Shimazu Estate

The Shimazu Estate (島津荘, Shimazu no shō^?) was a shōen (estate or manor) in southern Kyushu of Japan. It was the largest shōen of medieval Japan. The Shimazu clan was named after this estate as the clan succeeded the position of jitō (land steward).

No contemporary source recorded the foundation of the Shimazu Estate. According to a document dated circa 1291, a "wasteland belonging to no one" was developed during the Manju era (1024–1028) and was donated to Kampaku (de facto ruler of Japan) Fujiwara no Yorimichi. Another document states that its founder was Taira no Suemoto, the Dazai Daigen (high-ranking official of the administrative center of Kyūshū). It is likely that Taira no Suemoto was the founder of the Chinzei Heishi, a branch line of the Taira clan in Kyushu. A notable member of the Chinzei Heishi was Ata Tadakage.

The Shimazu Estate originally covered Shimazu, Hyūga Province (modern-day Miyakonojō, Miyazaki Prefecture) but was soon expanded into the neighboring lands of the province. Under the patronage of the powerful Fujiwara clan, Taira no Suemoto exercised effective administrative control over the lands. In 1029, Taira no Suemoto even raided the government office of the neighboring Ōsumi Province but a fragmentary sources suggest that he was not punished severely.

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