《33》Medieval Hakata - The Battle of Tatarahama (Part 1)

《33》Medieval Hakata - The Battle of Tatarahama (Part 1)

《33》Medieval Hakata - The Battle of Tatarahama (Part 1)... The battle of Tatarahama was one which was to decide who would rule Japan, in the area around Hakata

 


- About 50 years after the Genko crisis, just before the beginning of the Muromachi period (1336-1573), another historical battle took place in the Hakata area. It was the "Battle of Tadarahama," fought in March 1336 in the Tatara River area (Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City), a few kilometers east of the center of medieval Hakata.

 


- Ashikaga Takauji, who had been driven out of Kyoto and moved to Kyushu, tried to revive his fortunes by enlisting the forces of Kyushu, including Shoni Yorinao and Otomo Sadamune, to his side and fought in this area against the forces of Kikuchi Taketoshi of Higo, a member of Emperor Godaigo's faction.

 


- This battle was literally one which was to decide who would rule Japan between Ashikaga Takauji and Emperor Godaigo's faction. After the victory at Tatarahama, in April, Ashikaga Takauji again sailed eastward from Hakata Bay, and in May, he defeated Kusunoki Masanari (of the Emperor Godaigo's faction) at the Minatogawa River in present-day Kobe. (This is called the "Battle of Minatogawa.") Six months later, in November of the same year, Ashikaga Takauji established the Muromachi Bakufu in Kyoto.

 


*This is a view of the Tatara River and the Najima Bridge seen from its estuary. /

 


中世博多-多々良浜の戦い(その1)…博多周辺が舞台となった天下分け目の戦い

 


- 元寇の危機が去っておよそ50年後のこと、室町時代が始まる直前に、またもや博多周辺が舞台となった歴史的な合戦がありました。それが1336年3月、中世博多の中心部より数キロ東側にある多々良川一帯(福岡市東区)で繰り広げられた「多々良浜の戦い」です。

 


- 京都を追われて九州へ下った足利尊氏は、起死回生を図るため小弐頼尚、大友貞宗ら九州勢を味方に付け、後醍醐天皇派である肥後の菊池武敏らの軍勢とこの地で戦火を交えたのです。

 


- この合戦は、文字通り、足利尊氏と後醍醐天皇派との天下分け目の戦いとなるものでした。多々良浜での勝利の後、翌4月には博多湾から船で再び東上して、5月に現在の神戸の湊川で楠正成(後醍醐天皇派)を連破しました。(これを「湊川の戦い」といいます。)そして半年後の同年11月に、足利尊氏は京都で室町幕府を開いたのです。

 


*多々良川と、その河口から見た名島橋の風景です。