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The anarchy of the period and, in the case of Iga, the remoteness of the territory encouraged autonomy, and the communities began organizing into ''ikki'' - "revolts" or "leagues". Kōka was situated along a major road that during the Edo period became the famous Tōkaidō. It thus bridged the isolation of Iga to the key communication lines of Ōmi. Historical Kōka consisted of two large and several small valleys with rivers flowing down from the mountains which separated it from Iga. Terrain along the border with Iga consisted of gentle hills. In the center of the historical area are the Shigaraki Mountains and in the east are the
The ''
In 1565, the Wada family in Kōka became embroiled in a conflict for control of the shogunate. That year, Miyoshi Chokei and
In 1573, the shogun Yoshiaka attempted to thwart the power Nobunaga held over him and allied with the Rokkaku and the Kōka and Iga ''ikki''s. Yoshiaki began constructing a castle next to Lake Biwa. The castle was half-finished and the garrison, which included Kōka and Iga troops, was small when Nobunaga attacked. The defenders fled and begged for mercy, and Nobunaga immediately demolished the castle. Later the same year, archers from Iga and Kōka assisted the
The Kōka ''ikki'' or Kōka Confederacy, historically known as the ''Kōka-gun Chūsō'', was a military confederation and network of
.
Although they were previously rivals of ninja
A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...
(then known as ''shinobi'') in Kōka District (often spelled Kōga) in Southern Ōmi Province
was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...
during the Sengoku period
The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
of Japan. Kōga-ryū
Kōga-ryū (甲賀流, "School of Kōga") is an umbrella term for a set of traditions of ninjutsu that originated from the region of Kōga (now the city Kōka in Shiga Prefecture). The samurai of Kōga-ryū were known as "Kōga-no-mono", and oper ...
, one of the two major traditions of ninjutsu
, and are terms for the techniques and skills used by spies and scouts in pre-modern Japan known as ninja. Some of these techniques are recorded in ninja scrolls, some which have been published and translated. The study of these scrolls have c ...
that survived by fleeing to the mountains, is named after the confederacy and attributes its origins to it. The confederation emerged in the 15th century when local "jizamurai
The were lower-ranking provincial samurai that emerged in 15th-century Japan Muromachi period. The definition was rather broad and the term ''jizamurai'' included landholding military aristocracy as well as independent peasant farmers. They alt ...
" (lower status samurai landholders) formed mutual defense and aid co-operatives. Local co-operatives together formed larger co-operatives, and all together at the district level. The armies of Kōka achieved fame in 1487 in the Battle of Magari, when they assisted the Rokkaku clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)">DF 53 of 80">"Rokkaku" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 49 DF 53 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-4-3 ...
(who controlled the portions of Southern Ōmi province immediately to the north) in defeating a punitive expedition by Ashikaga Yoshihisa. In gratitude for their assistance, the Rokkaku granted 21 prominent families from Kōka positions as affinity (medieval)">retainers
Retainer may refer to:
* Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth
* RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship
* Retainers in early China, a social group in early China
Employment
* Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for ...Iga Province
was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan located in what is today part of western Mie Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Iga" in . Its abbreviated name was . Iga is classified as one of the provinces of the T ...
to the south, by the 16th century Kōka formed an Iga–Kōka alliance, alliance with Iga. As Iga also partook in the Battle of Magari, this alliance was established by 1487 at the latest. Kōka also continued its alliance with the Rokkaku. The independence of the confederation ended with the subjugation of Kōka in 1574 to the Oda clan
The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they reached the peak of their power under Oda Nobunaga and fell soon after, several branches of the ...
. After that conquest, Kōka ninjas served Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...
and then his descendants late into the Edo period
The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
.
History
Formation
In 15th and 16th-century Japan, Kōka, inŌmi Province
was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...
, had some 53 clans
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
and adjacent Iga Province contained some 300–500 small estates. Both regions were in anarchy
Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a type of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralized polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can ...
, with their estates and families constantly engaged in low-level, small-scale feuds and squabbles within and between each region. This and the constant external threats posed by the incessant warfare of the period necessitated that the local ''jizamurai
The were lower-ranking provincial samurai that emerged in 15th-century Japan Muromachi period. The definition was rather broad and the term ''jizamurai'' included landholding military aristocracy as well as independent peasant farmers. They alt ...
