Chiisakobe no Sahichi (小子部さひち)
CHIISAKOBE no Sahichi (year of birth unknown - July or August, 672) was active in the Asuka period of Japan.
鉏,' one Chinese character of his name Sahichi (鉏鉤) is made up of the left-hand radical of a Chinese character '金' and the right-hand '且.'
According to the old Japanese syllabary characters, it is considered that his name had been pronounced as Chifisakobe no Safichi. His kabane (hereditary title) was Muraji. Although he supported Prince Oama (Emperor Tenmu) as Owari no kuni no Kuni-no-mikotomochi-no-kami (the provincial governor of Owari Province) in the Jinshin War of 672, he committed suicide after the war had ended.
Prince Oama, who took action on June 24 of the year of Jinshin (Mizunoe-Saru, year 672) raised the army, left Yoshino no miya (Yoshino Palace) and went to Ise Province, and then moved to Mino Province on 27th. Within the same day, when they reached the county office of Fuwa County, Owari no kuni no Kuni-no-mikotomochi-no-kami CHIISAKOBE no Muraji Sahichi joined the army of Prince Oama with 20,000 soldiers. Prince Oama praised Sahichi and divided his army to guard the roads.
Regarding the reason he was capable of moving 20,000 soldiers within a few days, historians of posterity point out there was some relation to the fact that in May the Imperial Court had mobilized laborers of Mino and Owari Province on the pretext of construction of Imperial tomb and given them weapons. According to the opinion, although the Imperial Court had ordered the provincial governor (Sahichi) to arrange the force to defeat Prince Oama, the governor in question decided to support the Prince Oama's rebellion.
The war ended with Prince Oama's victory and senior vassals of the Omi Imperial Court was punished for serious crimes on August 25. Sahichi, however, had committed suicide secretly in a mountain before that.
Prince Oama said 'Sahichi had produced achievements, I wonder why he committed suicide with no crime; was there a conspiracy?'
Although Sahichi might have a connection with the Omi Imperial Court, the truth is unknown.