Tanaka no Tarimaro (田中足麻呂)
TANAKA no Tarimaro (date of birth unknown - August 13, 698) lived during the Asuka period of Japan. His name Tarimaro (足麻呂) was also written as 足摩侶 (the pronunciation was the same).
In the old Japanese syllabary characters, the pronunciation of his name was the same as 'Tanaka no Tarimaro.'
His kabane (hereditary title) was Omi, and was later changed to Asomi (Ason). In the Jinshin war, he was Yu-no-unagashi (manager of Yu [imperial territories]) and sided with Prince Oama (Emperor Tenmu); he guarded Kurafu-no-michi Road, and was attacked by the enemy in the night and ran away. He was given posthumously the rank of Jikikoichi.
At the onset of the Jinshin War, TANAKA no Tarimaro was Yu-no-unagashi. The Yu-no-mura (Imperial territories) that Tanaka managed is not recorded in the "Nihonshoki" (Chronicles of Japan), and at present there are two opinions that it was Ise Province and that it was Mino Province. The Ise Province theory is based on that he met Prince Oama in Ise Province (explained below), and that MIYAKE no Iwatoko who had received Prince with Tanaka is considered to have been Kuninomikotomochi (provincial governor) of Ise Province. The Mino Province theory is based on that Takata no Niinomi who also received Prince with Tanaka is considered to have been Inamori (manager of rice storehouse) from an article of "Shoku Nihongi" (Chronicles of Japan Continued), and Inamori is believed to have been an official of Yu-no-mura. In the article of Nihonshoki, Takata is mentioned after Tanaka without any title, and the Mino Province theory explains that they were a superior and a subordinate of the same Imperial territory.
At the start of the Jinshin war, Prince Oama first ordered to gather soldiers in Ahachima County (later became Ahachi County) of Mino Province and Prince himself left Yoshino-no-miya (Yoshino Palace) on the 24th and headed east. On the 25th, he entered Suzuka County of Ise Province with a few dozen men, and met MIYAKE no Iwatoko, MIWA no Kobito, Yu-no-unagashi TANAKA no Tarimaro and TAKATA no Niinomi.
From there Prince Oama entered Mino Province; and it is unknown whether Tarimaro followed Prince or not. On July 2, an army of ten thousands soldiers departed from Mino Province as the reinforcements for OTOMO no Fukei who had been putting up bad fights in Yamato (later changed to Yamato Province). At that time, Tarimaro was ordered to guard Kurafu-no-michi Road. Kurafu was around Koka (Koga) County of Omi Province, and Kurafu-no-michi Road is believed to have connected Iga Province and Kurafu. Behind the troop of Tarimaro, O no Honji was camped leading three thousands soldiers at Tarano. In brief, they were to guard the route from Mino Province to Ise, Iga and Yamato.
To counter this move, TANABE no Osumi (Tanae no Osumi), a commander of the Emperor Kobun (Prince Otomo at that time)'s army, went over Mt. Kafuka and attacked the troop on Kurafu in the night of the 5th.
Osumi had arranged that their word should be 'kane' to tell their side from the enemy's side, and during the battle, his soldiers had to say the word to each met soldier and they knew their side hearing the response of 'kane.'
Tarimaro's troop fell into disorder and was defeated, however Tarimaro himself had noticed that the enemy's soldiers had been using a word, and managed to run away saying 'kane' to the enemy. The following day TANABE no Osumi's troops were beaten by O no Honji.
Tanaka no Omi was given the kabane of Asomi (Ason) on December 15, 684.
TANAKA no Asomi Tarimaro died on August 13, 698. He had held the rank of Jikikosan at that time, and was given the rank of Jikikoichi to honor his outstanding service during the Jinshin War.