'' (wealthy administrators technically of peasant class) and their soldiers develop specialized espionage and combat skills. The remoteness of the hill country in this part of Japan might also have encouraged the development of these skills. The militant mountain-monks, ''yama-bushi'', were also likely an influence as even the bandits in the area wore yellow scarfs that seem to have been copies of those worn by the mountain monks.
Reputedly, the units from these two regions often offered their services to nearby provinces as professionally trained, highly trained mercenaries. The usages of the term ''shinobi'', specifically ''shinobi-mono'', later known as ninja
A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...
s, appearing in the late 1580s and early 1600s, referred to the soldiers from Iga and Kōka.
The anarchy of the period and, in the case of Iga, the remoteness of the territory encouraged autonomy, and the communities began organizing into ''ikki'' - "revolts" or "leagues". Kōka was situated along a major road that during the Edo period became the famous Tōkaidō. It thus bridged the isolation of Iga to the key communication lines of Ōmi. Historical Kōka consisted of two large and several small valleys with rivers flowing down from the mountains which separated it from Iga. Terrain along the border with Iga consisted of gentle hills. In the center of the historical area are the Shigaraki Mountains and in the east are the Suzuka Mountains
are a mountain range running through Mie Prefecture and along the borders of Gifu and Shiga prefectures in central Japan. The tallest peak in the range is Mount Oike at . In spite of its height, Mount Oike is not the most visited mountain; tha ...
, the latter of which rise some 1,000 m (3,280 ft) above sea level. The two major rivers are the Yasugawa and the Somagawa, which, combined with mountains and hill, form a maze of valleys. At least 230 fortifications dotted the region. The historian Stephen Turnbull wrote that Takigawa Castle, associated with the Ōhara family, is a typical arrangement of these forts: The main castle - ''kyojō'' - lies across from the Tendai
, also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...
temple Rakuyaji. Adjacent to it is the western castle - ''saijō'' - with another subsidiary castle - ''bunjō'' - across the valley. Each follows the mountain castle - ''yamashiro'' - design.
''Kōka-gun Chūsō'' and joint operations with Iga ''ikki''
In 1487, the ninja from Iga and Kōka gained significant fame due to their actions at Magari, a village in what is nowRittō, Shiga
270px, Ritto Horse Training Center
270px, Otsuki Taisha ''honden''
is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 70,312 in 29068 households and a population density of 1300 persons per km2. The total are ...
. Shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa
was the 9th ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1473 to 1489 during the Muromachi period of Japan.Ackroyd, Joyce. (1982) ''Lessons from History: The Tokushi Yoron'', p. 331. Yoshihisa was the son of the eighth ''shōgun'' Ash ...
, concerned about the aggressive landgrabs by the Kōka ''shugo
, commonly translated as ' ilitarygovernor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to th ...
'', Rokkaku Takayori, attacked Takayori with 30,000 troops. At Magari, Iga and Kōka ninja fought on the side of Takayori, whose forces, including the ninja, barely numbered 6,000 men. Yoshihisa prematurely died of an illness, illness which may have been at least hastened by, if not caused by wounds suffered during, the guerilla
Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism ...
tactics and night attacks by the Iga and Kōka units.; ; ; The 53 ninja families in Kōka who participated in the conflict were recognized as the "Kōka 53", and 21 families were given special recognition from Takayori for their service. The Mochizuki, descendants of the Kōka clan, were among the families which participated in the battle. Because of their service, Takayori made them retainers
Retainer may refer to:
* Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth
* RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship
* Retainers in early China, a social group in early China
Employment
* Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for ...
and allowed them the privileges of surnames and sword ownership.
By the mid-1500s, the services of ninja from Iga and Kōka were in high demand, in use by at least 37 areas. On December 15, 1541, the shogun in Kyoto
Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
sent a letter to Iga's governor requesting that the province assist Tsutsui Junshō
was a warlord of the Japanese province of Yamato during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Junshō was the son of Tsutsui Junkō. In the Sengoku Period, Junshō ascended to the position of ''daimyō'' over the province of Yamato.
Junshō ...
in his siege of Kasagi Castle. In the morning of December 23, 1541, 70–80 ninja agents from Iga and Kōka infiltrated the castle, set fire to the settlement, and were said to have captured the first and second baileys
Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish cream liqueur made of cream, cocoa and Irish Whiskey emulsified together with vegetable oil. Baileys is made by Diageo at Nangor Road, in Dublin, Ireland and in Mallusk, Northern Ireland. It is the original Ir ...
