-XXXIII-
"Immolation"
Mimase Pass, Sagami Province, December 10, 1305
Houjou Munenaga sat conflicted as he listened once more to the words of his second son Iesada, the flickering flames lighting his face. Every night, Iesada held these discussions with him as he pointed out the danger approaching the Houjou clan and how he was the only one who could stop it.
"Father, I don't have much more time to ask you. The battle will surely be tomorrow," Iesada said, his voice changing to the desperate. "The course of not just our family, but our nation depends on your choice!"
"I am aware, Iesada. You have told me many, many times before," Munenaga said with a sigh. "But Nagasaki Enki has nothing to offer me, nor does he have anything to offer you or your brothers. It is improper for me to betray the man who trusted me so much he married your sister."
"The Tiger of Aki is a wise man, our greatest general. As I told you before, Nagasaki Enki promises Lord Takeda a good fate. He and his son will commit an honorable suicide, having been coerced into rebellion by the machinations of Lord Toki and Lord Chuujou."
"Listen to yourself, Iesada, wishing such pain on your brother-in-law and nephew," Munenaga muttered. Even so, it seemed like a fine offer.
Nagasaki Enki is a persuasive man. He rewards loyalty, and he gave Iesada a fine offer indeed.
"I wish none at all. Perhaps even Nobumune might understand what he has done and Lord Nagasaki might commute his sentence," Iesada argued. "We do not know what will happen in regards to that, but we do know what will happen if we defeat the loyalists of the Houjou tomorrow. Our nation will plunge into an era of unrestrained anarchy! The warrior class shall become nothing but dogs of the court, living off their scraps as justice itself crumbles."
Munenaga nodded, understanding the risk of what might occur if the court regained authority. Although they might be a just arbiter of disputes, without the Houjou clan guiding them they would fall into decadence and appoint their own cronies to lead armies and thus lead the nation to ruin.
"Even among the warriors, let us consider that if Lord Takeda seizes power, nothing shall stop Lord Ashikaga, Lord Toki, Lord Sasaki, Lord Chiba, or any other powerful lord from trying the same. Houjou Masako knew well when she ensured her brothers took charge of Minamoto no Yoritomo's heirs, for they might lack Yoritomo's wisdom and favour their own. If any among the Minamoto might seize the Shogunate or even usurps our own position, he cannot be a neutral arbiter and he and certainly his heirs may fall into corruption." [1]
Munenaga sighed, knowing his son was correct.
"Over half of our nation, including the capital, is occupied by rebels sponsored by the invader. If we do not show a unified front, how can we ever hope to restore our country?" Iesada noted. "Nagasaki Enki is not forever, and Lord Sadanori is growing up fast."
Munenaga nodded, recalling just a few months ago before the war started when Sadanori had his coming of age ceremony at barely 7 years of age.
We who oppose Nagasaki place all our trust in that boy, but what if he is merely another Sadatoki?
"There will time to deal with Nagasaki Enki in the future," Iesada said, "But for now, let us punish these rebels and restore order to we might regain our strength and punish the real rebels and those invaders from the continent. Beside, he promised you all those offices. The Nagoe will be elevated as never before, a wish denied to your own father and grandfather! You will be elevated to the Rokuhara Tandai, and no doubt from there you will become a cosigner and maybe even the regent before you cede the power to Lord Sadanori. My older brother, dear Harutoki, will be hailed as the finest warrior-poet and gain your offices, and even my younger brother, dear Sadamune who has inherited your skill in battle, will be recognised for his talents. Please do not sacrifice the future so readily, father! Our entire clan will wither and die if Takeda wins tomorrow, for in the eyes of these simple warriors Nagasaki Enki's misdeeds and our clan are one and the same!"
Iesada bowed before him as Munenaga took a deep breath.
Offices I don't care about--Takeda Tokitsuna will reward me with all that and more, for I am among the few Houjou who oppose Enki. But my actions are illegitimate--had I beheaded that Aeba Kuninobu as I desired, would Lord Takeda really have joined Toki's rebellion? In the worst case scenario, we may have died together striking a great blow against those rebel forces and my sons may have united alongside Takeda's son and brothers and punished Toki and Chuujou.
"Please leave, Iesada. Ensure Nagasaki knows that I will consider your words strongly," Munenaga said. Iesada's face lit up.
"Yes, father! I pray your wisdom guides you toward the correct decision!"
With that, Iesada left the tent, a cold breeze filling it as he stepped into the night.
"More than anything else, I hate how right you are, Iesada," Munenaga said, speaking to himself. "You may not be as cultured as your older brother or strong as your younger brother, but you have both in equal parts. That is what made you such a talent on the battlefield of blood and the battlefield of poetry."
