was a court noble, general and shà Âgun of the early Heian period of Japan. He served as Dainagon, Minister of War and Ukon'e no Taisho (Major Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards). He held the kabane of à Âsukune and the court rank of Junior Second Rank and was awarded the Order of Second Class.
He was the son of Sakanoue no Karitamaro. He was considered an avatar of Bishamonten in legend.
Serving Emperor Kanmu, Tamuramaro was appointed shà Âgun and given the task of conquering the Emishi (è¦夷å¾Âä¼ Emishi Seibatsu), a people native to the north of Honshà «, which he subjugated. Recent evidence suggests that a migration of Emishi from northern Honshà « to Hokkaidà  took place sometime between the seventh and eighth centuries, perhaps as a direct result of this policy that pre-dated Tamuramaro's appointment. However, many Emishi remained in the Tà Âhoku region as subjects of the expanding Japanese Empire and later established independent Fushu domains. After Emperor Kanmu's death, the general continued to serve Emperor Heizei and Emperor Saga as and . He was the second person to be given the title of Sei-i Taishà Âgun (å¾Â夷大å°Âè»Â). The first to receive this title was à Âtomo no Otomaro.
It is said that the famous Tanabata festivals and parades of Aomori Prefecture (also celebrated in the city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture), which draw over 3 million people to the prefecture a year, were popularised in remembrance of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro's campaign to subdue the tribal societies then living in TÃ Âhoku. These annual matsuri are called the Nebuta festival in Aomori City and Neputa Festival () in Hirosaki City. They feature a number of gigantic, specially-constructed, illuminated paper floats. These huge festival structures are colourfully painted with mythical figures, and teams of men carry them through the streets as crowds shout encouragement. Aomori's great nebuta lanterns are said to hark back to Tamuramaro's innovative strategy in that early ninth century campaign. According to legend, the taishogun is remembered for having ordered huge illuminated lanterns to be placed at the top of hills; and when the curious Emishi approached these bright lights to investigate, they were captured and subdued. Until the mid-1990s the prize awarded for the best float of the parades was called the Tamuramaro Prize. However, there is no historical record that Tamuramaro went farther north than Iwate Prefecture.
Tamuramaro's name is linked with payments for construction projects at Kiyomizu Temple (Kiyomizu-dera) in the late 8th century.
The Azuma Kagami tells a story of when Fujiwara no Toshihito had fought together with Sakanoue no Tamuramaro to subdue a gang of Emishi bandits that had stood in their way when the duo were passing through the Taya Caves on their way back to Kamakura.
In the year 811 (KÃ Ânin 2, 3rd month), Tamuramaro died at age 54, to the great regret of Emperor Saga, who expressed his sense of loss by distributing large quantities of silk cloth, cotton cloth and rice in honour of his dead counsellor. His bow, arrows, quiver and sword were placed in his coffin by order of the Emperor.
The Tomb of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro is located in Kanshuji Higashikurisunocho, Yamashina Ward, Kyoto, Japan. He is not the samurai buried at Shà Âgun-zuka as that was a ceremonial statue of a warrior buried by Emperor Kanmu when he decided to move the capital to Heian-kyo, present day Kyoto. His descendant Urabe no Suetake inherited his bow.
After his death, Tamuramaro became a legendary figure featured in many stories. In these legends, Tamuramaro is not always a warrior who wages war against barbarians, but a hero who exterminates oni and bandits in various areas. According to legend, Ootakemaru, one of the Great Three Evil Yokai of Japan, was slain by Tamuramaro. Other stories connect him to Suzuka Gozen, whom he marries and/or slays. He had a daughter with her named . According to the Otogi-zoshi, Shourin is said to have become the guardian deity of the Suzuka Mountains, while in the Okujoruri, it is said she ascended to the level of the Jizà  Bodhisattva after her death. He had the swords named and . He was blessed by Senju Kannon and Takeminakata.
Tamuramaro's family, the Sakanoue clan, was a cadet branch of the Yamatonoaya clan from Baekje according to the Nihon Shoki (720). The Yamatonoaya clan's founder, Achi no Omi was first mentioned in an older source called the Kojiki (712) before being mentioned again in the Nihon Shoki. However, later stories found in sources such as the Shoku Nihongi (797) and Shinsen Shà Âjiroku (815) claim that Achi no Omi was in fact a descendant of Chinese emperors (Shoku Nihongi claiming descent from Emperor Ling of Han while Shinsen Shà Âjiroku claimed descent from Emperor Xian of Han). However in recent years, the claim surrounding the existence of Achi no Omi is heavily scrutinized with the Yamatonoaya clan being classified of being Gaya descent (specifically from Ara Gaya) therefore, making the Sakanoue clan being of Gaya descent.
The lack of extensive detail on Sakanoue no TamuramaroâÂÂs life has led to a number of theories regarding aspects of his life, such as his birthplace, among others: