Chapter 69: Tsutsui and Uda

  The next morning, the Kiryū family of over 20 riders left the island with Shimura. As they departed, he recalled the tedious reminders his friend Shimura had given him about being careful outside, and even sent two young retainers from the Shimura family to accompany him. The bond between father and son was indeed quite strong, far surpassing that of many warrior families.

  However, looking at these two guys who were only 15 or 16 years old and had just come of age, with silly smiles on their faces, Kiryū Mimasaka thought that the Shimada family was not very reliable. The old and young people in the house, a small mountain stronghold with a thatched roof, couldn't withstand much wind, let alone any enemies. No wonder Shimada Saemon had been unknown for many years when he was young.

  Kōfuku-ji, as the de facto ruler of Yamato Province, had influence all over the province, but as a temple it could only manage a limited area. Except for controlling Kasuga-taisha Shrine and the adjacent area in Tamei County, the actual ruling power of the province was held by the four families known as the "Four Families of Yamato": the Tsutsui family, the Koide family, the Ochi family, and the Hatakeyama family.

  During the chaotic period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, local warriors began to form local parties, such as the seven parties of Musashi that existed during the Genpei era. The warrior groups in various regions formed their own local parties based on clans, and Yamato Province also had its own party people. Except for the Tsuchiya family and the Uda Sanjo, several other families had a relatively ambiguous attitude, sometimes wavering between left and right, and sometimes opposing each other, which also reflected the basic attributes of the country's people.

  The parties of the Yamato Province were the Totsuki-centered Kōi-waki Party, the Tōichi-centered Osugawara Party, the Ochi-centered Sambutsu Party, the Hasetsukashi-centered Osakawa Party, the Narahara-centered Katsuragi Party, and the Hiratajō-centered Hirata Party composed of local families such as Manse, Fuse, and Takada.

  The Tsubai district to the east of Heguri District is the home base of the Tsuchiya clan. As a powerful samurai family that actually held power within Kōfuku-ji Temple, the rise of the Tsuchiya clan was a recent event of the past hundred years. The Tsuchiyas claim to be descended from either the Fujiwara or ōmiya clans and are said to have originated as descendants of Fujiwara no Sukemasa, one of four Fujiwara families that served at Kasuga Shrine when it was moved from Kawachi Province's Hata District, who then settled in Tsubai District's Tsuchiya estate and came to be known as the Tsuchiya clan.

  However, their self-proclaimed status was not recognized by the people of the country. The reason is that there are detailed records of the existence of the Moriie Tsuchiya clan, centered on the Moriie Shrine in the place where they first rose to prominence, as a notable family among the followers of Kōfuku-ji Temple, and everyone in the Yamato Province knew each other well, so naturally they were aware of their family's true status.

  The Totsukawa clan began to thrive during the Northern and Southern Courts period, and in 1386 (Tokuo 3), the "Heifuku-ji Shūto Heisei" appeared with the name of Totsukawa Jun'ei. However, at that time, his family was just one of many samurai families and did not attract attention. It wasn't until 1429 (Eikyo 1) that they began to rise to prominence when the sixth shogun Ashikaga Yoshimichi accepted a visit from Totsukawa Jun'ei.

  It is unknown whether Tsutsui Junkei was favored by the Tokugawa shogunate due to his exceptional appearance or not, but in any case, in the second year of the new government, the shogunate issued a proclamation appointing him as the deputy official of Kōfuku-ji Temple and Kawagoe Castle. Tsutsui Junkei became the deputy official of Kōfuku-ji Temple and a direct vassal of the shogun, and it was during this period that the influence of the Tsutsui family began to expand in earnest.

  Later, as the Totsukawa clan of the Shogunate side, they joined forces with the Toichi clan of the Kofuku-ji Temple and clashed with the Ochi clan and the Hashio clan, who belonged to the Southern Court. Although they once gained the upper hand, they soon retreated in defeat. This was because the Sawa clan and the Akiyama clan, both belonging to the Southern Court, joined forces one after another, causing the Totsukawa and Toichi clans to immediately lose their advantage and further lose control over Minamisanjū District.