In his eye, Munenaga saw the future. Takeda Tokitsuna would surely reward him, perhaps even make him a cosigner as a peace offering to the Houjou. But both he and Tokitsuna were old men now. Would his grandson Nobumune act the same way? And what about his great-grandsons? What about other members of the Takeda clan? There was far too much animosity against the Houjou, and he had heard warriors fantasizing amongst themselves of getting pieces of Houjou clan land.
In the end, a Takeda victory will bring about our downfall. Be it six years or sixty, there will come a time my descendants and his will clash, and we will be sorely outnumbered. Those descended from the generals of Minamoto no Yoritomo were all crushed by my clan, and then it will be my clan's turn to suffer for those actions.
Even so, Munenaga could not rise to go tell Iesada he committed to the plan. It felt completely wrong to betray a man who had been his benefactor for so many years. He was nothing but a lesser man from a disdained branch of the Houjou, but thanks to that energetic man who married his daughter so many years ago, he was now considered one of the finest generals in Japan. Thanks to Takeda Tokitsuna, he outlasted three fierce invasions from the invader and had the privilege of reporting his victories to both court and Shogun countless times. And there was no telling if Nagasaki Enki would keep his bargain. If even a Houjou branch like the Osaragi might be punished, certainly the Nagoe might. Perhaps they'd even suffer the annihilation Enki granted the Igu and Sasuke Houjou.
A fork in the road appeared in his mind eye, but Munenaga refused to go forward. The more he pondered the problem, the more he thought of no way out. In the end, he realised every single option led to him becoming forever known as the man who destroyed the Houjou clan.
How can I bring such utter shame on my forefathers that I would be the one to destroy our clan? I would be damned to hell for a nigh-eternity for such a crime against them.
But Munenaga knew one option might not lead to his eternal shame--his own death. With a heavy heart, he thought of the words to a poem and committed it to ink.
Beneath autumn leaves
Two stags walked two paths
How could I chase one
When both are so majestic?
So I did nothing and watched.
As he finished, he drew his sword and plunged it into his belly, collapsing immediately on the poem he wrote. The pain was immense, but it was sufficient punishment for failing to make a choice, and far less than the pain he would endure in hell for insulting his forefathers by contributing to the destruction of the Houjou clan.
Forgive me, Lord Takeda, but in this battle I can do no more for you. If your cause is truly just, then you shall win regardless of my presence. Farewell.
---
Mimase Pass, Sagami Province, December 11, 1305
Takeda Tokitsuna could hardly believe the news he heard.
Houjou Munenaga, dead? How could that man die so easily, let alone outside of battle? When he heard it was suicide and read that death poem, he feared the worst.
"Someone cornered him," Tokitsuna said to Komai Nobumura. "Houjou Munenaga would never do such a thing without some external force prompting him. Arrest his sons and grandsons at once."
"Yes, my lord." Komai relayed the order as Tokitsuna considered what to do.
It had to be one of them. Nagasaki Enki must have used one of them to pressure Munenaga into rebellion.
Munenaga was never supportative of this expedition, and knew well that anti-Houjou sentiments are growing everywhere, but in the end he was too loyal to me. Tokitsuna held back tears, thinking of how long he knew Munenaga and just how much he owed to him.
May his loyalty be remembered forever.
After some time, some of Komai's warriors dragged several men and boys before him. Some wore their armour, but others simple robes for sleeping in. All of them seemed confused of the matter, all beside one of them and three older boys around him who struggled so much the warriors had to tie them with ropes.
"Do you know why I have brought all of you here," Tokitsuna asked as they knelt before him--all but that one man and his three boys.
"No! You are unjustly detaining men of the Houjou clan!" the annoyed Houjou man replied. "I, Houjou Iesada, son of Houjou Munenaga, will not stand for this!"
"Y-Your father has perished out of loyalty to his forefathers and the Shogunate," Tokitsuna replied, hating every moment of saying those words. "I wish to know why it was so sudden."
The Houjou men seemed suddenly confused, glancing at each other and muttering amongst themselves. Even Iesada and his sons were surprised. One of them he knew very well, the fierce warrior Sadamune, stepped forth as tears streamed down his face.
"Iesada, why? How could you do that! You did not really do that, did you? Tell me you didn't!" Tokitsuna sighed, but was glad he did not need to investigate the matter further, especially when already Nawa and his scouts were out their clashing with enemy scouts as both forces sought out the correct time and route to attack.
"I encouraged father to properly honour his forefathers," Iesada said. "That is all. My dear father, so soon departed, was a great man and knew well he must do so. He must have taken his own life when he feared he could not."
"Liar!" Sadamune said, walking over to his brother and grasping him by the throat. Just as soon as he did, Iesada's sons shoved him off and drew their swords. Sadamune picked himself off the ground and drew his own sword, brandishing it menacingly at them.
"I know what you did! You met with that bastard Enki when you retrieved Harutoki from Kamakura! He told you lies and whispered poison into your ear, and thanks to that poison, Munenaga is dead! How can you explain yourself!"
A sudden anger grasped Tokitsuna as his fear came to life.
So that is why Iesada and his brothers joined my camp instead of remaining with the Shogun. How despicable!
"Simple. Lord Sadamune, please understand!" his brother said, motioning his sons to sheathe their swords. "And you as well, Lord Takeda, my dear brother-in-law. Please know that we are committing a horribly illegitimate act that shall bring ruin on all Japan! We have joined hands with rebel warlords and corrupt court ministers to overturn an order that brought peace to all Japan. If we follow through our plot, then there will be nothing but more disorder and chaos until the invader makes his final move and destroys--!"
"Enough!" Tokitsuna shouted, furious at the treachery before him. "No matter your intentions, you betrayed your father to a man just as corrupt as the Saionji. You preach about destruction and illegitimacy, but I need only ask one thing to prove you a hypocrite--just what was the deal Nagasaki Enki promised you?"
Iesada hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath.
"That you, Lord Takeda, would be treated as an honourable man coerced into a horrible crime by overeager relatives and the wicked Lord Toki and Lord Chuujou. You and Nobumune will be granted permission to commit suicide and you shall be treated with all the dignity a fallen hero of our nation deserves."
"Then will you not do the same? Will you follow your father's honourable example?" Tokitsuna demanded.
Iesada seemed taken aback.
"N-Not at the moment, Lord Takeda," he said.
"Then you are a hypocrite, as Nagasaki Enki is. Were Nagasaki Enki an upright man, then he would ensure my name is spoken alongside Shouni Kagesuke for the crime of rebelling against the lawful order of the Shogun and Emperor. There is no place for such hypocrisy in our nation, therefore I grant you and your sons the privilege of redeeming your honour and apologising to Munenaga in the afterlife."
"W-wait just a minute, Lord Takeda, please--"
Tokitsuna drew his own blade.
"I will avenge Munenaga myself if you do not take my offer. He will be most disappointed to see how you spat on both his honour and mine."
Iesada and his face grew pale, and his youngest son, perhaps only 12 years old, clutched his father tight.
He is old enough to carry a sword to battle and take lives, so he is old enough to know the consequences of supporting his father's actions.
"Father, I am sorry!" his eldest son said, plunging his blade into his stomach. He turned to Takeda with tears in his eyes as the blood poured forth. "F-forgive me..." Tokitsuna nodded as the youth collapsed to the ground, promptly followed by his younger brother. With some hesitation, even his youngest sliced his stomach and fell on his sword, leaving only their father, who looked in horror at the bodies of his sons. He fell on his knees in sorrow and drew his own sword, but before following his sons into death, Iesada stared at Takeda Tokitsuna with humbled eyes.
"W-will you at least spare my youngest sons? They are as innocent in this as these boys you forced into death!"
"They will be judged by their own actions when they become men," Tokitsuna replied.
"Th-thank you...so there is a chance the Houjou may survive..." Iesada said with relief appearing on his face. He looked once more at his dead children and wept. "How filial you are to follow your father even into his own foolishness!" With those last words, Iesada stabbed himself and fell on top of his son's bodies. Tokitsuna shook his head.
None of this needed to happen. Damn you, Nagasaki Enki! Surely you will burn in the lowest hell alongside your ancestor Kiyomori.
The warriors around seemed shocked at the scene, and unsettling murmurs rose. The Houjou men all cried, every one of them, as Tokitsuna pondered the challenge before them. To think we have to fight a battle after this tragedy. Unbelievable!
Houjou Sadamune stepped forth and knelt on his face before Tokitsuna, tears on his face from the death of his elder brother and nephews.
"Lord Takeda, please grant me the honour of cleansing the stain of dishonour my elder brother and my father! Please let me lead my warriors in battle!"
Tokitsuna looked at Komai, who simply shook his head.
This too could be part of Nagasaki Enki's trap. Houjou Munenaga was to command the center of our forces today, and no doubt Nagasaki was counting on his defection in the midst of battle so our lines would collapse at once. An idea arose in his head to turn the enemy's plan against him.
"Very well. I will grant you 100 horsemen. You shall lead them, and your kinsmen and vassals shall be among them, but sixty of them shall be brave warriors of my choosing. You will charge into the enemy center, trying to convince him you have carried out the mission."
"I shall do so!" Sadamune said with pride. "From this day forth, myself and my brothers are no longer men of the Houjou, but we are Nagoe men! Long live the Emperor! Long live Shogun Takaharu!"
"Komai, ensure the Houjou vassals are kept separate from our forces. In our battle plan, use them as a vanguard. Our archers and spearmen shall be behind them to ensure they move forward and fight the enemy before them."
"Yes, Lord Takeda." Komai relayed the order as Takeda sighed once more at the blood spilled before him.
"If the enemy hasn't attacked yet, prepare for battle in one hour or so. I will be meditating until then." With that, Tokitsuna departed the terrible seen, murmuring a mantra under his breath.
Oh, how troublesome this matter has become!
---
Mimase Pass, Sagami Province, December 11, 1305
Ashikaga Sadauji fired an arrow straight through the face of an enemy soldier who charged at his horse, casting it aside as he rapidly slashed at another man. His horse reared back, but Sadauji maintained perfect control as he rode a tight circle, hacking at a few enemies before turning tail. His warriors surrounded him, themselves being cut down by the advancing army.
"There's no need to stay here any longer!" Sadauji yelled, raising a bloodstained sword. "The battle was lost the moment those Nagoe Houjou refused to act as Nagasaki believed they would! Defend our retreat!" He recalled from earlier the dramatic charge into their camp of perhaps a hundred light cavalry men. That idiot Nagasaki Shigen refused to let his men attack them, and sure enough they penetrated so deeply that they not only killed hundreds but some of them lived to tell the tale.
If Shigen listened to me, this battle would be won.
The Ashikaga men along with some Shikoku warriors like those Kawano clan soldiers followed his orders, forming tight ranks. The enemy charge had become too bloodthirsty, and the Ashikaga warriors were starting to repel them as a new line became formed. They absorbed fleeing survivors from the Houjou, Nagasaki, and others, among them Onozawa Sanetsuna who was covered in blood and seemed to have a broken arm.
He is a good commander and a wonderfully loyal vassal for the Houjou, suffering those wounds for them in not even two weeks. If they do not reward him, I will.
"Lord Onozawa, where is Shigen!" Sadauji yelled over the commotion as one of his warriors handed him a new bow that he used to effortlessly strike down an enemy soldier.
"Dead, Lord Ashikaga," Onozawa muttered. He coughed up a bit of blood, wincing in pain. "I tried protecting him, but he refused and took responsibility for the defeat himself. He apologises for not listening to your advice." Sadauji sighed.
"Then I will pray for his soul," he replied. "Now I do not want to pray for your soul too. Find a safe place among the wounded, or help me round up our men to retreat."
"Y-yes, Lord Ashikaga." Onozawa ran off, and to Sadauji's surprised kept fighting even in his condition. Sadauji himself rode over to Hosokawa Kimiyori, whose men were laying beneath some brush in ambush for any incoming soldiers.
"Wonderful preparation, Lord Hosokawa," Sadauji said. "But be sure you retreat as well. The battle is lost, but the war is not yet over."
"Certainly, Lord Ashikaga," Hosokawa replied. "He will be forced to either dismiss most of his army or live off the land as he lays siege to Kamakura, attracting the ire of the peasants while living in meager conditions. Perhaps the gods will smite his force with disease as they try and besiege Kamakura. That is the time we will gain our victory."
Ashikaga smiled, for Hosokawa knew the exact strategy he had in mind.
"Indeed. Let us not die for Nagasaki Enki and his band of fools, but let us prove that the Ashikaga are as much a pillar of the Shogunate as the Houjou."
Hosokawa smirked.
"Did not such lines incite Shigen's fury this morning?"
"That they did. But he understands the truth that the Shogunate right now cannot survive without us." Ashikaga rode off, firing an arrow at a soldier in his path. To his disappointment, the enemy commander beneath a banner with the four diamonds of the Takeda advanced cautiously and ordered his archers to shoot into the brush, uncovering Hosokawa's ambush. Ashikaga shot an arrow at the young commander and struck him in the shoulder from a great distance.
Tch, just a little higher and it would have pierced his throat. Be it archery or politics, one must always aim for the top. Nagasaki Enki understand this, and I pray that ensures he and the Houjou grant me a reward suitable for the Shogunate's top man.
---
Inamuragasaki, Kamakura, Sagami Province, January 15, 1306
Nitta Tomouji's feet sank into the cold wet sand as he rode his horse along the beach of Shichirigahama at the head of his cavalrymen. He averted his head from the nearby execution grounds, no doubt recently used with all the upheavel and tyranny in the city, instead turning his head toward the great round cliff blocking their way. That cliff, the cape of Inamuragasaki, loomed ominously before them, barely illuminated for the sun that would soon rise. On the other side lay the target, Kamakura itself, the city they needed to seize.
"Of course the path's blocked," a warrior riding beside him, Asatani Yoshiaki, noted, his speech still much too casual even after spending nearly a year at the Shogun's side. "What a waste of time!"
"This cape is as imposing as they say," his chief vassal Odachi Muneuji noted. "And with the sea currents, we would need pray Lord Nojima come to his senses and instructs an entire army with his skill."
"No, there must be a way around this, I am certain!" Tomouji said, shaking his head. He grabbed his sword and rode forward, with Odachi and Asatani alongside him.
"Were there a way around, surely someone would have discovered it by now, be it Minamoto no Yoritomo, any of the Houjou lords, a wise monk, someone." Odachi pointed out. "It would be just as fortified as the Gokuraku entrance the enemy repelled us from yesterday."
At the base of the cliff, he noticed the water level unusually low. He climbed off his horse and stuck his leg in the chilly water, noticing it came past his knee. Were it not for the constant waves, an army might readily wade past here.
"Careful not to catch a cold, Lord Nitta!" Asatani teased.
Tomouji pondered the problem.
How is the tide today? Shichirigahama is at low tide, but how much lower will the tide go? The tides are controlled by the gods, so I have but one option.
Tomouji drew his sword, a fine
tachi with its hilt inlaid with gold. His clan owned this sword for generations, ever since the era of his grandfather Masauji. He remembered well its story, but knew it had to be cast away for this purpose. He took off his helmet and knelt on the wet sand at the base of the cliff, laying his sword in the water as an offering.
"Are you trying to gamble with Ryuujin?" Odachi Muneuji laughed. "You can't even beat Asatani and his brother, how do you expect to beat the gods?"
"Ryuujin will take pity on him, just as we always would," Asatani pointed out.
"Quiet!" Tomouji rebuked.
"Oh great sea, the exalted goddess of the beginning of our nation Amaterasu, concealed herself within Vairocana Buddha's infinite light and manifested herself as Ryuujin, ruler of these vast seas. I pray nothing more than to serve her descendant, Prince Takaharu, as he seeks to subjugate the rebels plaguing this nation and defiling Ise where she is enshrined. I shall grab my axes and strike down the enemy's warriors to aid this nation and restore peace and prosperity to its people. Oh Ryuujin, divine protector of the seas, observe my loyalty, insufficient as it may be, and move away these waters and open the path for our army!" [2]
Nothing happened for some time, but Tomouji did not raise from his prostration. His eyes remained closed and his heart remained deeply in meditative prayer. Beside a sigh from Asatani, the others remained silent as he knew his army was assembling around him.
"Praise Ryuujin, for the sea is retreating!" Odachi shouted, breaking the silence. Tomouji looked up, and sure enough the water near the cape sank lower and lower as the minutes passed.
It's a miracle! Even after so many disasters, the gods favour us!
"The gods defend our nation!" Tomouji shouted! "Ryuujin has opened the path for our army! Let us march through and fulfill our mission by advancing forward and destroying all those who aid the rebel forces in the name of Shogun and Emperor!"
He climbed back onto his horse and rode on wet sand around the base of the cliff. There he saw the buildings of Kamakura--now was the time to seize the city!
---
Toushou-ji, Kamakura, Sagami Province, January 17, 1306
The flames gathered around Houjou Tokinao as he could not clear his sorrow from his mind.
In my life, I have known nothing but defeat. I pray that changes in my next life. It felt surreal to him, that after over fifty years his own death drew near. A blank paper sat in front of him with ink beside him, awaiting his death poem. He clutched his sword in his scarred hand, still nervous about his impending death--and furious it came in such circumstances.
What a sorrowful death it was! It was not as he imagined, where a beautiful concubine might be at his side as he said his final words. Tokinao did not even know where she was now and could only pray she and his young son Shiro escaped Kamakura. Instead the air was filled with weeping and mourning, punctured by the occasional awful scream from the suicide of a woman or child somewhere in the temple. The temple's head priest Nanzan Shiun recited a mantra along with the other monks of the temple, among them some of Tokinao's grandsons. The awful smell of smoke permeated the air, fires having started somewhere in the temple. Somehow Tokinao knew it wasn't the enemy who started them.
