Part II
The Wars of Independence 1476-1478
Despite Moriyake's actions, the Hosokawa clan were willing to negotiate a settlement. The continuing Onin War had opened a floodgate of rivalries and opportunism throughout Japan. The Hosokawa had fought for almost a decade with the Yamana clan over the ruins of Kyoto, and had come to naught, their strategy now switched from a seizure of power to damage control. Emissaries were sent to the island of Awaji and were properly received by Moriyake Takehiko. Their terms were lenient considering his actions, Moriyake could keep his land, and would not suffer punishment, but should return to his proper vassalage under Lord Hosokawa. The terms were unacceptable, and it seemed far better for Moriyake to gamble on victory. The negotiations were quickly abandoned.
Moriyake's first real act as Daimyo was to secure his power on the island, and to protect it from invasion. Land taken from unreliable retainers was parcelled out to Moriyake's friends and retainers. The chief beneficiaries being Moriyake's triad of advisors: Iwanaga, Tokushi and Sato. From this stable powerbase, he called his retainers to arms and prepared for a defensive war against the vengeful Hosokawa.
Circumstances changed rapidly in the summer of 1476 when the young Shogun Yoshihisa publically demanded that the open warfare between Daimyos cease. His words naturally went unheeded, but to everyone's great surprise, the Ashikaga Shogunate now had backing for their words. As the Hosokawa desperately held on to their position, the Shogunate army under Lord Uedo invaded the province of Settsu and in a set battle outside the town of Osaka, the Hosokawa army was brought to battle and defeated. The Hosokawa lands were in limbo, but even this surprising turn of events was not enough to stop the growing infighting within Japan. The Chosokabe lands in Shikoku were invaded by the Shimazu and Miyoshi clans destabilising the region. In August of 1476, Moriyake, having taken stock of the spiralling situation decided against a pre-emptive intervention against the Miyoshi clan, and instead raised war tributes from his vassals and authorised Iwanaga Katsurou to assist the Shogunate army in besieging the city of Kyoto.
Moriyake's army was grudgingly accepted among the Ashikaga battle lines, though it was rumoured that this impromptu alliance was negotiated between Moriyake and Uedo, creating the belief that the young Shogun was not in control of his government, and at worst, was not a puppet of his General Uedo. Regardless of the alliance however, the Moriyake army did not stop long at Osaka, and instead pressed on to the old battleground of Kyoto.
While the Moriyake army fought for control of Kyoto, the Hosokawa and the Yamana finally made peace in October of 1476, bringing an end to the ruinous Onin War. The result of the struggle for power over the Shogunate had resulted in the loss of all influence over the Shogun, and an untold amount of damage in Kyoto, the capital of Japan.
The Hosokawa clan were not entirely defeated however, not long after the peace with the Yamana, the Hosokawa turned its attention to Awaji, and as the first part of its liberation strategy, swept the Moriyake fleet from the sea. The sea battle was long fought, Moriyake's meagre fleet was commanded by Nitta Ryoukan, a near-unknown islander, but despite his skill, the three ships under his command were forced to flee. With the only real defense barrier gone, and the Moriyake army in Kyoto, the island of Awaji, and Moriyake Takehiko himself were in significant danger.
With the Moriyake army in Kyoto, Takehiko had to take desperate measures to protect himself from the coming invasion. However, the treasury, and manpower of the island was stretched, and Takehiko had to think of new ways to raise revenue. In April of 1477, Takehiko unveiled his land and tax reform in Awaji. Fishing grounds, the lifeblood of Awaji's economy were taken from retainers and villages and given to Takehiko himself, the rights to which became known as Sakana-kin, or fish money. Further, a survey of the island was taken personally by Takehiko, disused land was settled on the Daimyo's orders, and able men were pressed into training.[1]
The reforms were pushed through in a desperate time for both Moriyake and Hosokawa, two months later in July, Osaka surrendered to the army of the Ashikaga Shogun. Hosokawa Masamoto could not hope to face and win General Uedo on the fields of Settu, but it could be possible to force Moriyake into submission. Though Moriyake was building an army, a quick and speedy attack could capture Takehiko himself and put an end to the war, salvaging a part of the Hosokawa empire.
