The Toi Invasion: Raiders From Across the Sea

歴史事件

In 1019, an armed group known as the Toi launched a series of attacks on the islands of Tsushima and Iki. The Toi are believed to have been centered on Jurchen peoples, though the makeup of the group as a whole is complex and still debated among historians. On Tsushima and Iki, many islanders were killed, livestock and crops were seized, and a large number of people were abducted. The Toi then pushed on toward Hakata Bay, raiding the coast of northern Kyushu. The attack is thought to have aimed at plunder and abduction rather than the conquest or permanent occupation of Japan — but for Kyushu, it was a threat on a scale never before experienced. Word of the raids reached Dazaifu, where Fujiwara no Takaie, serving as the region's deputy governor-general, took charge of the response. Rallying warrior bands from across Kyushu, he organized a defense that ultimately drove the Toi from Japanese shores. It was precisely because Dazaifu existed as an administrative stronghold that Kyushu was able to mount an organized response to a sudden attack from across the sea.

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Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine

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From Across the Sea, and Then Across the Sea

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