How ironic that the heirs of Taira no Kiyomori died by water, but his distant kinsmen, those heirs of Houjou Tokimasa, shall die by fire.
"For I now I bid farewell to all of you," Nanzan Shiun said over the chanting. "May your souls ascend to the highest heavens, for I alone will remain on earth so all will remember your sacrifice so you shall receive countless myriads of prayers." Tokinao sighed that even the head priest they recently appointed left them, but then assumed someone asked him to do so.
As a monk, he alone might survive the rampaging hordes outside the temple.
Were it not for the terrible situation, Tokinao wished to scream at him "please save Shoumyou-ji, and please save my father's library!" But now was not the time to worry about those trifling things, saddening as it was.
Do these violent warriors care for culture, or are they no better than the invader? Will the knowledge, culture, and wisdom of our nation be lost from these brutes on one side and the invader on the other? He recalled the joy his elder brother Akitoki had when he presented him books he rescued from Hakata and Dazaifu before the invaders destroyed them, such joy that Akitoki excused even the death of his younger brother Sanemasa, a man who surely would have been the titan of his time had he lived [3].
Tokinao glanced at his sword again, the trusty blade that served him all these years he inherited from a kinsman who also bore the name Tokinao. He repaired it again and again, and taken countless heads of the invader and those traitors who allied with them. Yet reliable as it was, it never brought him victory. He recalled his first battle nearly thirty years ago as he helped that eminent man Tokimune destroy his rebellious half-brother and his allies, but his brother Akitoki called him a fool for joining in Tokimune's attempt to seize power--perhaps Akitoki was right, for if Tokimune had not gained so much power, his successors could not have misused it on so many, including Akitoki himself. He recalled standing beside Sanemasa, defending Dazaifu against the endless horde of invaders.
My life should have ended there, but Sanemasa demanded I keep fighting and return to Kamakura so we might all hear his fate.
More memories came as pungent smoke filled the room and choked him. He remembered that bastard Sadatoki gloating to him at a drunken party about having ordered his brother's murder, practically begging him to take action so Sadatoki's bodyguards might behead them. He remembered all the defeats in the Shou'ou Invasion, and the Banpou Invasion where he fought so many times alongside his nephew Sadaaki. It was shameful that Sadaaki did his best to defend the nation and was mistreated for burning the land, and it was even more sorrowful to remember the sorrow expressions on Sadaaki's face--truly he was a man best fitted to sit in the library and learn culture, not burn down his own nation to stop the greatest threat in history. Was it any surprise all those defeats led him to this final moment, when the Houjou clan itself faced its final defeat against their once loyal retainers?
Tokinao coughed from the thick smoke and knew the time was now. With a deep breath and thoughts of the Buddha in his mind, he plunged his sword into his gut, the blood gushing forth and entering the inkwell. With quick strokes, he scrawled out his death poem in his dying breaths with his own blood.
I sowed many seeds
And wondered why I reaped dust
Only in twilight
Do I understand its meaning
For now I am those ashes
Placing it under a floorboard, he coughed harder as flames licked at his robe, and fell asleep, his body unable to bear any more suffering in this life.
---
Kuzuu, Shimoutsuke Province, October 24, 1306
His warriors illuminated by torchlights, Shiba Muneuji recalled the words of Ashikaga Sadauji--
betrayal is loyalty. He had never heard such a convoluted scheme before, and for that reason it was simply better not to think about, hence the absolute brutes of warriors and
ashigaru peasant-soldiers he brought with him.
That I have to betray my lord and everyone I've fought alongside for twenty years is simply mad.
Yet I must do so, for Ashikaga Sadauji's final victory will be grand indeed.
He walked into the headquarters Houjou Koresada set up in the humble house of a village headman, his men quickly subduing the door guards who noticed the armed men. There sat the elite of the Houjou clan--the
chinjufu-shogun Houjou Koresada, a pudgy teenage boy he assumed was his majordomo Nagasaki Takasuke, the sturdy samurai Kudou Sadasuke, and a few others among the remaining Houjou clan. Kudou noticed them immediately and drew his blade, followed by Houjou and Nagasaki. Muneuji looked around twice, noticing to his annoyance Adachi Tokiaki was nowhere to be seen, but assumed he was somewhere else in the village.
"Don't even bother, Houjou, it's over," Muneuji said with confidence. He grabbed a torch and brandished it at the men in front of him. "The question is whether you prefer to fight, or experience the same death as the rest of your kin."
"Shiba, you bastard," Kudou growled. "How the hell do you think you'll benefit from this? Takeda Tokitsuna is overturning everything, and his men will never let anyone associated with Ashikaga Sadauji survive!"
"I no longer need Sadauji," Muneuji said, disappointed he couldn't gloat the actual truth that Sadauji's scheme ensnared the Houjou. "But the Takeda need me. A great war in the north is very bad when they are trying to prepare to restore the rest of our country, and the easiest way to end this war is to present your heads before the Shogun and his regent."
"Stop," Houjou demanded. "What is it that you want? Even if you view meaningless and doomed our campaign in Mutsu, we can reward you with all the land you need in Shikoku. You are sorely mistaken if you expect the headship of the Ashikaga and all Sadauji's lands in Japan."
Even if though Muneuji knew he would be disappointed by Takeda's reward, he continued playing along. He gestured to his lieutenant, Uesugi Norifusa, to prepare to make a move at Kudou Sadasuke, clearly his most dangerous foe.
"That's too bad. We'll just have to see how he reacts to the sight of his enemy's head in a box. Don't worry, I'll treat it nicely."
At that codeword, Uesugi Norifusa lept forward into the room and hacked at Kudou, but Kudou blocked it. Muneuji dove to the ground and hacked at the heels of a Houjou man who tried attacking Uesugi's back as his three crossbowmen fired their darts into the room. He pushed a fallen enemy off him and crushed his throat as he stood back to back with Uesugi, dueling Nagasaki Takasuke. The youth's style was slow, inaccurate, and sloppy--it was fortunate that now he would never hold a high position of leadership like his father [4].
"Your father was too busy oppressing us warriors to raise you well, I see!" Muneuji sneered, effortlessly blocking his blows.
"Raised better than you, traitor!" Nagasaki replied. So effortless was the fight that Muneuji noticed Houjou Koresada escaping through a hidden door with the help of two younger vassals. He kicked Nagasaki to the ground and smashed his wrist to knock his sword away and rushed toward the escaping warriors, but Kudou Sadasuke blocked his path. In the corner of his eye, Uesugi Norifusa was picking himself off the ground with a bloody face.
"It is shameful we had to do this, Shiba!" Kudou growled, taking a defensive stance as his masters escaped. "You bring nothing but shame on yourself and your clan!"
"Hmph, you really are the finest warrior the Houjou clan has," Muneuji said, glaring at Kudou.
The Houjou would never have survived so long without vassals like this. He stepped forward and struck at Kudou with his blade, but the man parried it effortlessly. Muneuji tried again at what seemed like an opening, but Kudou likewise stopped the blade and took a deep slice at Muneuji's legs, cutting the fabric of his robe.
Tch, not a single opening! Even when his three crossbowmen fired in unison at him, Kudou seemed to know ahead of time and dove to the ground while still blocking Muneuji's swing.
But as Muneuji prepared to strike him as Kudou lay on the floor vulnerable, he suddenly noticed a shadow behind him and elbowed Nagasaki Takasuke to the floor. But this gave Kudou valuable time to step to his feet and set aflame the walls of the room with a lantern on the wall.
"You'll see soon the foolish mistake you've made!" he shouted, racing after his master.
Damn that Kudou! Were it not for him, we would have done well.
"Let's get the hell out of here!" Muneuji shouted, his lieutenant Uesugi kicking a knife from Nagasaki's hand to stop his suicide and grabbing the struggling youth. They rushed out of the burning house into the village, where it seemed a skirmish had already broken out between the Ashikaga vassals in the camp and the remainder of them. Fire was engulfing several houses, and the sound of shell trumpets filled the air.
Dammit, this was always a worry! One of his chief officers, Hatakeyama Yoshinari, walked up to him, helping a staggering youth walk over. To Muneuji's pleasure, that youth was clearly Adachi Tokiaki.
"There you are, Lord Adachi!?" Muneuji laughed, but Adachi simply laughed.
"Of course, of course! When one drinks to excess, one often wakes up in unusual places! Today I suffer that fate with joy!"
"He came through for us and got a dozen top Houjou vassals drunk," Hatakeyama noted, glancing at the cut part of Muneuji's robe. "I see it was harder for you."
"Well of course it was!" Adachi scoffed. "Ah, now I know why Lord Kudou and Lord Houjou refused my invitation! They knew what was going to happen and wanted to match blades with you!" Muneuji's eyes narrowed--someone must have tipped him off, a worrying sign. As a soldier helped Adachi to a horse, Muneuji's attention returned to the growing battle.
"What's going on, Hatakeyama, can we hold them off?" Muneuji asked.
"We will," Hatakeyama replied. "The minute I saw them escape the house, I ordered my men to carry out our backup plan. We've taken most of their horses and can make a retreat at any time."
