#Hosokawa Masamoto

[247reader]

Day 5: Tōshōin!

Tōshōin was born into a powerful samurai family during the Sengoku period. She was not a famous beauty; indeed, with no marriage on offing, she took vows at the beautiful Ryōan-ji Temple, founded by her father. Her ambitious brother, Hosokawa Masamoto, however, had different plans for his sister. She made a political marriage to Akamatsu Masanori, whose Akamatsu clan had blood ties to the royal family.

Tōshōin and her husband had one daughter, but only a few years after the marriage, Masanori died, leaving the clan leaderless. Tōshōin’s infant daughter was “married” to an equally young cousin, while relatives and retainers fought over their guardianship - a battle Tōshōin was ultimately to win.

She guided the Akamatsu clan though the era’s bloody power struggles, managing their lands as well as their diplomacy. When her son-in-law rebelled against the Shogun, it was Tōshōin who made the peace treaty, and when he rebelled against her, she soundly defeated him. Her young grandson inherited de jure leadership, but it was Tōshōin and her daughter who ruled the clan; she was recognized in practice if never by name as the Daimyo.

[theworldaswedontknowit]

The Sengoku Period: 1460s - 1560

So, when did the Sengoku Jidai start? Honestly, like its namesake I can’t really pinpoint a date but it’s definitely within the realms of the 1450s to 1460s and I’d pick the days when Yamana Sozen declared his allegiance to the succession of the Shogun – Ashikaga Yoshimasa’s son and his son in law, Hosokawa Katsumoto, pledged himself to the Shogun’s brother who had been selected before the child was born. You see this situation time and again in history, all over the world, the brother gest picked because the guy has no son…only for a son to be born. Honestly, the same situation can be seen in the Todo family 130 years later and they were minor for most of their early existence.

In 1467 Yamana would gather troops with another war lord, Ouchi Masahiro and Hosokawa’s home would go up in flames. The game was on.

With rumours that Yamana intended to attack the Imperial palace Hosokawa demanded all of the Imperial family moved, paying no heed to whether these rumours were true or not. In the end Yamana did actually attack the Imperial palace and the fighting between them in Kyoto brought about its destruction. Genuinely, they completely destroyed it. The fighting would go on for months before Hosokawa convinced the Emperor and Shogun to denounce the Yamana as nothing more than rebels and undermine their supporter. Yet, it had little affect and even the deaths of both Yamana and Hosokawa did nothing to lighten up the situation.

Finally the Shogun – you know the big military leader dude, only this one was a little too concerned with poetry to actually control the situation – appealed for these people to disperse and essentially go home. However, it wouldn’t come to an end and Kyoto would still be being destroyed until 1477 when Ouchi Masahiro finally backed down, returning home but not before burning his part of Kyoto. Even with the Onin war over riots and mobs continued to descend on the city and honestly this ain’t ever gonna get better. Well, it is, but not for a long time.

The Onin war is also where we can see elements of the idea of the Western and Eastern armies. Yamana being the west and Hosokawa being the east. In 130 years time we’re going to see the big bang that is Sekigahara, the war that brought an end to the period end in much the same way as the war that started it all. Ishida Mitsunari, commander of the Western army will lose to Tokugawa Ieyasu, commander of the Eastern army, in 1600.

It’s these mobs however, that spelled the rise of the Ji-samurai or common birth samurai. What was once disorganised militias became organised armies and instrumented the rise of a very different kind of Samurai. Before this Samurai had typically been of noble birth but now simple famers and their sons did so as well. Good examples of “farmer” turned Samurai is Toyotomi Hideyoushi himself, who rose from Oda’s sandal bearer to nearly Shogun.

With these armies rising, the Hatakeyama family tearing apart any peace in their bit of the map over a family feud the future looked grim. With Yoshimasa retiring and putting his 15 year old son on the throne things really did turn sour. The Ashikaga’s suddenly seem to go through a time of not producing their own sons. Yoshihisa would produce only the daughter before dying in 1489 at the age of 24, his father taking the throne back and also dying a year later. From then on only one natural son of the Shogun, Yoshimasa, would take over before being followed by the brother who was part of the starting of the war. Then two adoptive sons, the uncle sandwiched between them.

