Tachibana no Naramaro

Tachibana no Naramaro was the son of Moroe, a chief minister at Emperor Shōmu’s court. Naramaro held offices of his own, including leadership of the state academy, and entered the government's council. His mother's family was Fujiwara: political rivalry did not divide the court into neatly separate bloodlines. As Fujiwara no Nakamaro gained influence, Naramaro's position became bound up with disputes over who would inherit the throne. [S01, S02, S03]

In 757, Moroe died and Prince Ōi, a prince supported by Nakamaro, became crown prince. Naramaro and allies from several court families were accused of planning to kill Nakamaro and replace the sovereign and heir. Denunciations led to arrests before an uprising occurred. The detailed plan survives through interrogations and confessions recorded by the victorious government; those circumstances matter when judging the intentions attributed to the prisoners. [S02, S03]

Naramaro was probably killed during the proceedings in 757, although the exact circumstances of his death remain uncertain. Other accused men also died under punishment, and the destruction of this opposition strengthened Nakamaro. Poems attributed to Naramaro remained in the Man'yōshū, the early anthology of Japanese verse. The court's account of a failed conspiracy consequently supplies only part of his surviving identity: he had also been an official and a poet. [S01, S02, S03]