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== Background == |
== Background == |
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In 15th and 16th century Japan, Kōka, in Omi Province, had some 53 ruling [[Japanese clans|clans]] and nearby [[Iga Province]] contained some 300-500 small estates.<ref name=":7">{{Harvnb|Man|2012|pp=122-123, 173}}</ref> Both regions were in [[anarchy]], their estates and families constantly engaged in low-level, small-scale feuds and squabbles within and between each region.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Maltsev|2022|p=433}}</ref> This necessitated that the local ''[[jizamurai]]'' (lesser nobles) and their soldiers develop specialized espionage and combat skills.<ref name=":7" /> Schools for these techniques produced professionally trained, highly trained mercenaries who often offered their services to nearby provinces.<ref name="Turnbull 2003 9">{{Harvnb|Turnbull|2003|p=9}}</ref><ref name="Deal 2007 165">{{Harvnb|Deal|2007|p=165}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Citation |last=Yamada |first=Yuji |title=A History of Shinobi(忍び) |date=November 2014 |url=https://www.human.mie-u.ac.jp/kenkyu/ken-prj/iga/news/%E8%8B%B1%E8%AA%9E.pdf |work=The Truth about Ninja: A comparison of the historical 忍び(Shinobi)and 忍者(Ninja)as a cultural phenomenon |pages=2 |editor-last= |editor-first= |series= |contribution= |contribution-url= |place=[[London]], [[Alicante]], [[Valencia]], [[Barcelona]], [[Madrid]] and [[Rome]] |publisher=[[Mie University]] and [[Japan Foundation]] |doi= |id= |last2= |first2= |author-link= |author-link2= |editor-last2= |editor-first2=}}</ref> These schools eventually became the respective styles of [[Iga-ryū]] and [[Kōga-ryū]] ninjutsu. The |
In 15th and 16th century Japan, Kōka, in Omi Province, had some 53 ruling [[Japanese clans|clans]] and nearby [[Iga Province]] contained some 300-500 small estates.<ref name=":7">{{Harvnb|Man|2012|pp=122-123, 173}}</ref> Both regions were in [[anarchy]], their estates and families constantly engaged in low-level, small-scale feuds and squabbles within and between each region.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Maltsev|2022|p=433}}</ref> This necessitated that the local ''[[jizamurai]]'' (lesser nobles) and their soldiers develop specialized espionage and combat skills.<ref name=":7" /> Schools for these techniques produced professionally trained, highly trained mercenaries who often offered their services to nearby provinces.<ref name="Turnbull 2003 9">{{Harvnb|Turnbull|2003|p=9}}</ref><ref name="Deal 2007 165">{{Harvnb|Deal|2007|p=165}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Citation |last=Yamada |first=Yuji |title=A History of Shinobi(忍び) |date=November 2014 |url=https://www.human.mie-u.ac.jp/kenkyu/ken-prj/iga/news/%E8%8B%B1%E8%AA%9E.pdf |work=The Truth about Ninja: A comparison of the historical 忍び(Shinobi)and 忍者(Ninja)as a cultural phenomenon |pages=2 |editor-last= |editor-first= |series= |contribution= |contribution-url= |place=[[London]], [[Alicante]], [[Valencia]], [[Barcelona]], [[Madrid]] and [[Rome]] |publisher=[[Mie University]] and [[Japan Foundation]] |doi= |id= |last2= |first2= |author-link= |author-link2= |editor-last2= |editor-first2=}}</ref> These schools eventually became the respective styles of [[Iga-ryū]] and [[Kōga-ryū]] ninjutsu. The remote hills in this part of Japan might have helped in the formation of these schools.<ref>{{Harvnb|Barducci|2010|pp=|p=1007}}</ref><ref name=":10" /> Kōka was much more accessible than its southern neighbor but in the south it was still protected by high mountains.<ref>{{Harvnb|Barducci|2010|p=1007}}, quoting {{cite book |last1=Souyri |first1=Pierre F. |title=War and State Building in Medieval Japan |date=2010 |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=9780804774314 |editor1-last=Ferejohn |editor1-first=John A. |location=[[Stanford, California]] |pages=110–18, 20–22 |chapter=Autonomy and War in the Sixteenth Century Iga Region and the Birth of the Ninja Phenomena |editor2-last=Rosenbluth |editor2-first=Frances McCall |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YPkYMoO0ycIC&pg=PT110#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> The first references to term ''shinobi'', specifically ''shinobi-mono'', later known as [[Ninja|ninjas]], appearing in the late 1580s and early 1600s, referred to the soldiers from Iga and Kōka.