Chris Perry, Author

Tag: Kyoto under siege

  • Turmoil after Turmoil

    Turmoil after Turmoil

    In 1351, the rather misleadingly named Kanno ‘Disturbance’ ended with the death of Ashikaga Tadayoshi, brother to the Shogun, Takauji. The brothers’ relationship had broken down violently in the years leading up to 1350, and with Tadayoshi’s death, the political turmoil seemed like it might finally come to an end.

    But you’ve seen the title of this post, so it’s time for some good, old-fashioned, post-turmoil turmoil!

    As you may remember, the Nanbokucho Period is named for the Northern and Southern Courts in place at the time, rivals for the title of ‘real’ Emperor, with the Northern Court largely being puppets of the Shogun, and the Southern Court being descended from Emperor Go-Daigo, who had opposed the Kamakura Shogunate, and then been overthrown by the Ashikaga.

    In order to secure enough support to overcome his brother, Takauji had taken the highly controversial step of approaching the Southern Court for help. In exchange, the Southern Court had extracted huge concessions; Takauji effectively agreed to let the Southern Court take over the Northern one.

    Though this agreement would seem to suggest that the Southern Court was now in the ascendancy, things are rarely that straightforward. The Southern Court, no content to simply take over the Northern Court, intended to destroy the Shogunate entirely.

    A reading of recent history might have shown them the error of that plan, but it appears no one thought to tell them. In February 1352, the Southern Court moved to dismiss Takauji as Shogun, nominating Prince Munenaga (Emperor Go-Daigo’s son) in his place. Munenaga, leading an army of Imperial loyalists, marched on Kamakura, successfully occupying it.

    Prince Munenaga, the Southern Court’s pick for Shogun. The fact that he doesn’t appear on any official lists of Shoguns should tell you how that went.

    Meanwhile, another Imperial army attacked Kyoto, held by Takauji’s son, Yoshiakira. Successfully driving the Shogunate forces out of the city, the Imperial army occupied Kyoto on February 24th, and for the first time in more than fifteen years, an Emperor could be said to rule from the ancient capital (in this case, Emperor Go-Murakami). The Three Sacred Treasures (The Sword, Mirror, and Jewel), as well as the three remaining retired Emperors, were taken to the Southern Court capital at Yoshino.

    The Fight Back

    Despite these early successes, and having nominally stripped Takauji of legitimacy by taking his title, the Imperial cause’s optimism would prove to be short-lived. The Emperor may have had prestige as a son of heaven, but Takauji had the warriors, and that was what counted.

    Ashikaga Yoshiakira recovered from his set back quickly, gathering allies, he marched on Kyoto, retaking it on March 15th, an besieging Emperor Go-Murakami at the Otokoyama Hachiman shrine. The Shrine would hold out until May 11th before surrendering, though Go-Murakami would escape.

    Go-Murakami, who happened to be the Emperor recognised by the Southern Court during all this.

    In the east, too, Imperial fortunes quickly took a turn. Prince Munenaga had successfully occupied Kamakura, but a series of defeats in nearby Musashi Province meant he couldn’t hold the city, and Shogunate forces, led by Takauji himself, retook Kamakura by the end of March.

    Despite political uncertainty, the military situation clearly favoured the Shogunate; however, for the time being at least, the Northern Court was little more than a concept. There was no Emperor, no regent, and no Shogun, at least not officially. There wasn’t even a retired Emperor, as they all remained as ‘guests’ at Yoshino, along with the Sacred Treasures, which were required in a coronation.

    Side note: Emperor Go-Daigo actually dismissed these Sacred Treasures as ‘fakes’, but his heirs seemed to have either believed they were the real deal, or else accepted the political convenience of their existence, if not their provenance.

    After much political wrangling over the summer, Kogimonin, mother to two previous Emperors, was convinced to accept the position of regent. In August, she issued an Imperial Edict, selecting Go-Kogon as the new Emperor, re-establishing the Northern Court, and the Shogunate at a stroke.