The dominating family of the early Segoku Jidai was the Hosokawa but from what I can tell a lot of their wars were infighting. The Ryo Hosokawa war began in 1507 and was a dispute over who was going to succeed the head of the family, much like with the Shogun. Only this time Hosokawa Masamoto is super duper dead. The war would end when Hosokawa Harumoto defeated Hosokawa Takakuni, only for the entire head family to collapse when Harumoto died in 1563.

Come 1543 the Warring states is in full swing. Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen are beginning to show their capabilities, Mori Motonari is being the hotshot in the south and…the Date…aren’t really doing anything? Oda is 9, Hideyoushi is 6 and Ieyasu is a few months old. Okay, so not much is really going on but the Portuguese have just arrived and this is a big deal because what do they bring with them? Why, guns of course!

This little addition to the Japanese weapon arsenal is going to change the face of Samurai warfare. Even today, many historical figures are depicted in favouring it. Data Masamune’s weapon in Samurai Warriors is a sword and gun, which I think is an appropriate metaphor for how wars were fought now. The addition of guns allowed for distance combat, indeed it was a factor in the bringing down of the “Demon Horsemen of Kai” and if something that sounds that badass can be defeated with guns the you know everything is going to go down.

Update on the Hosokawa, the Miyoshi have just betrayed them and oh boy, that’s one massive screw you to them. Under Miyoshi Nagayoshi the Miyoshi are going to expand their territory and go on regular campaigns against the Hosokawa. Two years later Sue Harukata is going to betray Ouchi Yoshitaka at the incident at Tainei-ji. So, the two biggest players who started this all are out of picture. Just about the write time for the next big one to waltz right in.

Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) is considered the first Unifier of Japan and with good reason. While getting together much of the middle ground of Honshu, he paved the way for Hideyoushi to take up his mantle and for Ieyasu to take over and finish the job. Without Oda the warring states may have gone on longer or at least it would look very different. Without Oda, Hideyoushi wouldn’t have gone through his rise to power, certainly not in the same way at least. Ieyasu is a different matter I’ll get into another time.

So, 1560, it’s a big year. Oda Nobunaga is 26 years old, he’s finally the cemented head of the Oda clan after a succession struggle with his younger brother. That younger brother is now dead and Nobunaga really wants to show his might and his skill. He spies an opportunity at Okehazama.

The Imagawa would invade and a plucky young general, named Matsudaira Motoyasu, would capture one of Oda’s castle, Marune. This plucky little general is the future Tokugawa Ieyasu. At a disadvantage Oda looked for ways he could defeat the Imagawa and honestly, Yoshimoto gave it to him. While sending the Matsudaira to Odaka Castle Yoshimoto rested at Okehazama. This was a place that Oda knew well and really, the hill top ambush did happen.

Yoshimoto, who was so clueless as to what was happening, came out from his tent thinking that only a drunken brawl had broken out. He believed this to such an extent that he ordered the angry samurai running at him with a big spear to go back to his post. Realising that he was actually an Oda man he drew his sword and managed to break the spear, only for a second Oda man to lop off his head. Only two senior retainers would escape Okehazama.

So, what’s happened over the last 100 years. The Hosokawa have been torn apart by infighting and are almost completely powerless while Yamana is nowhere to be seen, their greatest supporters betrayed and decimated by the Sue. The rising stars of the north have risen, the Uesugi are going to play a part to the very end while the Takeda are going to go out with a slightly unimpressive bang in 1575. Our future Western Army leader, Ishida Mitsunari, has just been born as Sakichi and his family currently serve the Azai. He will be fourteen years old when he first rises to any minor prominence and even then, only as an attendant to Hideyoushi. Tokugawa Ieyasu, currently named Matsudaira Motoyasu is finally free of his life as a hostage, joining up with Oda in secret and fearing for the lives of his wife and son who are still in the hands of the down but not out Imagawa.