<ref>{{harvnb|Barducci|2010|p=999}}</ref> 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".<ref name=":10" /> While Iga was surrounded by mountains and thus difficult to access, Kōka was situated along a major road that during the Edo period became the famous [[Tōkaidō (road)|Tōkaidō]].<ref name=":0">{{Harvnb|last1=Turnbull|year=2017|p=81}}</ref> It thus bridged the isolation of Iga to the key communication lines of Ōmi.<ref name=":0" /> Historical Kōka consisted of two large and several small valleys with rivers flowing down from the mountains which separated it from Iga. The two major rivers are the Yasugawa and the Somagawa.<ref>{{Harvnb|last1=Turnbull|year=2017|pp=81-82}}</ref> About a hundred medieval fortifications have been discovered in the hills above those rivers, suggesting extensive, albeit small-scale, military activities.<ref name=":1">{{Harvnb|last1=Turnbull|year=2017|p=82}}</ref> The historian [[Stephen Turnbull (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]] 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.<ref name=":1" /> |
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== History == |
== History == |
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In 1487, 46 families in Ōmi, including several in Kōka, complained to Shogun [[Ashikaga Yoshihisa]] about the rule of the ''shugo'', Rokkaku Takayori. Ashikaga attacked Rokkaku at Magari, assisted by ninja from Iga.<ref>{{Harvnb|last1=Turnbull|year=2007|p=174}}</ref> By the mid-1500s, the services of ninja from Iga and Kōka were in high demand, in use by at least 37 areas.<ref>{{Harvnb|Man|2012|p=182}}</ref> On December 15, 1541, the shogun in [[Kyoto]] sent a letter to Iga's governor requesting that the province assist [[Tsutsui Junshō]] in his siege of [[Kasagi, Kyoto|Kasagi Castle]].<ref name=":14">{{Harvnb|Turnbull|2017|p=66}}</ref> 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 [[Bailey (castle)|baileys]].<ref name=":14" /> Two days later, the armies inside Kasagi sallied out and were defeated, after which the Iga ninjas dispersed.<ref>{{Harvnb|Turnbull|2017|pp=66-67}}</ref> In circa 1560, the Iga Republic drafted a constitution which included an outline for [[Iga-Kōka alliance|an alliance with Kōka]].<ref name=":22">{{harvnb|Maltsev|2022|pp=439–440}}</ref><ref name=":32">{{Harvnb|Barducci|2010|p=1008}}</ref> Exactly how long the document was extent and how widely it applied to the villages is unknown.<ref name=":5">{{harvnb|Man|2012|p=126-128}}</ref> |
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== Government == |
== Government == |
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In Kōka, the [[Jizamurai|''jizamurai'']] organized in a similar ''ikki'' pattern to that in Iga, the high-ranking families acting as the [[Feudal baron|barons]] of the district.<ref name=":1" /> Some 53 [[Japanese clans|clans]] in the district ruled as the [[Elder (administrative title)|elders]] of the confederation.<ref name=":7" /> The ruling class was called ''dōmyōchu'' or ''ichizoku shūdan'', and they composed the ''Kōka-gun Chūsō'', the governing assembly and historical expression for the Kōka Confederacy.<ref name=":2">{{Harvnb|last1=Turnbull|year=2017|pp=82-83}}</ref> Among the ruling families are the documented clans of Ōhara, Hattori, Mochizuki, [[Ikeda clan|Ikeda]], Ukai, Ichiyaku, Taki, Saji, Takamine, Ueno, and Oki.<ref name=":3">{{Harvnb|Turnbull|year=2017|p=83}}</ref> The lesser landholders composed the ''samurai-shū'', among whom are the documented clans Tomita, Masuda, Shiotsu, Nishioka, Kitano, and Nakagami.<ref name=":2" /> |