    One of the key figures in this process had been Doyo. More than deserving of a post of his own, Doyo (originally named Sasaki Takauji, yes, same name as the Shogun), was one of the key political figures of the era, and his role in bringing about the Northern Court’s new Emperor was just the latest accomplishment in an impressive CV.

    Doyo, one of the key political players in this period.

    Doyo and his family would be at the centre of Shogunate power in Kyoto. With Takauji dealing with matters in the east, the actual rule of Kyoto was left to his son, the aforementioned Yoshiakira. In 1353, the already fragile peace was broken once again when Doyo got into a land dispute with the Yamana Clan. A direct consequence of this dispute was the Yamana defecting from the Shogun’s side, making common cause with the Southern Court, and marching on Kyoto.

    This time, Yoshiakira, who had lost Kyoto during the last round of disturbances, made sure to evacuate the Emperor ahead of time. It was a good job he did, too, as Yoshiakira’s forces were defeated when they tried to hold the city, and, realising he lacked the strength to do it alone, he called on his dad, Takauji, to come to his aid.

    As soon as word reached the Yamana that the Shogun himself was on the way, they retreated, and Ashikaga forces retook the city. There was some sporadic fighting, but the Yamana and their allies were handily defeated, and order was restored.

    In the aftermath, Doyo had proved his value to the Shogunate as someone who was a cool head in a crisis, but he had also proven he was a troublemaker, quite happy to get into feuds with powerful warrior families, which was going to be a problem going forward.

    Consequences

    In the short term, the direct consequence of this turmoil was the consolidation of power in the hands of Ashikaga Takauji. In the early years, he had been obliged to share power with his brother and deal with the threat of the Southern Court, but now, he was in charge.

    On the other hand, though, Takauji’s deal with the Southern Court had only served to increase its legitimacy, especially after the Northern Court was established. In later years, the ‘true’ Imperial line would be seen as the one that passed through the Southern Court, and the Northern Court was increasingly seen as nothing more than a Shogunate puppet.

    Finally, the most far-reaching consequence of this chaotic period was the increased power of regional warlords. Though we are still more than a century from the Warring States Period (Sengoku Jidai), the early days of the Ashikaga Shogunate had shown how weak central authority could be; the Shogun couldn’t rely on his own power to deal with threats, he had to seek support and alliances with local warlords.

    A Samurai as they might have appeared in this era.

    Increasingly, these warlords stopped being appointed officials of the Shogun, but became hereditary lords in their own right, a process that had already begun but was accelerated in this period. Sooner or later, this conflict between central and provincial authority would lead to a complete breakdown in government, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves; more on that next time.

    Sources
    https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A6%B3%E5%BF%9C%E3%81%AE%E6%93%BE%E4%B9%B1#%E6%99%82%E6%B0%8F%E9%9B%A2%E5%8F%8D%E3%81%A8%E9%81%93%E8%AA%89%E3%81%AE%E4%BC%B8%E9%95%B7
    https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%90%E3%80%85%E6%9C%A8%E9%81%93%E8%AA%89
    https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AE%97%E8%89%AF%E8%A6%AA%E7%8E%8B
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kann%C5%8D_disturbance
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashikaga_shogunate
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanboku-ch%C5%8D_period
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashikaga_Takauji
    https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A5%BF%E5%9C%92%E5%AF%BA%E5%AF%A7%E5%AD%90#%E4%BA%8B%E5%AE%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%AE%E6%B2%BB%E5%A4%A9%E3%81%AE%E5%90%9B%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8B

  • Kamakura III – The Jokyu War

    We’ve already talked about Imperial decline during the Heian Period. Over many centuries, central control eroded, until eventually the provinces proved to be ungovernable. Eventually, the power of the Imperial Court was usurped by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who established the Kamakura Shogunate in Kamakura, obviously.

    You may not be surprised to hear that the Emperor wasn’t best pleased with this turn of events. Although the actual power of the Emperor had been largely theoretical for decades, there had always been a veneer of ‘Imperial’ authority. The rise of the first Shogunate, however, did away with that.

    With supreme military power firmly in Yoritomo’s hands, there was little the Emperor could do to change the status quo. However, as we’ve discussed, Yoritomo’s heirs proved not to be the model of their father. By the dawn of the 13th Century, the Kamakura ‘Shogunate’ was in fact ruled by regents, or Shikken, from the Hojo Clan.

