Noshiba

Noshiba [普吐; also known by his native name, Nonari] was the most prominent chief of the Samuki band of Summui in northern Heisai Prefecture during the 8th century. The Summui had emigrated to the northern coasts during the late 700s and settled primarily in the inland region now called Shinbara. Although they were able to blend somewhat peacefully with the peasantry, they were resented and antagonised by the officials of the Tengō clan, who viewed their presence as an invasion. Over many years, the Summui mixed with Kantonese natives and produced offspring known as Kanshū - half Summui and half Kantonese, but who often allied themselves more closely with the Summui.
Noshiba was born in the village of Samuki, an area which is now the northern ward of Shinbara in central Heisai. Nothing is known of his life until his participation in the Battle of Sappa Village in 867, during which he and a group of other men attacked a number of Tengō officials who were attempting to drive out Kanshū merchants. In 870, the Tengō lord Ueshizu no Haoku no Gi was appointed by the Emperor and given funding to conquer Noshiba, who was rallying large numbers of Kanshū and Summui men to fight back against Tengō hostility. Ueshizu, with a split army, hoped to surprise Noshiba at his home in Ōyami and assassinate him; however, his men were ambushed by a Kanshū cavalry which swept down from the hills and drove them towards Jian Beach. There, the Tengō soldiers were cornered and found themselves trapped between sea and land; they suffered a great defeat at the hands of Noshiba and his men. Ueshizu was personally executed by Noshiba, and his head was delivered to the Emperor's Court in a wooden box.
Another attack in 871 was unsuccessful too and it was not until 873 that any Kantonese general could claim success against the Kanshū. In that year Ueshizu's former chief officer, Kawaka no Ryūmi, was given a similar commission by the Emperor to subjugate the 'barbarians'. He and his 30,000 troops were somewhat successful as he reported back to the Court that they 'had conquered the rebels'.
It was clear that the Kanshū and Summui were not willing to accept defeat. In 877, Kawaka no Ryūmi returned to northern Shinbara and built Nagataki Castle in the heart of Samuki territory. He then reported that the warlord Noshiba had surrendered with more than 1,000 warriors. Kawaka delivered Noshiba to the capital, where he was executed by beheading. This was a major shift in the history of Summui conquest. Before this event, the Kantonese had simply deported women and children back to the Zōhai islands to entice warrior husbands and fathers to join their families there. Captured warriors had very rarely, if ever, been killed. The execution of Noshiba, who was both respected and loved by many Kanshū and Summui people, is thought to have been responsible for the sudden submission by the Summui and their unexpected reluctance to resist much longer.