　 was the Constable (''

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

'') of

Echizen Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga, Wakasa, Hida, and Ōmi Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abbreviated form ...

during the 14th century Nanboku-chō Wars in Japan. He acted to block the northward progress of

Nitta Yoshisada was a samurai lord of the Nanboku-chō period Japan. He was the head of the Nitta clan in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period. He famously marched on Kamakura, besieging ...

, who supported the Emperor's Southern Court against 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 ...

''s

Northern Court The , also known as the Ashikaga Pretenders or Northern Pretenders, were a set of six pretenders to the throne of Japan during the Nanboku-chō period from 1336 through 1392. The present Imperial House of Japan is descended from the Northern Cour ...

. Shiba, in his role as Constable, served the ''shōgun'' and thus the Northern Court. In 1336, an ally of Nitta named Uryū Tamotsu attacked Shiba's castle, which fell soon afterwards. Two years later, Shiba was ordered by the shogun

Ashikaga Takauji was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromac ...

to attack Uryū's fortress at Somayama. The attack failed, and Shiba was forced to fight Nitta's forces again in the defense of the Kuromaru (Black Fortress). With the aid of forces sent by Takauji and warrior monks from Heisenji, the fortress was held, and Nitta Yoshisada mortally wounded in the battle. Despite this great victory, Shiba was defeated once again in 1340, when the newly throned

Emperor Go-Murakami (1328 – March 29, 1368) was the 97th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and a member of the Southern Court during the Nanboku-chō period of rival courts. He reigned from September 18, 1339, until March 29, 13 ...

sent an army to attack the Kuromaru. Shiba was forced to surrender. The same year, a number of men claiming to serve Shiba invaded an area called Kawaguchi-shō, which was controlled by the

Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city of Nara, Japan. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school. History Kōfuku-ji has its origin as a temple that was established in 669 b ...

temple. In 1363 Shiba seized the area officially, becoming essentially a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord), gaining independent power beyond what was given him by the Shogunate. The monks of Kōfuku-ji resorted to various forms of blackmail and were granted their land back. However, Shiba continued to gain power, instituting ''shugo-uke'', a system under which the Constable would take a set amount of rice from the people of the land, paying the peoples' taxes to the Shogun and keeping the rest as a sort of commission. Of those few Constables who became lords in their own right, most if not all abused this system, earning great revenues for themselves.

Shiba Yoshimasa was a Japanese samurai lord and daimyo during the Muromachi period. Biography Yoshimasa was the son of Shiba Takatsune. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Shiba Yoshimasa"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 850. During the Ashikaga shogunate, Yoshi ...

was the son of Takatsune. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)
"Shiba Yoshimasa"
in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 850.

Family

* Father: Shiba Muneuji * Mother: Nagai Tokihide's daughter * Children: **

** Shiba Ienaga (1321–1338) ** Shiba Ujitsune ** Shiba Ujiyori ** Hachisuka Kagenari

_References

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Family

See also

_References

References

References