Chapter 3: With Great Power .....
Operation Summer Blossom, was the plan of my distant ancestor Harusada Ikko-Ikki to take over the mighty Uesugi clan, which was the 3rd most powerful in Japan at the time.
After the defeat of the Ando clan, the rebellion was in full control of all of Northern Japan, however, the conquests of the last 3 years had taken a heavy toll on the Ikko-Ikki. The mighty armies were tired and though powerful, were too few to match the Uesugi's mighty levis. So on the 28th of January, Harusada finally gave in to the pressures of Fuyuyasu and did something he vowed he'd never do. Raise the levies in the name of the Ikko-Ikki clan.
With these levies (commanded by the loyal general Akimura), Harusada quickly invaded northern Uesugi holdings, and captured the provinces of Kurihara, Oshika, Oshitawa, and Iwafune. The devious Samurai lords of the south had many nefarious plans though, for a ninja hired by the former shogunate of Ashikaga was captured trying to burn down the castle of Kurihara to prevent the Ikko-Ikki from getting it. He was quickly exposed to the Emperor, though the courtier sent to show the ninja did not return, it is said that peasents found him in a field outside of Kyoto, burned, beaten and beheaded.
The invasion of the Uesugi stronghold of Sado by the forces of Chickatoshi started in January of 1515. Chickatoshi's large army (28,000) subdued the Uesugi stationed there withen 3 weeks.
Harusada was well known to be willing to learn any technique of any master, if only for a lust for knowledge. So when Harusada was contacted by a master archer on the simple but effective technique of "Hai, Kan, Chu", Harusada had the honour of learning it. The technique was then applied to the Ikko-Ikki levies, in hope that they would be more effective.
Miyagi was a mighty city, home of many Uesugi scholars. So when Harusada's forcess took the castle and province in the name of the Ikko-Ikki, he discovered in the bloodsoaked ruins of the castle library a book, a very old book. Harusada read that book, curious of what secrets it might unfold. Which was how to be a proper Imperial Tea master.
1516, tired of the contentment of the Daimyo with the poverty and struggle, the people of Koshi rose up against the Uesugi. They're led by the Proud Akimoto, once a Buddhist monk, but ever since viewing the amount of extortion and deprivation the Uesugi Samurai would go to to defeat it's enemies, Akimoto decided to lead the people of Koshi up against the repression.
On the 17th of November, 1516, Fuyuyasu died in the newly liberated province of Koshi. While his generalship will be replaced by the newly premoted Akimoto, Harusada lost something watching his heir die before at the age of 49. Now the drunken Chickatoshi was next in line to the leadership. Except for the Shibata-Uta gap, the Uesugi were driven out of all their northern holdings including Sado. However, the rage of the samurai was not fully discovered until contact with the Satake clan.
To be continued ....
Operation Summer Blossom, was the plan of my distant ancestor Harusada Ikko-Ikki to take over the mighty Uesugi clan, which was the 3rd most powerful in Japan at the time.
After the defeat of the Ando clan, the rebellion was in full control of all of Northern Japan, however, the conquests of the last 3 years had taken a heavy toll on the Ikko-Ikki. The mighty armies were tired and though powerful, were too few to match the Uesugi's mighty levis. So on the 28th of January, Harusada finally gave in to the pressures of Fuyuyasu and did something he vowed he'd never do. Raise the levies in the name of the Ikko-Ikki clan.
With these levies (commanded by the loyal general Akimura), Harusada quickly invaded northern Uesugi holdings, and captured the provinces of Kurihara, Oshika, Oshitawa, and Iwafune. The devious Samurai lords of the south had many nefarious plans though, for a ninja hired by the former shogunate of Ashikaga was captured trying to burn down the castle of Kurihara to prevent the Ikko-Ikki from getting it. He was quickly exposed to the Emperor, though the courtier sent to show the ninja did not return, it is said that peasents found him in a field outside of Kyoto, burned, beaten and beheaded.
The invasion of the Uesugi stronghold of Sado by the forces of Chickatoshi started in January of 1515. Chickatoshi's large army (28,000) subdued the Uesugi stationed there withen 3 weeks.
Harusada was well known to be willing to learn any technique of any master, if only for a lust for knowledge. So when Harusada was contacted by a master archer on the simple but effective technique of "Hai, Kan, Chu", Harusada had the honour of learning it. The technique was then applied to the Ikko-Ikki levies, in hope that they would be more effective.
Miyagi was a mighty city, home of many Uesugi scholars. So when Harusada's forcess took the castle and province in the name of the Ikko-Ikki, he discovered in the bloodsoaked ruins of the castle library a book, a very old book. Harusada read that book, curious of what secrets it might unfold. Which was how to be a proper Imperial Tea master.
1516, tired of the contentment of the Daimyo with the poverty and struggle, the people of Koshi rose up against the Uesugi. They're led by the Proud Akimoto, once a Buddhist monk, but ever since viewing the amount of extortion and deprivation the Uesugi Samurai would go to to defeat it's enemies, Akimoto decided to lead the people of Koshi up against the repression.
On the 17th of November, 1516, Fuyuyasu died in the newly liberated province of Koshi. While his generalship will be replaced by the newly premoted Akimoto, Harusada lost something watching his heir die before at the age of 49. Now the drunken Chickatoshi was next in line to the leadership. Except for the Shibata-Uta gap, the Uesugi were driven out of all their northern holdings including Sado. However, the rage of the samurai was not fully discovered until contact with the Satake clan.
To be continued ....