大中臣
春継は、萩原王を射殺したに拘わらず、死刑にならずに伊豆へ流され、仁明天皇の承和
九年には、伴健岑･橘逸勢等が謀反を計りましたが、思し召しによって死刑を赦され、或
いは隠岐に、或いは伊豆へ流され、清和天皇の貞観八年、応天門を焼いた伴善男等十三
人を、斬罪に処すべきであるが、思し召しによって一等を減じ、之を流罪に処せられた
のでした。かような例は、数多くありまして、平安時代の特徴となっています。いや、
ひとりその時代の特徴であるばかりでなく、これが我が国の特色となっています。
（中略）
北畠親房は、神皇正統記にこの大乱を歎いて、
「これより乱れ初めぬるも、時運の下りぬる姿とぞ覚え侍る。」
と云い、また、
「義朝、重代の兵なりし上、保元の勲功、捨てられがたく侍りしに、父の首をきらせ
たりし事、大なる科なり。古今にも聞かず、和漢にも例無し。勲功に申し替えふとも、
みづから退くとも、などか父を申し助くる道なかるべき。名行欠け果てにければ、いか
でか終に其身を全くすべき。滅びぬる事は、天の理なり。」
と論じ、そして最後に、
「いまだ太平の世に帰らざるは、名行の破れ初めしに依れる事とぞ見えたる。」
と結んだのでした。名行と云うのは、君は君として、臣は臣として、父は父、子は子、
兄は兄、弟は弟として、それぞれその名に相当するところの責任があって、その責任を
果たすのが道徳の正しい姿である事を云います。それが君臣相戦い、父子兄弟相争い、
あげくの果てに、子が親を斬るに至っては、人倫の秩序は全く破れる外無く、それ以来
乱世に入ったのだと論ぜられたのです。
TOP
37 The Hougen Rebellion [2]
The Hougen Rebellion lasted only four to five hours, but the damage was
tremendous; the traditional ethical and moral outlook on human behavior was
severely shaken.
First, the rebellion arose from a struggle between brothers: Retired Emperor
Sutoku and Emperor Go-Shirakawa. Whatever the reasons, it wa regrettable that
the Emperor, the younger brother, and the Retired Emperor, the elder brother
should be at war.
Second, the rebellion was also a atruggle between Fujiwara no Tadamichi, the
elder brother, and Fujiwara no Yorinaga, the younger brother. The elder was
Imperial Regent, and the younger was Minister of the Left. Yet the clan
leadership was stripped from the elder and handed over to the younger. Their
father played favorites, elevating Yorinaga and shutting out Tadamichi. This
animosity among the Fujiwaras, along with antagonism in the imperial house,
brought on a huge rebellion. Strife within the imperial house alone would not
have resulted in war.
Third, it was a military confrontation within the Genji (Minamoto) clan,
between a father and a son, and an elder brother and a younger grother.
Monamoto no Yoshitomo was already the head of the clan, with many vassals.
Fewer men served his father Minamoto no Tameyoshi since he had passed on the
clan leadership to his heir Yoshitomo. Yet the rest of his sons followed the father:
Yorikata the fourth son, Yorinaka the fifth, Tamemune the sixth, Tamenari the
seventh, and the eight son Tametomo defended the palace of the Retired Emperor
and fought against th eldest brother Yoshitomo.
Fourth, a similar situation existed within the Heike (Taira) clan. They were
also divided into enemies and allies and fought accordingly. Taira no Tadamasa
the Vice Director of the Right Horse Bureau, as a commander, guarded the Retired
Emperor's palace served by his son Nagamori, Masatsuna, and so on. Taira no
Kiyomori, however, was his nephew, so Nagamori and Masatsuna were his cousins,
and yet they were matched as enemies.
It was immoral enough to fight a war among blood relations such as fathers and
sons, brothers, and uncles and nephews. But in addition a gross error was
committed after the war. The court exiled Retired Emperor Sutoku to Sanuki
Province (Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku Island) immediately after the rebellion.
Fujiwara no Yorinaga the Minister of the Left was shot by a stray arrow and
died. His sons were banished - Kanenaga to Izumo Province (Shimane Prefecture),
Moronaga to Tosa Province (Kouchi Prefecture in Shikoku Island), Takanaga to
Izu Province (Shizuoka Prefecture / Metropolitan Toukyo), and Monk Hanchou to
Aki Province (Hiroshima Prefecture). It was impossible to prevent the exile of
all other aristrocrats who sided with Retired Emperor Sutoku, for it was a just
punishment.