In Kōka, the [[Jizamurai|''jizamurai'']] organized in a similar ''ikki'' pattern to that in Iga, the high-ranking families acting as the [[Feudal baron|barons]] of the district.<ref name=":1" /> Some 53 [[Japanese clans|clans]] in the district ruled as the [[Elder (administrative title)|elders]] of the confederation.<ref name=":7" /> The ruling class was called ''dōmyōchu'' or ''ichizoku shūdan'', and they composed the ''Kōka-gun Chūsō'', the governing assembly and historical expression for the Kōka Confederacy.<ref name=":2">{{Harvnb|last1=Turnbull|year=2017|pp=82-83}}</ref> Among the ruling families are the documented clans of Ōhara, [[Hattori clan|Hattori]], Mochizuki, [[Ikeda clan|Ikeda]], Ukai, Ichiyaku, Taki, Saji, Takamine, Ueno, and Oki.<ref name=":3">{{Harvnb|Turnbull|year=2017|p=83}}</ref> The lesser landholders composed the ''samurai-shū'', among whom are the documented clans Tomita, Masuda, Shiotsu, Nishioka, Kitano, and Nakagami.<ref name=":2" /> The Wada family also were powerful, controlling a series of mountain castles along a river valley.<ref>{{Harvnb|last1=Turnbull|year=2007|p=169}}</ref> The most famous member of the clan, [[Wada Koremasa]], controlled his small valley as if he were a ''[[Daimyo|daimyō]]''.<ref name=":3" /> 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]] when he took refuge in Kōka after the assassination of his brother [[Ashikaga Yoshiteru]] in 1565.<ref>{{Harvnb|last1=Turnbull|year=2017|p=83}}; {{Harvnb|last1=Turnbull|year=2007|p=169}}</ref> |
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== Religion == |
== Religion == |
Revision as of 03:04, 27 January 2023
Kōka ikki Kōka-gun Chūsō (甲賀郡中惣) (Japanese) | |
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Location | Kōka District 34°58′N 136°10′E / 34.967°N 136.167°E |
Largest city | Kōka |
Religion | Shugendō |
Government | Feudal military confederation • military-elder council |
Legislature | Kōka-gun Chūsō |
Today part of | Japan |
The Kōka ikki or Kōka Confederacy, historically known as the Kōka-gun Chūsō, was a military confederation and network of ninja (then known as shinobi) in Kōka District (often spelled Kōga) in Ōmi Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. It was the center for what would become one of the two major traditions of ninjutsu - Kōga-ryū . The other major tradition, Iga-ryū, emerged out of the Iga ikki that had formed in neighboring Iga Province. After centuries of rivalry, eventually the two networks of ninja worked closely in alliance together. While in Iga the ninja families essentially gained control of the entire province in a de facto republic, Ōmi province was too large, diverse, and strategically valuable for the families in Kōka to project their control over the entire area. The confederation ended with the subjugation of Kōka in 1581 to the Oda clan during the Tenshō Iga War. After that conquest, Kōka ninjas served Tokugawa Ieyasu and then his descendants late into the Edo period.
Background
In 15th and 16th century Japan, Kōka, in Omi Province, had some 53 ruling clans and nearby Iga Province contained some 300-500 small estates.[2] Both regions were in anarchy, their estates and families constantly engaged in low-level, small-scale feuds and squabbles within and between each region.[2][3] This necessitated that the local jizamurai (lesser nobles) and their soldiers develop specialized espionage and combat skills.[2] Schools for these techniques produced professionally trained, highly trained mercenaries who often offered their services to nearby provinces.[4][5][6] These schools eventually became the respective styles of Iga-ryū and Kōga-ryū ninjutsu. The remote hills in this part of Japan might have helped in the formation of these schools.[7][6] Kōka was much more accessible than its southern neighbor but in the south it was still protected by high mountains.[8] The first references to term shinobi, specifically shinobi-mono, later known as ninjas, appearing in the late 1580s and early 1600s, referred to the soldiers from Iga and Kōka.[9] 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".[6] While Iga was surrounded by mountains and thus difficult to access, Kōka was situated along a major road that during the Edo period became the famous Tōkaidō.[10] It thus bridged the isolation of Iga to the key communication lines of Ōmi.[10] Historical Kōka consisted of two large and several small valleys with rivers flowing down from the mountains which separated it from Iga. The two major rivers are the Yasugawa and the Somagawa.[11] About a hundred medieval fortifications have been discovered in the hills above those rivers, suggesting extensive, albeit small-scale, military activities.[12] 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 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.[12]
