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during Japan's Sengoku period. He was ''shugo'' (governor) and later ''daimyō'' of an area of southern Ōmi province, he served as castellan of
was a samurai head of the
during Japan's Sengoku period">DF 53 of 80/nowiki>">DF 53 ...Rokkaku clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 53 of 80">"Rokkaku" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 49 DF_53_...
_during_Japan's_Sengoku_period.html" ;"title="DF 53 of 80/nowiki>">DF 53 ...Kannonji Castle
was a Sengoku period ''yamashiro''-style Japanese castle located in what is now the Azuchi neighborhood of the city of Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1982, with the area ...
. He later became a Buddhism in Japan, Buddhist monk, under the name Shōtei.
Life of struggle
The son ofRokkaku Sadayori Rokkaku ( ja, 六角, "six corners" or "hexagon") can refer to several things:
* Rokkaku Chuu (市立六角中学校), a fictional school that appears on ''The Prince of Tennis''
*Rokkaku clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan Papinot, Jacques Ed ...
, Yoshikata fought in many of the battles for control of the Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...
area during this period. In 1549, he became allied with Hosokawa Harumoto
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Muromachi and Sengoku periods, and the head of the Hosokawa clan. Harumoto's childhood name was Sōmei-maru (聡明丸). He was born to Hosokawa Sumimoto, another renowned samurai of the Muromachi era.
Early ...
against Miyoshi Chōkei, and succeeded his father as head of the family in 1552. After a number of victories against the Miyoshi, the tides turned; Yoshikata and his Hosokawa allies in service of the ''shōgun
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...
'' Ashikaga Yoshiteru
, also known as Yoshifushi or Yoshifuji, was the 13th '' shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1546 to 1565 during the late Muromachi period of Japan. He was the eldest son of the 12th ''shōgun'', Ashikaga Yoshiharu, and his mot ...
began to experience a string of defeats. In 1558, the ''shōgun'' reconciled his differences with the Miyoshi clan
is a Japanese family descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and the Minamoto clan (Seiwa-Genji). They were a cadet branch of the Ogasawara clan and the Takeda clan.
At the beginning of the 14th century AD, Ogasawara Nagafusa settled in Shiko ...
, putting an end to the conflict.
Seeing an opportunity, Azai Hisamasa
was a son of Azai Sukemasa and the second head of the Azai clan.
Hisamasa became the head of the clan in 1542 after his father died, but unlike his father, he was never a strong leader. Losing domains against Rokkaku clan,_he_instead_became_a_R ...
of northern Ōmi invaded the Rokkaku territory. Defeated, the Azai clan
The , also rendered as Asai, was a Japanese clan during the Sengoku period.
History
The Azai was a line of ''daimyōs'' (feudal lords) seated at Odani Castle in northeastern Ōmi Province, located within present day Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture. ...
was forced to become vassals to the Rokkaku. Yoshikata entered the Buddhist priesthood in 1559, passing on his status within the family to his son Rokkaku Yoshiharu, but remained active in the family's battles nevertheless. Yoshikata led his clan's forces to battle the following year against Azai Nagamasa
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering h ...
, seeking to maintain his control over the Azai and their territory. He was sorely defeated in this, the battle of Norada
The Battle of Norada was a battle of Japan's Sengoku period, fought between forces under Azai Nagamasa and Rokkaku Yoshikata in the year 1560.
Azai Nagamasa had previously been a retainer under the Rokkaku clan, and sought independence from t ...
, which marked the beginning of the decline of the Rokkaku clan.
In 1563, one of their chief vassals, Gotō Katatoyo, killed someone inside Kannonji Castle
was a Sengoku period ''yamashiro''-style Japanese castle located in what is now the Azuchi neighborhood of the city of Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1982, with the area ...
(see Kannonji Disturbance). Distrust between the Rokkaku lords and their retainers reached the point that Yoshikata and his son were driven from the castle. They returned soon afterwards, however, through the mediation of Gamō Sadahide and Gamō Katahide
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of Gamō clan, the Sengoku period through Azuchi–Momoyama periods. Katahide, the eldest son of Gamō Sadahide, was a retainer of the Rokkaku clan_and_later_ ">DF_53_..._and_later_Oda_clan">DF_53_of_80/nowiki>">DF_53_. ...
.
In 1565, the Rokkaku were again attacked by the Azai; and the invading forces were contained.