Finally, Oda Nobunaga has fought his defining battle, the one that has cleared his way to Kyoto and cleared the way for 22 years of plunder before he is betrayed by his loyal retainer, Akechi Mitsuhide.

[spooky-ghostwriter]

Dressed to Kill - Bonus Mini-Chapter

This is a little extra Dressed to Kill story. It technically takes place a few months/years before the main story, but I think it works best right here after Chapter 14.

It doesn’t really affect the plot at all, so feel free to skip it or read it at any point during your Dressed to Kill adventure. Is reading an adventure? I dunno. 

This is why I don’t post pre-story comments. Thanks for reading!

This was a normal sight.

Elizabeth Tanner sat on one side of the family room. She was at her desk, going over untold amounts of paperwork. Whether it was from a client or the family finances, only Elizabeth could tell. Whatever the case, she had a content look on her face as if she was completely at ease and in her element.

Takehiko Takenaka sat at the opposite site, equally hard at work. He held Shiba Kariki, the family katana, on his lap and ran over its blade with a cloth covered in some sort of powder. The sword already shone like a mirror, but it was a daily tradition of Takehiko's.

The only one not content in their activities was Tsukiko, sitting at a table with four subjects' worth of textbooks scattered across its surface. Her foot bounced anxiously as she scribbled answers to her homework questions.

This was a normal sight for the Tanner household, at least.

"How do you spell 'committee'?" Tsukiko asked no one in particular.

"Two Ms, Ts, and Es," Elizabeth piped up.

"Good good," Tsukiko said, not breaking her writing stride. Finally, she closed textbook three of four. "Yesterday's civics assignment done! Time for history."

Tsukiko reorganized her workspace over a sound she couldn't confirm nor deny was her mother's forehead smacking her desk.

"I need to write one page about a family heirloom..." Tsukiko thought aloud. "Aw, dammit, front and back? That's just two pages!"

"Due when?" Elizabeth asked dully.

"Uh... doesn't say," Tsukiko lied. "So, Dad! I'm sure Shiba Kariki has some awesome history, right? Want to tell me all about it in exactly two pages' worth of detail?"

Takehiko gave Tsukiko a confused glance.

"I'm positive I've told you the story of Shiba Kariki before," he said. "Dozens of times, probably."

"Well..."

"She wasn't paying attention any of those times," Elizabeth said. "You need to make sure there isn't a TV or smartphone in front of her, you know."

"Hey!"

"Or a magic prop," Elizabeth amended.

"Thank you," Tsukiko replied, staining the floor with sarcasm.

"Well, if you're actually going to listen this time, I don't mind telling you the story again," said Takehiko. "Ready?"

Tsukiko raised a pencil to her paper. "Ready!"

"Our story begins in the mid Sengoku period," said Takehiko. "The early 1500s, to be exact."

"That's not very exact."

"Shush. There was a man named Takenaka Takeshi, a soldier of the Hosokawa clan. He was one of the greatest swordsmen of the time. It's said that only those who learned the sword with him or under him would have been able to strike him even once before falling. With that kind of talent, the deputy-shogun Hosokawa Kanrei took notice of him, and recruited him into a special group of soldiers."

"Hosokawa... didn't you say that Takeshi already fought for the Hosokawa guys?"

"Yes, well, there was an inter-clan battle over who would lead the family after Hosokawa Masamoto, Kanrei's father, was assassinated. Basically, Takeshi went from fighting for the Hosokawa family in general to fighting for Kanrei personally."

"Got it," Tsukiko muttered, finishing writing her sentence. "So where does Shiba Kariki come in?"

"Be patient, come on. Now, the special group of soldiers was called... something that doesn't translate very well, don't worry about it. The key thing was that there were only about a dozen members in this group, and they were not only the greatest fighters of their time, but also the greatest blacksmiths.