. Two days later, the armies inside Kasagi sallied out and were defeated, after which the ninjas dispersed.
The ''Bansenshūkai
''Bansenshūkai'' (, ''Ten Thousand Rivers Flowing Together to form an Ocean'') (Also pronounced Mansenshukai) is a 1676 Japanese book containing a collection of knowledge from the clans in the Iga Province, Iga and Kōka, Shiga, Kōga regions th ...
'', an early Edo period
The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
document compiled in 1676 by a member of the Fujibayashi family, alleges an incident from 1558 regarding a ninja commander, Tateoka Doshun, from Iga leading a combined force of Iga and Kōka soldiers against Sawayama Castle
was a castle in the city of Hikone, Shiga, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
This castle was an important military stronghold of Ōmi Province. The Azai clan held this castle in the Sengoku Period. Niwa Nagahide held it after the ruin of the Az ...
. However, according to the historian Stephen Turnbull, this account is full of errors, and accounts not derived from the ''Bansenshūkai'' do not mention ninja, let alone Tateoka Doshun, at all. Per the account, Rokkaku Yoshikata
was a samurai head of the Rokkaku clan during Japan's DF 53 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-4-3 ... during Japan's Sengoku period. He was ''shugo">Sengoku period">DF 53 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-4-3 ... during Japan's Sengoku period. He was ' ...
was campaigning against an alleged rebel retainer, Dodo Oki-no-Kami Kuranosuke, and besieged him. After many days of unsuccessful siege, Yoshikata employed to aid him. Doshun led a team of 44 Iga ninja and 4 Kōka ninja who carried lanterns Doshun had made with replicas of Dodo's ''mon
Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to:
Places
* Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar
* Mon, India, a town in Nagaland
* Mon district, Nagaland
* Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India
* Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons
* A ...
'' (family crest). They entered the gates of the castle without opposition and then set fire to the castle. They escaped successfully and in the ensuing panic Yoshikata was able to capture the castle.; According to Turnbull, contrary to the account, Dodo in actuality was a retainer of the Rokkaku's enemies, the Azai clan
The , also rendered as Asai, was a Japanese clan during the Sengoku period.
History
The Azai clan was a line of ''daimyōs'' (feudal military lords) seated at Odani Castle in northeastern Ōmi Province, located within present day Nagahama, S ...
, and when Yoshikata invaded Northern Omi Province in 1559, Dodo was ordered by 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 ...
to hold Sawayama. The historian and travel writer John Man
John Man (1512–1569) was an English clergyman, college head, and diplomat.
Life
He was born at Lacock or Winterbourne Stoke, in Wiltshire. He was educated at Winchester College from 1523, and New College, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. in 15 ...
, on the other hand, takes the account at face value and cites this as an example of the fame of the ninjas and of them offering their services for hire.
At some point between 1552 and 1568, the Iga Republic drafted a constitution which included an outline for its alliance with Kōka. Exactly how long the document was extent and how widely it applied is unknown. The document provided for ''bugyō
was a title assigned to ''samurai'' officials in feudal Japan. ''Bugyō'' is often translated as commissioner, magistrate, or governor, and other terms would be added to the title to describe more specifically a given official's tasks or jurisdi ...
'' (military commissioners) to govern the alliance - 12 from Kōka and 10 from Iga - who would regularly meet along the Iga—Kōka border to discuss strategy and other important affairs., quoting ''Jingū bunkozō, Yamanaka monjo, Iga sōkoku ikki okitegakiI'' (translated); ; ;
In 1565, the Wada family in Kōka became embroiled in a conflict for control of the shogunate. That year, Miyoshi Chokei and Matsunaga Hisahide
Matsunaga Danjō Hisahide (松永 弾正 久秀 1508 – November 19, 1577) was a ''daimyō'' and head of the Yamato Matsunaga clan in Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century.
He has historical reputation as one of , a nickna ...
launched an attack on the shogun 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 moth ...
while he slept. Yoshiteru was mortally wounded and committed ''seppuku
, also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...
''. His distant cousin, the infant Ashikaga Yoshihide
was the 14th ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who held nominal power for a few months in 1568 during the Muromachi period of Japan. When he became ''shōgun'', he changed his name to Yoshinaga, but he is more conventionally recognized tod ...
, was denied investiture
Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian kn ...
. 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 when he ...