History
In 1487, 46 families in Ōmi, including several in Kōka, complained to Shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa about the rule of the shugo, Rokkaku Takayori. Ashikaga attacked Rokkaku at Magari, assisted by ninja from Iga.[13] By the mid-1500s, the services of ninja from Iga and Kōka were in high demand, in use by at least 37 areas.[14] On December 15, 1541, the shogun in Kyoto sent a letter to Iga's governor requesting that the province assist Tsutsui Junshō in his siege of Kasagi Castle.[15] 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.[15] Two days later, the armies inside Kasagi sallied out and were defeated, after which the Iga ninjas dispersed.[16] In circa 1560, the Iga Republic drafted a constitution which included an outline for an alliance with Kōka.[17][18] Exactly how long the document was extent and how widely it applied to the villages is unknown.[19]
Government
In Kōka, the jizamurai organized in a similar ikki pattern to that in Iga, the high-ranking families acting as the barons of the district.[12] Some 53 clans in the district ruled as the elders of the confederation.[2] The ruling class was called dōmyōchu or ichizoku shūdan, and they composed the Kōka-gun Chūsō, the governing assembly and historical expression for the Kōka Confederacy.[20] Among the ruling families are the documented clans of Ōhara, Hattori, Mochizuki, Ikeda, Ukai, Ichiyaku, Taki, Saji, Takamine, Ueno, and Oki.[21] The lesser landholders composed the samurai-shū, among whom are the documented clans Tomita, Masuda, Shiotsu, Nishioka, Kitano, and Nakagami.[20] The Wada family also were powerful, controlling a series of mountain castles along a river valley.[22] The most famous member of the clan, Wada Koremasa, controlled his small valley as if he were a daimyō.[21] 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 when he took refuge in Kōka after the assassination of his brother Ashikaga Yoshiteru in 1565.[23]
Religion
The religion in the district was Shugendō, a syncretism of Buddhism and Shinto.[21] Members of the samurai-shū are mentioned in a 1475 document of donations to Aburahi Daimyōjin, the patron deity 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.[20] Takigawa Castle, of the Ōhara clan, lay across from the Tendai temple Rakuyaji.[12]
Citations
- ^ Turnbull, 2017 & 83
- ^ a b c d Man 2012, pp. 122–123, 173
- ^ Maltsev 2022, p. 433
- ^ Turnbull 2003, p. 9
- ^ Deal 2007, p. 165
- ^ a b c Yamada, Yuji (November 2014), "A History of Shinobi(忍び)" (PDF), The Truth about Ninja: A comparison of the historical 忍び(Shinobi)and 忍者(Ninja)as a cultural phenomenon, London, Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome: Mie University and Japan Foundation, p. 2
- ^ Barducci 2010, p. 1007
- ^ Barducci 2010, p. 1007 , quoting Souyri, Pierre F. (2010). "Autonomy and War in the Sixteenth Century Iga Region and the Birth of the Ninja Phenomena". In Ferejohn, John A.; Rosenbluth, Frances McCall (eds.). War and State Building in Medieval Japan. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp. 110–18, 20–22. ISBN 9780804774314.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Barducci 2010, p. 999
- ^ a b [[#CITEREF|]], p. 81
- ^ [[#CITEREF|]], pp. 81–82
- ^ a b c d [[#CITEREF|]], p. 82
- ^ [[#CITEREF|]], p. 174
- ^ Man 2012, p. 182
- ^ a b Turnbull 2017, p. 66
- ^ Turnbull 2017, pp. 66–67
- ^ Maltsev 2022, pp. 439–440
- ^ Barducci 2010, p. 1008
- ^ Man 2012, p. 126-128
- ^ a b c [[#CITEREF|]], pp. 82–83
- ^ a b c Turnbull, p. 83
- ^ [[#CITEREF|]], p. 169
- ^ [[#CITEREF|]], p. 83 ; [[#CITEREF|]], p. 169
References
- Barducci, Polina; Orbach, Danny (2020-01-01). "Irregular Warfare in Late Medieval Japan: Towards a Historical Understanding of the "Ninja"". Journal of Military History. 84 (4): 997–1020.
- Man, John (2012). Ninja. London: Random House. ISBN 9781446487662.
- Turnbull, Stephen (2003). Ninja AD 1460–1650. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-525-9.
- Turnbull, Stephen (2007). Warriors of Medieval Japan. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-220-2.
- Turnbull, Stephen (2017). Ninja: Unmasking the Myth. Barnsley: Frontline Books. ISBN 9781473850439.