"Hosokawa Kanrei believed that the only way for a soldier to achieve their fullest potential was to forge their own sword. Someone who knew their body perfectly would be able to create a sword with the perfect weight, balance, length, width, et cetera. It would be a sword that perfectly matches them, and no one else.

"Now, Kanrei recruited Takeshi into the group under the belief that Takeshi had forged the sword he fought with. After all, in Kanrei's eyes, no one could have fought at Takeshi's level with an imperfect sword. However, Kanrei was wrong. Takeshi didn't make the sword he fought with, and in fact, he didn't know a thing about smithing at all. He was just that good, with some generic sword he'd purchased or earned or something."

"And that generic sword is Shiba Kariki?"

"No!" Takehiko said, almost sounding insulted. "After Takeshi told Kanrei the truth, Kanrei's soldiers taught Takeshi how to make a sword. With a dozen of the best smiths in the world, Takeshi learned everything he needed to know. However, no matter how hard he tried, he was never able to create the perfect sword for himself. Kanrei, obsessed with having his soldiers achieve perfection, sent Takeshi out to find something that would inspire him.

"Takeshi wandered for some time – weeks to years, depending on whether you ask my father or grandfather – looking for inspiration. While searching, he instead found love.

"The woman's name was Chiyoko," said Takehiko. "She was a beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted woman. Now there was a section of the story here about how Takeshi wooed her, but I don't remember how it goes. Something to do with cherry blossoms, I think.

"Anyway, Chiyoko was unfortunately a sickly woman. With Takeshi's influence and the Hosokawa clan's wealth, countless doctors tried to discover a cure for whatever disease she had, but it was hopeless. Chiyoko could not be cured.

"Regardless, Chiyoko and Takeshi married. Going back to the blacksmithing part of the story, Takeshi thought for sure he'd found his perfect inspiration, but even with Chiyoko in his mind, he wasn't able to forge the perfect sword."

"Did he forge some metal statues of Chiyoko, then?"

"Actually, a couple. I think your aunt has one."

"Oh, I was – I was kidding, but okay..."

"Anyway, back to the story. Takeshi and Chiyoko were a happy couple, but there was one fear lingering in their minds – could Chiyoko handle childbirth, and would the child have the same disease that Chiyoko had? Sadly, the answer to the former was almost certainly no. But regardless, Chiyoko became pregnant."

"Oh god, are you going to turn this story into the birds and the bees talk?"

"If you keep interrupting me, I will."

Tsukiko clapped a hand over her mouth and silently gestured for Takehiko to continue.

"During the later stages of Chiyoko's pregnancy, she knew instinctively she wouldn't be able to survive childbirth. She had led a life of no regrets, but now she had one – that she couldn't watch over her child after he was born. I mean, obviously she didn't know it was a 'he' at the time, but now we do, so I'll keep saying 'he'.

"This was the inspiration that Takeshi needed. He and Chiyoko worked together to forge a perfect sword – one that would hold Chiyoko's spirit after she died. On the eve of a great battle, Chiyoko delivered her child, and as expected, she died during labour. But the sword was complete, and with Chiyoko's spirit inside it, Takeshi went off to war.

"That sword is Shiba Kariki," said Takehiko, looking into his own reflection in the blade. "It was properly christened after the battle, but it's said that Chiyoko protects the Takenaka family from within the blade. There has never been a member of the Takenaka family who took the sword out to battle and did not return."

Takehiko looked at his wife and daughter, gauging their reactions to the story.

"Couldn't Chiyoko and Takeshi have just... not had kids?" Tsukiko asked.

"That's what I said," Elizabeth added.

Takehiko frowned, returning silently to polishing the sword.

Of course, he thought. There hasn't been a member of the Takenaka family who's needed Chiyoko's protection for a few generations. And in fact, I'm technically the last Takenaka that there is.

Takehiko gave a glance towards Tsukiko as she scribbled some more of her history assignment, arguing with herself over the proper spelling of a few Japanese words.