, Yoshiteru's brother who lived as a monk in Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
, was approached by Chokei and Hisahide to be Yoshiteru's successor, but instead Yoshiaki fled south to Kōka. He took refuge under Wada Koremasa, a powerful lord among the Kōka families, and Koremasa either constructed or expanded a mansion for the shogun. The shogun soon left for Yashima in Ōmi plead for help from Rokkaku Yoshikata
was a samurai head of the Rokkaku clan during Japan's DF 53 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-4-3 ... during Japan's Sengoku period. He was ''shugo">Sengoku period">DF 53 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-4-3 ... during Japan's Sengoku period. He was ' ...
. Yoshikata, not wanting conflict with the Miyoshi clan, rejected the proposal. Asakura Yoshikage
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period (1467–1603) who ruled a part of Echizen Province in present-day Fukui Prefecture. He was a regent of Ashikaga Shogunate. Yoshikage's conflicts with Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) resulted in his de ...
sheltered Yoshiaki but declined to restore him to power. Three years later, Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...
pledged to support Yoshiaki, and among the escort sent to Echizen Province
was a Provinces of Japan, 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 Province, Kaga, Wakasa Province, Wakasa, Hida Province, Hida, and Ōmi Provin ...
was Wada Koremasa. As a reward for his support, Koremasa was granted Akutagawa Castle in Settsu Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or .
Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province. Most of Settsu's ...
. With this, the Wada family's association with Kōka terminated.
Conquest
Kōka soon came in conflict with this rising power of Oda Nobunaga. In 1568, Nobunaga marched to Kyoto to install Ashikaga Yoshiaki as shogun. TheRokkaku clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)">DF 53 of 80">"Rokkaku" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 49 DF 53 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-4-3 ...
in southern Ōmi Province allied with the Miyoshi clan and backed Yoshiaki's nephew and rival, Ashikaga Yoshihide
was the 14th ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who held nominal power for a few months in 1568 during the Muromachi period of Japan. When he became ''shōgun'', he changed his name to Yoshinaga, but he is more conventionally recognized tod ...
, that the Miyoshi had installed in Kyoto. After Rokkaku Yoshikata and his sons were defeated during the invasion of Kannonji Castle, they fled first to Kōka and then Mount Kōya. From there they staged a guerrilla war against Nobunaga, assisted by the Iga and Kōka ninja forces. The danger of harassment by this alliance made Nobunaga's control of southern Ōmi insecure, and in 1570 when Nobunaga retreated from the Siege of Kanegasaki back to Kyoto he was forced to go along the north-west shore of Lake Biwa
is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13 ...
rather than the more direct route through southern Ōmi. ''Jizamurai'' from Iga and Kōka assisted Yoshikata and his sons in raids against Nobunaga, including setting fire to the village of Heso and the southern approaches of Moriyama
270px, Lake Biwa from Moriyama
is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 85,485 in 34,366 households and a population density of 1533.63 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Mo ...
. On July 6, 1570, these alliance forces were moving down along the Yasugawa river when an army led by Shibata Katsuie
or was a Japanese samurai and military commander during the Sengoku period. He was retainer of Oda Nobuhide.
He served Oda Nobunaga as one of his trusted generals, was severely wounded in the 1571 first siege of Nagashima, but then fought ...
and Sakuma Morimasa
was the son of Sakuma Moritsugu, cousin of Sakuma Nobumori, a prominent Oda retainer to Oda Nobuhide and Oda Nobunaga. After several campaigns in which he had fought, he was given the nickname ''oni-genba'' which literally means "Demon Genba", ...
, generals for Nobunaga, intercepted them at the village of Ochikubo. The alliance was defeated and 780 samurai from the Iga and Kōka ''ikki''s were killed, along with the father and son Mikumo Takanose and Mikumo Mizuhara. Stephen Turnbull estimates that 780 casualties must have been enormous for Iga and Kōka, since their armies likely were not very large, and indeed ''Shinchō Kōki'' makes no reference to that alliance for the next three years.
Around the same time, a monk named Sugitani Zenjūbō and who is presumed to have been a mercenary ninja from either Iga or Kōka, failed to assassinate Nobunaga. Turnbull states that Zenjūbō fired two shots at Nobunaga, both of which were absorbed by Nobunaga's armor. Conversely, John Man
John Man (1512–1569) was an English clergyman, college head, and diplomat.
