Iwate-san Tamuramaro Legend

The Iwate-san Tamuramaro tradition is a quelling and pacification legend in which the early Heian sei-i taishogun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, during his campaigns to subdue the Emishi of Mutsu, encamped at the foot of Mount Iwate (2,038 m) and slew the mountain demon Daibumaru. Around the year Enryaku 21 (802), at the time of the surrender of Aterui and More, Tamuramaro extended his reach across Iwate District. At the foot of Mount Iwate, he is said to have slain Daibumaru and afterwards built a shrine to pacify the spirit, a foundation later carried forward by Iwate-yama Shrine and the rites of Mount Himekami. The story builds in three scenes: Tamuramaro's advance into Iwate, the battle with Daibumaru, and the rite of pacification. Tamuramaro's demon-quelling tales are widespread in northeast Japan, connecting with sites such as Takkoku-no-Iwaya Bishamondo (Hiraizumi) and Honseiji Temple in Morioka, and reflect the historical contact between Yamato and Emishi cultures. Nihon Kiryaku, Nihon Koki, and Ruiju Kokushi, Enryaku 21 (802), form the textual basis; later Tamuramaro Sandai-ki, Suzuka Gozen Monogatari, and Tamuramaro Soshi develop the figure.