I hope that Tsukiko will never need your protection either, Chiyoko. But if she does...

With his polishing routine complete, Takehiko sheathed the sword.

I hope you'll protect her as well.

[mahoutokoro-at-nagumo]

supersurffer replied to your photo: Japanese Wizarding Clans: Abe [安倍] Parent House:...

I really like this blog and love your attention to detail! If I may as a question, how big are the various clans you have mentioned? Thanks!

I’m glad you’re enjoying it!

Hm, it depends on the time period you’re referencing and whether you take the cadet branches into account. Including the cadet branches, the major clans such as the Fujiwara and Minamoto are large, even only taking the magical side of the family into account. Each of those clans has many cadet branches and some of those have their own cadet branches, so naturally they get smaller as they progress.

Plus, some clans were at the height of their power in earlier time periods. The Hosokawa clan originated from the Ashikaga and through them, the large Minamoto clan. After the head of the clan, Hosokawa Masamoto, was assassinated, the various parts of the clan split and became the Kanematsu clan, which divided into the Kanematsu and Sakai (previously Sawaki, I changed it because I derped) families in the early modern era. Technically, the Sakai are still part of the Kanematsu clan, though.

The Imori family also used to be much larger than it is in the 1990s, though it was still quite small compared to the families mentioned above. As of 1993, however, the Imori family is down to a single member, Imori Seihō.

I’ll eventually get to drawing up a family registry for each family, but that will require a bit more time.

Thank you for asking and I hope that answered your question!

[sageandwizard]

Samurai Commander Hosokawa Sumimoto died on this day, June 24 in 1520.

Typical of an elite Sengoku warrior, his life reads like a drama series. A member of the Awa Hosokawa clan (modern-day Tokushima Pref. Shikoku) Sumimoto was born to Hosokawa Yoshiharu, but adopted by the childless Hosokawa Masamoto, Deputy Shogun to the Ashikaga Shogunate.

Masamoto had adopted three sons, Hosokawa Sumiyuki (of the Kujo Hosokawa clan) Sumimoto, and Hosokawa Takakuni. Sumiyuki, being the first son was to be heir, however it was later decided that Sumimoto would become his successor, leading to animosity between the brothers. Masamoto then claimed he did not want Sumimoto to be his heir, and was in turn threatened by Miyoshi Yukinaga’s army who supported Sumimoto. The same problem arose in 1507 when Masamoto and Sumiyuki had a dispute, and yet another successor was chosen, which led to Sumiyuki attacking his adopted fathers’ house and killing him in the bath!

Sumiyuki then attacked his half-brother, Sumimoto, who fled to Koga in Omi (Shiga Pref.) Sumimoto’s protector, Miyoshi Nagateru, then lead an army against Sumiyuki, killing him, and allowing Sumimoto to become the clan leader.

Sumimoto and his other half-brother, Hosokawa Takakuni were supporters of the 11th Ashikaga Shogun, Yoshizumi, a puppet who had been raised to the position in 1493 by their step-father, by ousting the 10th Shogun, Yoshitane. Yoshitane had fled, but with the support of Ouchi Yoshioki returned to Kyoto in 1508 to reclaim his position. This time, he was further supported by Hosokawa Takakuni, who turned on his brother, Sumimoto.

Sumimoto was forced into exile yet again, but made an attempt on Kyoto in 1511, but was defeated in the Battle of Funaokayama against the joint armies of the Ouchi clan and Takakuni.

Feeling that Kyoto and the Shogunate was in safe hands, Ouchi later returned to his lands in Yamaguchi. Sumimoto raised an army with Miyoshi Nagateru and took the lull in security as an opportunity to advance on Kyoto again, however they were routed by Takakuni and the Rokkaku clan, who captured Nagateru and forced him to commit seppuku. Sumimoto had fallen ill during the advance, and after Nagateru’s death, quickly returned to his home in Awa, where he died shortly after. Sumimoto was 31 years old.