Suwa Yorishige was a

military commander The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

active from the late

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

to the Northern and Southern Courts period. He is said to have been the

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

Suwa Taisha , historically also known as Suwa Shrine (諏訪神社 ''Suwa-jinja'') or , is a group of Shinto shrines in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The shrine complex is the ''ichinomiya'' of former Shinano Province and is considered to be one of the oldest sh ...

, though details are uncertain. There are various theories regarding his parentage.

Life

During the Kamakura period, the

Suwa clan The , also known as the Jin or Miwa clan (神氏, ''Miwa Uji (clan), uji / Miwa-shi'' or ''Jinshi'') was a Japanese ''Shake (social class), shake'' and samurai family. Originating from the area encompassing Lake Suwa in Shinano Province (modern- ...

served as retainers to the

Hojo clan Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for a number of people named Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones (British musician), an synthpop singer, musician and songwr ...

, the ''shugo'' (governor) of

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

for generations. During the Tosho-ji War, Suwa Tokimitsu (Enko Nyudo) of the Suwa clan committed suicide. After the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate, the Suwa clan clashed with Ogasawara Sadamune, who was appointed as the new ''shugo'' of Shinano by the new-established

Kenmu Restoration The was a three-year period of Imperial rule in Japanese history between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period from 1333 to 1336. The Kenmu Restoration was an effort made by Emperor Go-Daigo to overthrow the ruling Kamakura Shogunate ...

. Due to dissatisfaction with Ogasawara's rule, Yorishige and his son Suwa Tokitsugu supported Hojo Tokiyuki, the surviving son of Regent

Hojo Takatoki Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for a number of people named Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones (British musician), an synthpop singer, musician and songwr ...

, and initiated the Nakasendai Rebellion. With the help of the Miura clan and others, Yorishige defeated and killed Shibukawa Yoshiki, Iwamatsu Tsuneie, Imagawa Norimitsu (of the Nanboku-cho period), and Koyama Hidetomo. They temporarily occupied Kamakura and forced

Ashikaga Tadayoshi "Ashikaga Tadayoshi" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 624. was a general of the Nanboku-chō period, Northern and Southern Courts period (1337� ...

to flee, but were ultimately defeated by a punitive force led by Kiso Iemura, sent from Kyoto. Yorishige then committed suicide at Shochoju-in along with his son Tokitsugu and 43 others.Dai Nihon Shiryo, Volume 6, No. 2, p. 540 According to the genealogy in Volume 27 of the Suwa Shiryo Sosho, it is believed that the "Suwa Moritaka" who helped Hojo Tokiyuki escape from Kamakura and brought him to Shinano is the same person as Yorishige."Suwa Historical Materials Collection" Volume 27
/ref> The headship of the Suwa family (the position of ''Daishugi'') was passed down to his grandson, Yoritsugu (Tokitsugu's son).

Gallery

File:Memorial tower for Lord Suwa Teruun Yorishige.png, A memorial tower for Lord Suwa Teruun Yorishige (Miyagawa, Chino City, Nagano Prefecture; the top of the tower shows signs of repair.) File:Torii gate of Suwa Taisha Shrine (signboard on the left, memorial tower on the right after climbing up).jpg, Torii gate of Suwa Taisha Shrine (signboard on the left, memorial tower on the right after climbing up) File:Suwa Shrine Maemiya Worship Site.jpg, Suwa Shrine Front Shrine Worship Site (The memorial tower is on the left as you descend)

Footnotes

Related works

* Matsui Yusei "

The Elusive Samurai is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui. It has been serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since January 2021, with its chapters collected in 20 volumes as of May 2025. The series is ba ...

" (serialized in ''

Weekly Shonen Jump Weekly refers to a repeating event happening once a week Weekly, The Weekly, or variations, may also refer to: News media * ''Weekly'' (news magazine), an English-language national news magazine published in Mauritius *Weekly newspaper, any news ...

'')

Sources

* "Umematsuron" * "Taiheiki" (Volume 13, The Death of Tokiyuki in the Case of the Ashikaga Lord's Departure to the Eastern Provinces) Year of birth missing Year of death missing Japanese military officers