Life
He was born at Lacock or Winterbourne Stoke, in Wiltshire. He was educated at Winchester College from 1523, and New College, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. in 15 ...
cites an interview with a local resident in Kōka City who contends that the monk was from Kōka and attempted only one shot, which narrowly missed Nobunaga and passed through his right sleeve. He was executed three years later.
In 1573, the shogun Yoshiaka attempted to thwart the power Nobunaga held over him and allied with the Rokkaku and the Kōka and Iga ''ikki''s. Yoshiaki began constructing a castle next to Lake Biwa. The castle was half-finished and the garrison, which included Kōka and Iga troops, was small when Nobunaga attacked. The defenders fled and begged for mercy, and Nobunaga immediately demolished the castle. Later the same year, archers from Iga and Kōka assisted the Ikkō-ikki
were armed military leagues that formed in several regions of Japan in the 15th-16th centuries, composed entirely of members of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism. In the early phases, these ''ikki'' leagues opposed the rule of local Shugo, go ...
against Nobunaga as he retreated from the Second Siege of Nagashima. Yoshiaki continued his resistance to Nobunaga but in late summer, 1573, he was defeated and forced to surrender. The following year, Nobunaga defeated Rokkaku and the Kōka ''ikki''. According to a document preserved by the Yamanaka family, on March 27, 1574, the remnants of the Kōka ''jizamurai'' surrendered to Nobunaga. On May 3, Rokkaku Yoshikata, who had fled to Kōka, surrendered to Nobunaga.
Existence as an Oda vassal
After forcing Kōka into submitting to be avassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
, Nobunaga destroyed the many small castles throughout the district and integrated the ''Kōka-shu'', the military units that had composed the ''ikki'', into his own armed forces. In the second invasion of Iga in 1581, the ''Kōka-shu'' are mentioned among the soldiers comprising Nobunaga's invading armies. Thus, Kōka had now been forced to terminate the alliance that Iga had constitutionally bound itself into and instead oppose its southern neighbor.
Service under the Tokugawa clan
After the destruction of the Iga Confederacy, surviving Kōka and Iga families assistedTokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...
. In June 1582, after the Honnoji Incident, Ieyasu underwent an arduous journey to escape the enemies of Nobunaga in Sakai
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...
and return to Mikawa. However, this journey was very dangerous due to the existence of ' - outlaw - groups across the route. The Kōka ninja assisted the Tokugawa escort group to eliminate the threats of ''ochimusha-gari'', then escorted them until they reached Iga Province
was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan located in what is today part of western Mie Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Iga" in . Its abbreviated name was . Iga is classified as one of the provinces of the T ...
. There they were further protected by Iga ninja, which accompanied them until they safely reached Mikawa. The '' Ietada nikki'' journal records that the escorts of Ieyasu killed some 200 outlaws during their journey from Osaka.
After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
their services continued throughout the Edo period
The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
. The final instance of combat involving ninja was the Shimabara Rebellion
The , also known as the or , was an rebellion, uprising that occurred in the Shimabara Domain of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan from 17 December 1637 to 15 April 1638.
Matsukura Katsuie, the ''daimyō'' of the Shimabara Domain, enforced unpo ...
in 1630, after which the ninja mostly served as spies and bodyguards. The last documented use of ninja in the shogunate was in 1853 when, allegedly, ninja were sent to investigate the arrival of the Perry Expedition
]
The Perry Expedition (, , "Arrival of the Black Ships") was a diplomatic and military expedition in two separate voyages (1852–1853 and 1854–1855) to the Tokugawa shogunate () by warships of the United States Navy. The goals of this expedit ...
.
Government
In Kōka, the ''jizamurai'' organized as an ''ikki'' and the high-ranking families, although technically of peasant class, acted as the Feudal baron, barons of the district. Pierre Souyri argues that they formed these collectives not out of a commitment to a particular ideology but out of necessity. Defeated ''jizamurai'' who took refuge in the area trained the local inhabitants and together they desperately fought to maintain their social status and autonomy. Some 53clans
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
in the district ruled as the elders of the confederation, meeting successively at three shrines, one of which was located on the outskirts of Kōka City.
The ruling class was called ''dōmyōchu'' or ''ichizoku shūdan'', and they composed the ''Kōka-gun Chūsō'' (General Assembly of Kōka District), the governing assembly and historical expression for the Kōka Confederacy. Among the documented ruling families are the Ōhara, Hattori
is a Japanese surname.