Defeat
In 1568,Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.
Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...
, in the service of ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshiaki
"Ashikaga Yoshiaki" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the 15th and final ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573.Ackroyd, J ...
, asked the Rokkaku to join his army, and was refused. Defeated in the ensuing battle, the Rokkaku were driven from their castle, settling in Kōka
was a after ''Tenpō'' and before ''Kaei.'' This period spanned the years from December 1844 through February 1848. The reigning emperors were and .
Change of era
* December 2, 1844 (): The new era name of ''Kōka'', meaning "Becoming Wide ...
, their clan effectively eliminated as ''daimyō''.Sansom, George. (1961). 'A History of Japan: 1334–1615'', pp. 278–279.
In 1570, the Rokkaku were defeated by Shibata Katsuie
or was a Japanese samurai and military commander during the Sengoku period.
He served Oda Nobunaga as one of his trusted generals, was severely wounded in the 1571 first siege of Nagashima, but then fought in the 1575 Battle of Nagashino an ...
at Chōkōji castle, and again at Bodaiji castle, eventually submitting to Nobunaga. At Nobunaga's orders, Yoshikata was imprisoned in Ishibe castle, held by Sakuma Nobumori
was a retainer for the Oda clan.
He was thus treated as Nobunaga's most important retainer and would come to fight in every important battle under Nobunaga's command such as the 1567 Siege of Inabayama Castle, the 1571 and 1573 Siege of Nagashim ...
. He escaped four years later, fleeing to Shigaraki
is a town located in Kōka District, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
As of 2004, the town has an estimated population of 13,885 and a density of 84.92 persons per km². The total area is 163.5 km².
On October 1, 2004, Shigaraki, along with the to ...
. There, he lived in seclusion, aiding local movements, and the Ishiyama Hongan-ji
The was the primary fortress of the Ikkō-ikki, leagues of warrior priests and commoners who opposed samurai rule during the Sengoku period. It was established in 1496, at the mouth of the Yodo River, on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea. At the t ...
, against Nobunaga.
Yoshikata died at the age of 77 in 1598. During his life, he studied archery
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
under Yoshida Shigemasa, and began his own school of horsemanship, the Sasaki-ryū.
Sengoku period house codes
During the Sengoku period, Japan's social and legal culture evolved in ways unrelated to the well-known history of serial battles and armed skirmishes. A number of forward-looking daimyos independently promulgated codes of conduct to be applied within a specific han or domain. Few examples of these daimyo-made law codes have survived, but the legal framework contrived by the Rokkaku clan remains amongst the small number of documents which can still be studied: * 1567: Rokkaku Yoshikata issues ''Rokkaku-shi shikimoku''.Katsumata Shizuo ''et al.'' (1981). "The Development of Sengoku Law" in ''Japan Before Tokugawa: Political Consolidation and Economic Growth, 1500 to 1650'', p. 102. * 1567: Rokkaku Yoshiharu, Yoshikata's eldest son, re-issues ''Rokkaku-shi shikimoku''.References
Works cited * Frederic, Louis ''et al.''. (2002). "Rokkaku Yoshikata" in ''Japan Encyclopedia''. Cambridge:Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...
.
* Katsumata Shizuo and Martin Collcutt. (1981). "The Development of Sengoku Law" in ''Japan Before Tokugawa: Political Consolidation and Economic Growth, 1500 to 1650''. John Whitney Hall John Whitney Hall (September 13, 1916 – October 21, 1997),"John Whitney Hall papers, 1930–1999", Yale University Library was an American historian of Japan who specialized in premodern Japanese history. His life work was recognized by the Japan ...
, ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large.
The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financial su ...
.
* Meyer, Eva-Maria. (1999). ''Japans Kaiserhof in de Edo-Zeit: Unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Jahre 1846 bis 1867''. Münster: Tagenbuch.
* Papinot, Jacques Edmund Joseph. (1906) ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du japon illustré de 300 gravures, de plusiers cartes, et suivi de 18 appendices''. Tokyo: Librarie SansaishClick link for digitized 1906 ''Nobiliaire du japon'' (2003)
* Sansom, George (1961). ''A History of Japan: 1334–1615''. Stanford:
Stanford University Press
Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It was among the presses officially ...
.
Further reading
{{People of the Sengoku period, state=autocollapse Daimyo 1521 births 1598 deaths