The Fujiwara no Hirotsugu Rebellion

Fujiwara no Hirotsugu was a member of the powerful Fujiwara family serving at Dazaifu, the court's regional headquarters in Kyushu. In 740 he called for the removal of the scholar-official Kibi no Makibi and the monk Genbō, blaming their influence for the country's troubles. Both men had returned from Tang China and held the court's confidence.

Hirotsugu's challenge became an armed rebellion. Imperial troops crossed the Kanmon Strait into Kyushu and confronted his forces across the Itabitsu River, near present-day Kitakyushu. The court's army won; Hirotsugu was subsequently captured and executed. His access to provincial forces had enabled him to rebel, but had not secured lasting control of the island.

During the disturbance, Emperor Shōmu left Nara on a journey that led to the establishment of Kuni as the capital later in 740. The rebellion and the capital moves belong to the same troubled years, although the sequence alone does not establish a single motive for every move. Hirotsugu's defeat preserved the court's authority to appoint and remove officials at Dazaifu.