Notable people
* , Japanese mathematician
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese photographer
* , Japanese samurai
* , Japanese classical composer
* , Japanese editor
* , manga artist
* , Japanese classical violinist
* , Jap ...
, Mochizuki, Ikeda, Ukai, Ichiyaku, Taki, Saji, Takamine, Ueno, Oki, Yamanaka, Ban, and Minobe. Each of these families ruled over a ''sō'', that is, federated districts of villages pledged to provide mutual aid and self-defense, roughly analogous to a European medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms) among the citizens of a town or city. These took many forms and varied widely in organization and makeup.
C ...
. These districts then sometimes were themselves part of higher level ''sō''. For example, the Yamanaka, Ban, and Minobe families, who all lived in the vicinity of Kashigawi Shrine, each controlled a respective ''sō'', named a ''dōmyō-sō'' because all the members of the respective district shared the same surname. They then combined their individual ''sō'' into the Kashigawi ''sanbōsō'' (the Kashigawi three-member league). All these family ''sō'' linked together to form a district-wide ''sō'' that was the Kōka Confederacy. The historian Pierre Souyri speculates that this high level of social organization allowed the ''jizamurai'', who were of lower rank in society, to become particularly powerful in Kōka. The lesser landholders composed the ''samurai-shū'', among whom are the documented clans Tomita, Masuda, Shiotsu, Nishioka, Kitano, and Nakagami. Below the district level, individual villages formed communes named ''sōson'', which came to replace estates as the dominant source of power.
The Wada family also were powerful, controlling a series of mountain castles along a river valley. The most famous member of the clan, Wada Koremasa, controlled his small valley as if he were a ''daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...
''. He built at least seven fortifications: Wada Castle, five adjacent ''bunjō'', each one of which was in sight of at least two others, and ''kubō yashiki'', which was the mansion for 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 when he ...
when he took refuge in Kōka after the assassination of his brother 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 moth ...
in 1565. After allying with Oda Nobunaga to restore Yoshiaki in 1568, Koremasa was granted land in Settsu Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or .
Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province. Most of Settsu's ...
the same year, and with that relocation ended the Wada association with Kōka.
The Russian economist Vladimir V. Maltsev hypothesizes that the formation of a private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
and voluntary government allowed Iga and Kōka the stability to reap profits from its mercenary market while remaining effectively stateless. In most of Japan after the Onin War, the loss of centralized power and the ensuing banditry, peasant uprisings, and feuds between and predatory taxation and raids by local ''daimyō'' resulted in insecure property rights, thin markets, and greatly weakened provision of public goods. This economic situation offered a lucrative mercenary market. Conventionally in economics, a formal state is deemed necessary to protect complex trade arrangements. However, Maltsev hypothesizes that in the chaotic and violent environment of the Sengoku period, state formation was cost-prohibitive and potentially hazardous for the region. Instead, the model of private government practiced by various ''ikki'' was much more attractive, whose voluntary nature of the confederacy resulted in a competitive Tiebout model
The Tiebout model, also known as Tiebout sorting, Tiebout migration, or Tiebout hypothesis, is a positive political theory model first described by economist Charles Tiebout in his article "A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures" (1956). The essence ...
of government.
Religion
The religion in the district wasShugendō
is a syncretic Esoteric Buddhist religion, a body of ascetic practices that originated in the Nara Period of Japan having evolved during the 7th century from an amalgamation of beliefs, philosophies, doctrines and ritual systems drawn prim ...
, a syncretism of Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
and Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
, particularly Tendai
, also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...
and Shingon
is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...
. In the hill country, militant mountain-monks dedicated themselves to asceticism
Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...
and esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
practice. Members of the ''samurai-shū'' are mentioned in a 1475 document of donations to Aburahi Daimyōjin, the patron deity
A tutelary (; also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and ...
of Kōka, and the ''Kōka-gun'' are named in a 1571 records relating to the mediation of a dispute between the Handōji, the main Shugendō temple in Kōka, and the Shingu and Yagawa Shrines. Takigawa Castle, of the Ōhara clan, lay across from the Tendai
, also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...
temple Rakuyaji.
Appendix
Footnotes
References
References
* * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Koka ikki Former countries in Japanese history States and territories disestablished in 1574 Former confederations Sengoku period 15th-century rebellions 16th-century rebels Ninja 1460s establishments in Japan