    In 1219, the regent was Hojo Yoshitoki, who shared power with his influential sister Hojo Masako, the so-called ‘Nun Shogun’. That year, Masako’s son, Sanemoto, the third Shogun, was assassinated, bringing an end to the line of Minamoto Shoguns (Yoritomo and his two sons). Although the Hojo were already in effective control, the end of the ‘legitimate’ line of Shoguns presented an apparent opportunity for their enemies to challenge them.

    Emperor Go-Toba

    In a period where Emperors were often well-decorated figureheads, Go-Toba stood out. He was highly educated, as most courtiers were, but he had also shown skill at martial arts, earning him respect and loyalty from warrior families in the west and north. Unfortunately for him, the Throne still drew its income from its land holdings, and when the Shogunate appointed officials to oversee those holdings, the money taken in taxes often didn’t find its way to the Emperor.

    Emperor Go-Toba, whose attempts to restore Imperial power would start the Jokyu War.

    After Sanemoto’s assassination in 1219, the Hojo approached Go-Toba about the possibility of one of the Emperor’s sons becoming the next Shogun. Go-Toba attempted to negotiate, seeking the removal of Shogunate officials from Imperial holdings.

    The Shogunate sent a force of 1000 men under Yoshitoki’s brother in an attempt to intimidate the Emperor. Go-Toba wasn’t easily scared, however, and negotiations broke down, although the Emperor would offer a concession; he would allow a member of the Imperial family to become Shogun, as long as it wasn’t a prince of the main royal line.

    The Hojo were satisfied with this, and Kujo Yoritsune, who was only a little over a year old, was chosen as the fourth Shogun. However, because Yoritsune was a baby, the position of the Hojo as regents was secure, and, for a time at least, peace endured.

    The elevation of a member of the Imperial house to the position of Shogun did nothing about the underlying issues, however, and in July 1219, just a few months after the previous negotiations, the military governor of the area around Kyoto, (who had been appointed by the Shogun) was attacked and killed by warriors acting on the Emperor’s orders.

    Some records say that the governor had been planning to launch a coup and make himself Shogun, with Go-Toba, made aware of the plot, acting to stop the plot before it came to fruition. Other sources, however, point out how unlikely it is for Go-Toba to have had a Shogunate official killed as a favour to the Shogun, and it is more likely that the governor either discovered, or was made aware of, the Emperor’s plans, and was removed accordingly.

    The unfortunate fellow apparently took his own life when his residence (which was within the grounds of the Imperial Palace) was surrounded and burned by Imperial loyalists, and whatever the reasons, this was a direct attack by forces representing the Emperor on those representing the Shogun. The Emperor then asked the Shogunate, Court Officials, and local temples and shrines to donate money to help rebuild the burned residence, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, most of them refused to pay up.

    During rebuilding work, rumours spread that Go-Toba was quietly gathering allies and raising an army. It was also alleged that he had asked shrines and temples around the capital to invoke the power of the gods on the Emperor’s behalf, which was quite the provocation, apparently.

    War Begins

    Then, in Spring 1221, Go-Toba gathered troops in the capital under the pretext of protecting religious sites and ceremonies. On May 15th, he dropped the pretext; however, when forces loyal to the Imperial Side attacked the offices of the Shogun in Kyoto, burning them and killing the officials, which, as declarations of war go, is pretty definitive.

    On the same day, Go-Toba issued a formal Imperial decree, ordering all the warriors of the nation to arrest Yoshitoki, who was declared an outlaw and enemy of the court. Within a few days, warriors from across western Japan had risen against the Shogun, and Go-Toba believed, rather flippantly, that the issuance of an Imperial decree would fatally undermine the Shogunate.

    This is one of those times that later writers absolutely love to dramatise. It’s all honour, loyalty, duty unto death, etc. but the reality is that, despite an Imperial Decree, and a counter-decree from Hojo Masako, the majority of the warriors across the nation (those who were directly tied to either side through blood or obligation) sided with whoever they thought would benefit them the most if they won.