The Hosokawa clan were certain of a successful invasion - it would be a small ray of hope until it's bloody failure
On the 13th of August, the Hosokawa fleet was spotted off the northern coast of Awaji, and it was reported that Hosokawa troops from Bitchu were in the process of disembarking. The Moriyake fleet under Nitta Ryoukan was rushed to the scene, but his arrival was far too late to stop the invasion force, and an attempt to cut off the invaders supplies was defeated by the appearance of Hosokawa warships. By the evening of the 13th, Hosokawa troops were setting up pickets outside the walls of Mihara; Takehiko's residence. Moriyake was however prepared for a siege, and remained inside the town.
Hopes for a Hosokawan resurgence were lessened somewhat by the news that the city of Kyoto, though in ruins, had fallen to the Moriyake General, Iwanaga Katsurou, Iwanaga was attended by Sato Hideaki who sent a formal invitation to the Shogun, Yoshihisa to view the city. The invitation was accepted, and Moriyake Takehiko was confirmed as Lord of Awaji by the Shogun. Iwanaga did not tarry long in Kyoto, but, after taking on supplies and reinforcements, headed south towards the Hosokawa province of Bitchu. Sato negotiated safe passage for the army with the Akamatsu clan, and drew up a treaty of friendship between the two clans. By November, Iwanaga had swept into Bitchu.
This victory was added to by Takehiko himself, who having trained a sizeable force of men inside the walls of Mihara, led them on a bloody sally against the Hosokawa. The raged for some days outside the gates of the town, probing attacks on each side continued until Moriyake cast the die and threw himself into battle. Clad in black armour and surrounded by his bodyguards, Moriyake fought savagely and the push succeeded in breaking the Hosokawa lines. The besieging army broke and made for the beaches in all haste and little order. The Moriyake army, with superior knowledge of the land wittled away at the Hosokawa numbers, with the last of them being killed on the beaches of Awaji. Moriyake had won an unexpected victory,[2] but had sustained a small arrow wound while fighting on the beaches. Moriyake spent the winter recuperating, another minor attempt at retaking the island was defeated, and with it went all hopes of a Hosokawa victory in the war. Thanks to fortuitous circumstances, Moriyake could not only survive, but could now also gain a victory over his erstwhile liege, the prize being the province of Bitchu.
Despite the Ashikaga attempt to bring Japan back under the Shogunate, the situation continued to worsen. In mid January, 1478, a gathering of farmers and tradespeople, led by their elders spoke out against the continued war and chaos that had captured the islands. This upset, originating in the province of Settsu drew the peasantry in and preached against the excesses of the Samurai wars that continued unabated. Within days the gathering had turned into an army seven thousand strong, peasants had been joined by disaffected Ji-Samurai[3], Ronin[4] and other less noble elements. Their announced goal was simple, the ending of the caste system, and the destruction of the military Shogunate. Their threat was made all to clear when the equally numerous Shogunate army under Uedo was narrowly defeated by the band of rebels. Any compulsion the Daimyo had toward observing the rights of the Shogun disappeared, the Ashikaga had now lost the necessary attributes of control and mastery, the rebels, led by a man known only as Masaru, would storm Osaka, killing the Samurai and officials that still lived before heading north to Kyoto.
But though central Japan was suffering under the storm of revolution, the Moriyake were more concerned by the Akamatsu succession. Sato Hideaki had been fostering relations with the Akamatsu as a fulfilment of Moriyake hopes to form an alliance with a mainland power in the hopes of projecting their own influence, and also to deter any Miyoshi attacks. The Miyoshi clan had made no secret of their desire to take all of Shikoku, and had formally claimed the island of Awaji.[5] It was thus a great setback when the Miyoshi and Akamatsu clans agreed upon the succession of Miyoshi Katsutoyo to the heirless Akamatsu Noriyasu, and though it kept the two clans separate in terms of government, their interests were totally aligned.
