Hizume Toshihira (Fujiwara no Toshihira)

Hizume Tarō

Hizume Toshihira (樋爪俊衡), also known as Fujiwara no Toshihira, was a member of the Northern Fujiwara (Ōshū Fujiwara) lineage who held the Shiwa region, north of Hiraizumi, in the twelfth century from the fortified residence of Hizume (比爪館/樋爪館). He was the presumed son of Fujiwara no Kiyotsuna and guarded the northern frontier of the Fujiwara domain. In 1189, as Minamoto no Yoritomo's army approached, he set fire to his own residence and withdrew, then surrendered together with his younger brother Suehira and his sons. Yoritomo, mindful of his age, allowed him to keep his lands. Excavations at the Hizume site, which identify it as a second centre of Fujiwara power, shed light on the living conditions of this branch.