  The performance of the Tsutsui clan, the main force of the Shogunate in Yamato Province, was tragic. Even with the help of the Tōichi clan, they were defeated and fled in disarray for eleven years. Tsutsui Jun'ko's younger brother was killed, and the Tsutsui family's castle was occupied by the Ochi clan. It can be said that it was a tragic end.

  Later, the shogunate's punitive force was mobilized, and Kitabatake Tomoyasu, the main leader of the rebellion in the southern court, died in battle. The Uji and Hasikura families were finally put down, and with this, the ōei disturbance came to an end. Due to the tragic performance of the Tsutsui family and the death of their lord Ashikaga Yoshitane in the Meiō uprising, the Tsutsui family lost the support of the shogunate and was soon embroiled in internal strife, becoming entangled in a new war over the succession of the Hatakeyama family.

  As the leader of the northern part of Yamato Province, the Tsutsui family's succession issue quickly drew in various forces from all over Yamato Province and plunged into a new round of internal strife. By the time the Tsutsui family had finally resolved the succession issue after twenty years of hard work, two generations of family heads had passed away, and it was not until then that the Tsutsui family regained its former power under their diligent management.

  Successful in appeasing the people of the country, afterwards the daughter of the Tsutsui family married into the Tsuboi family, marking the reconciliation of the enemy Tsutsui clan. However, they didn't fight anymore and someone felt unhappy about it. "Half General" Hosokawa Mochiyuki thought that the unity and harmony in Yamato Province was not beneficial to his rule. If you are all harmonious, what can I do? So he sent Akazawa Tomomichi into Yamato Province to stir up trouble. The Tsuboi family took advantage of this opportunity to eliminate another old enemy, the Furuchi family, and their household prospered again.

  During the tenure of Tsutsui Sadatsugu, the 20th head of the Tsutsui family, the power of the Tsutsui clan was expanded to its peak. After the death of Nagamasa Kozukue, a powerful daimyo in Kawachi Province, they seized control of Shigisan Castle and actually controlled the seven counties in northern Yamato Province, becoming the nominal leader of Yamato Province. However, this head had poor luck and relinquished his position as head of the family due to illness with smallpox in April of this year, retiring to Mount Hiei, where he died before autumn.

  "The power of the Yamato region is complex, with many powerful families like the Shima family, which is a branch of the Tōin clan. Unfortunately, the talented leader Tōin Sukeshige passed away, and his son should be Tōin Sukemori." Although the Tōin family suffered a major blow from the loss of their leader, they did not collapse because Tōin Sukeshige's two younger brothers, Tōin Sukemasa and Jomyo-ji Sukikuni, supported them strongly. With the support of relatives such as the Toichi clan and the Ochi clan, it was still possible for them to maintain their position as the chief official of Kofuku-ji Temple.

  Not yet out of Yoshino, he heard that a battle had broken out in the southern part of Yoshino Province. Two families among the three powerful clans of Uda, the Akizuki and the Sawachi, were at odds with each other, and riots broke out in Uda County and Yoshino County as they formed their own armies.

  "Isn't Udha Tri a coalition? How did they suddenly start fighting?"

  "I heard that it seems like the Ise no Kuni no Tsukasa Hatakeyama supported the Akizuki family, and the Sawazaki family was forced to raise a riot."

  "Hey! Honestly! These samurai masters don't know what they're thinking about, fighting all day..."

  "Shh! Someone's coming!" Several villagers saw the twenty or so riders from the Kiryū estate and quickly closed their mouths, kneeling down to the ground.

  Kirishima Manzaburou saw the situation and ordered Yamagata Zenjirō to go ahead and ask: "Hey, I'm asking you, what's this about Uda Sanada that you mentioned earlier?"

  "Are you asking me, a humble person? I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" An old man with missing teeth, grinning from ear to ear, kept bowing and clearing his throat twice before saying: "Speaking of the three generals of Uda... one must first talk about the southern three counties..."