On the 25th of October, the city of Soja fell to the army of Iwanaga, the provinces of Bitchu and Bingo were taken and in November, the Hosokawa formally accepted the loss of the provinces and paid an indemnity to Lord Moriyake. The city of Kyoto and Yamashiro, though taken by Moriyake were technically pledged by Moriyake to go to the Shogun Yoshihisa, but the reality of the revolution in the area meant that the land was to be fought over between the Shoguns and rebel armies until Kyoto's fall to Masaru's rebels in April 1479.[6]
The Mimisaka Campaign 1478-1480
In November, 1478, Moriyake had survived and won the war of independence against the Hosokawa clan, and with his attention turned to the Miyoshi clan, he was taken off-guard by the Akamatsu declaration of war against him. Iwanaga moved fast and headed east to invade the Mimisaka region, Sato Hideaki was smuggled out of Akamatsu territory and Moriyake fretted over whether to remain in Awaji or move to reinforce Iwanaga. Moriyake used new revenues to enlarge his armies and laid claim to the province of Samuki on Shikoku island. Iwanaga travelled over hard terrain, and made slow progress in capturing the region, the first battle was hard fought amongst the mountainous landscape, Iwanaga however took the victory over his opponent, Mikumo Akira.
By December, Moriyake had made his decision and reinforced Iwanaga, creating a force of three thousand men in Mimisaka. However, the Akamatsu clan, far larger than the Moriyake, and stronger than the Hosokawa, when Miyoshi Katsutoyo brought the full brunt of the Akamatsu armies to bear, Takehiko and Katsurou were hard pressed to hold on to their gains. Miyoshi had brought a full thousand men more than the Moriyakes, and though the hard terrain worked in their favour, Takehiko knew that he could not sustain a prolonged war without help, in June of 1479, the Moriyake army was defeated, though casualties were relatively light, their position was rapidly becoming untenable.
Moriyake sent spies to Wakasa to seek out and support old Ishikki[7] supporters, the spies found a fertile ground within Wakasa and it was easy to persuade disaffected retainers to rise up against the Akamatsu clan. This was the help that Moriyake needed, in August, reinforcements from Bitchu joined the main army and with the Miyoshi Katsutoyo drawn away, Moriyake led the attack against Mimisaka. Just a month later, Katsutoyo returned behind the news that the Akamatsu army had been defeated by the rebels. Moriyake seized his chance, optimistic for another victory and attacked Katsutoyo, the victory however, was pyrrhic at best. Both sides had suffered heavy losses, and Moriyake manpower was no more. Moriyake retreated to Bitchu to recover and prepare defensive positions.
The attack never came however. The war and the northern rebellion in Wakasa had evidently weakened the Akamatsu enough that in November 1479, they offered a truce under the terms of status quo. Moriyake accepted, victory was unattainable this time. The war against Akamatsu had brought home the realisation that the Moriyake clan was dangerously alone, after months of negotiations, the Shimazu, who had recently fought against the Miyoshi clan, agreed to an alliance with the Moriyake. With the news that the Toki clan, previously a small time clan had after several victories over their neighbours, taken Kyoto, the alliance was welcome news. The clans in the south would have to band together, or enlarge themselves to counter the new strength of the Toki clan.
[1] - Simple Land Reform decision
[2] - Hosokawa were sieging Awaji when my troops finished training, figured it would be one of those massacre battles, was pleasantly surprised when I won.
[3] - Ji-Samurai were poorer Samurai, tied to land, a sort of mix between farmer and Samurai.
[4] - Ronin are masterless Samurai, if they could not find a Lord, many turned to banditry, others simply became farmers or tradesmen, effectively going down in the social scales.
[5] - Miyoshi have a core on Awaji, and sent me insults every now and again =(
[6] - Large rebel stack basically fights the Ashikaga armies for quite a long time until the province is taken by the rebels. Technically I could have demanded and taken Yamashiro in the peace deal, but I thought that was way too ridiculous!
[7] - Nationalist revolt for Ishikki core on Wakasa.