Short Biography of Miyoshi Nagayoshi （１）The Young Lord

English-language sources providing comprehensive information about the life of Miyoshi Nagayoshi, a prominent warlord who exerted control over central Japan during the Sengoku period, are notably scarce. Often regarded as the precursor to the ascendancy of Oda Nobunaga, Nagayoshi's story is both fascinating and pivotal in Japanese history. This blog endeavors to chronicle his biography in eight parts, shedding light on the remarkable life and achievements of this influential figure.

Please note that I've used the Japanese calendar for the days and months, but for clarity I've converted the era names to the corresponding years of the Western calendar. To accurately determine dates in the Julian calendar, it's necessary to approximate by adding about one month.

The young lord

The early life of Miyoshi Nagayoshi was inextricably entwined with the turbulent power struggles that engulfed the Muromachi bakufu in its waning years. Born on the 13th of the 2nd month in 1522 in Shibou Castle of Awa Province (now Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture) to Miyoshi Motonaga, a formidable vassal of the Hosokawa kanrei (deputy of the shogun), Nagayoshi's first decade unfolded amidst the escalating tensions between his father's burgeoning regional authority and the machinations of his nominal overlord, Hosokawa Harumoto. Though legend portrays his mother praying for a valorous son while overlooking the rapids of the Yoshino River, Nagayoshi's childhood would be indelibly marked by the brutal death of his father in 1532, felled by treachery from within his own ranks.

Nagayoshi's father, Motonaga, commanded formidable authority in his native province of Awa, as well as in Yamashiro, neighboring the capital. Alas, in the sixth month of 1532, an insurrection, cunningly orchestrated by his lord Harumoto and executed by Motonaga's own kinsmen, Miyoshi Masanaga and Kizawa Nagamasa, brought about his demise. These traitorous relatives, envious of Motonaga's sway, perceived him as a threat to be eliminated. 

During this tumultuous period, young Nagayoshi, a mere decade in age, accompanied his parents on a sojourn to the mercantile town of Sakai. Foreseeing the peril, his prudent father dispatched the lad, in the company of his mother, back to the safety of Awa. Motonaga, valiantly defying the rebel forces, ultimately embraced the honorable deed of seppuku when his position in Sakai became untenable, surrounded by the insurrectionist forces.

Hosokawa Harumoto, seeking to eliminate Motonaga, had harnessed the formidable might of the Ikkō-Ikki rebellion, bolstered by the influential Ikkō faction of the Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist sect. However, this potent force soon spiraled beyond Harumoto's control, igniting a broader insurrection against his own authority.

On the twentieth day of the sixth month in 1533, the young Nagayoshi, a mere eleven years of age, achieved a remarkable feat by negotiating peace between the warring factions of Ikkō Ikki and Harumoto. The official document formalizing this accord bore the name "Miyoshi Senkuma" – Nagayoshi's childhood appellation – as the mediator of these peace talks, declaring: "Let Miyoshi Senkuma handle the peace." While it is plausible that his uncle, Miyoshi Yasunaga, acted as a proxy during the negotiations, Nagayoshi was recognized as the successor to his slain father, an immense burden for one so young.

In this era, warlords did not command traditional standing armies as we understand them today. Instead, they relied upon their kinsmen and direct retainers as their primary forces, supplemented by contingents of warriors who were vassals yet maintained their own allegiances. These warriors would oft shift their loyalties, gravitating towards the leader possessing the greatest charisma. Remarkably, despite his tender age, Nagayoshi possessed sufficient charisma to successfully broker peace between these rival factions.

The young Miyoshi Nagayoshi, having but lately emerged from the tender years of childhood, was soon ushered into the roles and responsibilities of mature manhood through the coming of age ritual. Though this ceremony is conventionally reserved for those of fifteen summers, legend has it that the premature observance in Nagayoshi's case was prompted by precedents set by the 13th Ashikaga shogun Yoshiteru and Hosokawa Akimoto, son of Harumoto, both of whom had undertaken the rites at the tender age of eleven. Fate, however, had more urgently summoned Nagayoshi to don the mantle of leadership within his clan following the untimely death of his father. 

The eighth month saw the defiant rebels who had rent themselves from the mighty Hongan-ji temple in Osaka renew their insurrection, spurning all overtures of peace. Nagayoshi led the forces arrayed against them, succeeding in recapturing the strategic holding of Settsu Koshimizu castle. The following year of 1534 found him allied to the Hongan-ji itself, turning his arms against the army of Hosokawa Harumoto on the 11th day of the eighth month. He further crossed lances with Harumoto's vassal Miyoshi Masanaga in the tenth month, yet through the intercession of Kizawa Nagamasa, the military governor of Kawachi, and in consideration of his youthful years, was restored to Harumoto's service. Later that October, Harumoto charged the young Nagayoshi with reining in his unruly vassals who had embezzled tribute owed to the venerable Hirano Shrine in Kyoto, demanding restitution for their misdeeds.

Elevated to the rank of military commander under Harumoto, in the third month of 1536, Nagayoshi led an assault against rebels of the Ikkō sect who, alongside Hosokawa Harukuni, had fomented unrest in Settsu Nakajima. Though his forces were initially repulsed, Nagayoshi prudently sought refuge alongside Kizawa Nagamasa, joining his strength to that of Nagamasa and Miyoshi Masanaga in a renewed strike against the insurgents. This combined endeavor bore fruit by the 29th day of the seventh month, when the rebel forces were utterly routed. Throughout this conflict, Nagayoshi remained steadfastly loyal to Harumoto, unknowingly serving the very man who had instigated rebellion against Nagayoshi's own father.

(go to part 2: https://frederikcryns.com/blog/short-biography-of-miyoshi-nagayoshi----consolidating-power)