The error lay in the brutal, unethical punishments inflicted on the warriors.
Taira no Tadamasa and his son were arrested, and his nephew Taira no Kiyomori
was ordered to decapitate them. Similarly Minamoto no Yoshitomo took the lives
of his own father Minamoto no Tameyoshi and his younger broyhers, by
decapitation.
A warrior is naturally prepared for military defeat, arrest, and the ensuing
execution. But to die at the hands of one's son, nephew, or cousin is
unacceptable. The imperial commands ordering these acts were wrong, as were the
executioners who obeyed the letter of the law.
The most atrocious was Minamoto no Yoshitomo, who executed innocent young
brothers: Otowaka Maru, age thirteen; Kamewaka Maru, eleven; Tsuruwaka Maru, nine;
and Tennou Maru, who was seven, as well as his father and grown brothers.
Monk Shinzei the Lesser Coundellor ordered these post-rebellion executions.
Accordingly, Minamoto no Yoshitomo committed patricide and murdered his younger
brothers. Similarly Taira no Kiyomori executed his uncle and cousins. They all
had to pay for these extraordinary acts; retributions would be exacted, soon
after. Thre years later, Monk Shinzei met his nemesis. For Minamoto no
Yoshitomo, it happened four years later, and for Taira no Kiyomori, some twenty
years later.
(an omission)
It was in the first year of Kounin era (810) that the rebellion of Fujiwara no
Nakanari took place, during the reign of Emperor Saga. For 346 calender years,
no capital punishments had been imposed on criminals by the court. This is
roughly correct, putting aside the executions relating to rebellions by Taira
no Masakado or Fujiwara no Sumitomo, or civil wars in the northern province.
Generally, a criminal would be given a death sentence; then the case was taken
to the imperial authority where the sentence was reduced to exile. For example,
in the 5th year of Tenchou era (828) during the reign of Emperor Junna (r.
823-833), Ohnakatomi no Harutsugu murdered Prince Hagihara, yet he escaped
death to be exiled to Izu Island. In the 9th year of Jouwa (842) during the
reign of Emperor Ninmyou (r, 833-850), Tomo no Kowamine, Tachibana no Hayanari
and others attempted an uprising, and they were given an imperial pardon and
exiled to Oki Island, Izu Island and so on. Tomo no Yoshio and thirteen of his
men set the Ohtemon-Gate on fire in the 8th year of Jougan era (866) during the
reign of Emperor Seiwa (r. 858-876). They were to be beheaded, but by imperial
pardon they were also sent into exile. There were numerous such cases, which
became a characteristic of the Heian period, and of the nation as a whole.
(an omission)
Kitabatake Chikafusa (1283-1354) lamented in his writing, A Chronicle of Gods
and Sovereigns (Jinnou Shoutouki, 14th century):
"The strife from this time of Hougen on was surely a sign of the decline of
the age."
Furthemore,
"In addition to being the chieftain of a warrior line that had long served the
throne, Yoshitomo had performed with great distinction during the Hougen
disturbance. Yet in having his father beheaded, he committed a most serious
trangression, unknown from ancient times and without precedent in either China
or Japan. Yoshitomo clearly went against the way of the son, which dictates
that, even though he may be obliged to renounce his own achievements and
relinquish high office and position, a son must at all costs seek to aid his
father. How could it be expected that, having thus violated the dictates of
filial piety, Yoshimoto would fulfill his promise as a warrior? It was the just
reward of heaven that he perished as he did."
And he concluded:
"It is obvious that the reason order still has not been restored to the land
after these many years is the continuing violation by people of the principles
of proper conduct (meikou)."
"Proper conduct" (meikou) means that lords, subjects, fathers, children, elder
brothers, younger brothers, and so on all assume responsibilities befitting
their status; to perform those responsibilities is the moral, just way to
virtue. He argued that when they enter into dispute, to the extent of
ultimately committing patricide, humanity was totally destroyed and anarchy
would follow.
TOP
少年日本史 (平泉澄)
The story of Japan （Hiraizumi Kiyoshi)
|