Stories of the Japanese 00237 [Nara] The Conquest of the Emishi: Failure of the Conciliation Policy

Although it was decided that the conquest would take place after September, Otomo no Masutatsu showed no signs of taking action. Frustrated, the Imperial Court appointed Fujiwara no Ogromaro, a Sangi (councillor), as the Seito Taishi (General for the Conquest of the East) on September 23, 780 (the 11th year of Hoki), replacing Fujiwara no Tsugutada. Furthermore, they dismissed Otomo no Masutatsu from his position as Seito Fukushi (Deputy General for the Conquest of the East) for failing to produce results. The Court seemed quite angry, as they later stripped Otomo no Masutatsu of his Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade.
However, Fujiwara no Ogromaro was also extremely passive regarding the conquest. On October 22, he
submitted a report stating, "We should not conduct the conquest this year,"
and was severely reprimanded by Emperor Konin.
Perhaps realizing that he had to act after the Emperor's reprimand, Ogromaro mobilized 2,000 soldiers on December 10 and reported,
"We have blocked the five routes of Washiza, Tateza, Ishizawa, Osugaya, and Yanagisawa, and cut off the enemy's strategic strongholds."
However, did they really fight? It is possible that they only blocked the roads without engaging in any combat. If so, it was a clever report.
In the end, the Imperial army led by Fujiwara no Ogromaro failed to achieve any results.
The new year arrived. This year was a "Shinyu year," and New Year's Day fell on a Shinyu day. Since a Shinyu year is considered a year when a revolution might occur according to the Chinese theory of dynastic change, Emperor Konin changed the era name on New Year's Day to Ten-o 1 (781). This is the only instance in Japanese history where an era name was changed on New Year's Day.
In the imperial edict for this era change, Emperor Konin made a truly unusual announcement:
"If the peasants who were led astray and defected because of Koreharu no Azamaro and his followers leave the rebel army and return, they will be exempted from taxes for three years."
Those who had joined the rebellion were farmers living in the Emishi territory. The goal was to appease them by exempting them from taxes and thereby quell the rebellion. However, this desperate policy also failed to produce results. It is unclear what happened to Koreharu no Azamaro after that. Since there is no information about him being defeated, it is thought that he died of illness shortly thereafter.
At this time, Emperor Konin was 71 years old, quite elderly. As it was a Shinyu year, he had likely decided to abdicate to the Crown Prince within the year. The suppression of the large-scale Emishi rebellion, which could not be resolved during Emperor Konin's reign, was left to his successor, Emperor Kanmu.