    In those calculations, the Shogunate had the advantage; the Shogun had the right to distribute land, and most of the warrior families expected to be rewarded with the lands and titles of those who had sided with the Emperor and the court, who was generally believed to have been likely to favour himself and his courtiers, in the event of their victory.

    So, for all their vaunted ‘honour’, the Samurai would (and not for the last time) side with those they thought would give them the best deal, and by the time they marched, the armies loyal to the Shogun are said to have numbered nearly 200,000.

    A later illustration of a Samurai as they might have appeared during the Jokyu War.

    The Shogunate army was actually three separate forces, with 40,000 men heading by a northern route, another force of 50,000 heading through the mountains, and the third, largest force of 100,000, following the main Tokaido Road, with all three marching on Kyoto.

    The Imperial side seems to have been caught off guard by first the size, then the speed of the Shogunate forces. It appears that the Emperor had believed his decree would be enough to secure mass defections, and when the opposite occurred, the forces loyal to the throne were out of position and hugely outnumbered.

    Resistance was scattered and ineffective, with some sources suggesting that the main army took just 22 days to complete the march from Kamakura to Kyoto, which might be an exaggeration, but goes some way to highlighting how badly prepared the Imperial Army was.

    Though the court was able to gather warriors from Western Japan, the numbers were nowhere near what they had expected, and besides, the rapid advance of the Shogunate army meant that reinforcements wouldn’t have been able to reach the capital in time.

    In desperation, Go-Toba went to Mt Hiei, on the outskirts of Kyoto, and pleaded with the famed warrior monks for support. The monks, partly out of opposition to the Emperor, and partly due to their fear of the strength of the Shogun, refused to help, and Go-Toba was left with an army of around 18,000 to defend the capital.

    Outnumbered 5 to 1, Imperial forces took position near Uji, and on June 13th, another Battle of Uji (the third in 50 years) took place. Despite brave resistance, the Imperial side was overwhelmed, and on June 15th, Shogunate forces were in Kyoto. What followed was an orgy of violence, as the houses of Imperial officials and supporters were ransacked and burned, and the citizens suffered at the hands of the rampaging army.

    As Kyoto burned, Go-Toba sent a message to the Shogunate army, withdrawing the Imperial order to arrest Yoshitoki, and blaming the whole thing on his ministers and advisors. Abandoned by the Emperor, some of his supporters fought on in vain, but the final defeat was inevitable, and by July, serious fighting was over, with a few fugitives evading capture until October.

    In the aftermath, Go-Toba was exiled, and eventually replaced as Emperor by Go-Horikawa, and the estates of those who had been killed fighting for the Court, or proscribed afterwards, were distributed to the Shogun’s supporters. Direct control was established over Kyoto, and any semblance of independent military strength was ended; every warrior was now the direct vassal of the Emperor, or else.

    The Shogunate also took control of the purse strings for the court. Prior to the war, the Emperor had held land in his own right and drawn income from it, but now, those lands were ruled directly by the Shogun, and the government in Kamakura could now decide how much, if any, cash the Emperor would get.

    The end of the Jokyu War would mark the zenith of Shogunate, and therefore Hojo power, and for a time, they would rule more or less unchallenged, but some 60 years later, a new threat would emerge.

    Since the dawn of the 13th Century, a previously fractured and quarrelsome people had been united under a single ruler and gone on to conquer an empire the likes of which had never been seen. Though this great conqueror was long dead, his sons and grandsons had continued his work, and in 1260, a new ruler was enthroned, one who would go on to make himself master of China and Korea before seeking new conquests across the sea.

    In 1274, Kublai Khan, grandson of the Great Genghis, had ambitions to make himself master of the world, and he cast his eyes on Japan.

    The Mongols were coming.

    Sources
    https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%89%BF%E4%B9%85%E3%81%AE%E4%B9%B1
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura_shogunate
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azuma_Kagami
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Dky%C5%AB_War
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Go-Toba
    https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BE%8C%E9%B3%A5%E7%BE%BD%E5%A4%A9%E7%9A%87