"Good. Let's get the hell out of here!" Muneuji said, running to his horse and preparing to ride off. "For the sake of the Ashikaga and our reward, let us ride to Kamakura!"
---
After the end of the Banpou Invasion, the remainder of the Kamakura Shogunate fell into internal crisis as the ambitions of powerful Shogunate minister Nagasaki Enki clashed with the Shogunate's financier in the Imperial Court, Saionji Sanekane. This conflict, the Kan'an War, was by far the largest internal challenge the Houjou clan had seen since the Joukyuu War 85 years prior. Despite several initial victories and the failure of Saionji's attempt at a bloodless coup, the veteran army mobilised in the bordering regions by Toki Yorisada, Chuujou Kagenaga, and Takeda Tokitsuna won a victory at Komekami and threatened directly the Sagami Plain and Kamakura. Opposing them was Nagasaki's uncle Shigen, Shogunal bureaucrat Nikaidou Sadafuji, Rokuhara Tandai head Houjou Sadakuni, and the powerful noble Ashikaga Sadauji leading 22,000 men to Takeda Tokitsuna's 15,000.
The Tiger of Aki's force had taken a long route across Mimase Pass (三増峠) in northern Sagami Province. Shigen did not expect this advance and forced his army to make a hurried march to Mimase, where the Takeda slowly withdrew to tempt Nagasaki into attacking. Nagasaki had one secret weapon, however--Nagasaki Enki had secretly gained the allegiance of Houjou Munenaga via pressure from his second son Iesada (北条家政). Nagasaki promised to make Munenaga Rokuhara Tandai leader and to permit Takeda Tokitsuna, his brothers, and his son honorable suicides while keeping Tokitsuna's grandson (Munenaga's grand-nephew) alive as head of a much-reduced Takeda clan. This defection figured heavily into Nagasaki's plans for battle.
However, Munenaga could not bring himself to betray Takeda. He committed suicide before the battle, explaining the situation with a lengthy death poem. Takeda struck fast and detained Iesada and his three eldest sons and forced them to follow their father's example in suicide. He likewise detained other vassals of Munenaga, but those who were unaware he permitted to fight in the battle whilst unaware of the situation. However, Munenaga's third son Sadamune, furious at the circumstance of his father's death, burnt his Houjou banner and demanded none call him anything but Nagoe Sadamune (名越貞宗). He volunteered to lead a suicide unit of 100 cavalry to prove his loyalty.
Nagasaki Shigen's army faced his own internal issues. He did not trust Ashikaga Sadauji, who he thought aimed to become Shogun. An unsettling rumour from Ashikaga's enemies recalled words a monk once spoke to Sadauji's father Ietoki (足利家時)--in three generations, the Ashikaga would rise to their true glory. Sadauji had done nothing to disprove these rumours, and even the paranoid Houjou Sadatoki permitted him to treat the Ashikaga as the main branch of the Minamoto clan, increasing his legitimacy to become Shogun. Although Enki trusted Ashikaga, Shigen viewed him with far more skepticism, believing him to be a more dangerous foe than even Takeda [5].
With this lack of trust, Ashikaga's forces were dispersed through the army and not united under a single commander. The Ashikaga men knew the reason, and morale sank. The Shikoku warriors such as the Kawano and Ogasawara there suffered the same fate, despite an attempted intervention from Iyo Tandai Houjou Sadanao who acted as their leader.
Coordination was thus poor as Nagasaki Shigen attacked around noon on December 11, 1305, but he cared not for he expected Munenaga's defection to create a great shock in his enemy. Nagoe's charge was the expected beginning of this defection, but Nagoe's men struck deeply into Nagasaki's ranks and caused chaos. Nagasaki's scattered vanguard was mopped up by Takeda's resistance, and Takeda brought forth his rearguard under Toki Yorisada and Chuujou Kagenaga which rapidly destroyed most of his army. Nagasaki perished, and only Sadauji rallying the Ashikaga and Shikoku men let the surviving Houjou clan forces escape. Around 10,000 died with another 5,000 defecting--Takeda himself lost only 3,000 men and even Nagoe Sadamune managed to survive, hailed a hero for achieving victory.
Losses to the Houjou were severe. The heads of several branch families perished in battle alongside over thirty men of their clan, such as Houjou Kimisada (北条公貞) of the Nagoe. The entire Shiotari branch of the Houjou became extinct entirely. Prominent Houjou vassals such as the Suwa and Nanjou clans also lost many men. It is said the regent Houjou Mototoki wept bitterly and proclaimed the Houjou should never be the same after the battle even if the rebel army was totally destroyed.
The Battle of Mimase Pass proved as devastating to the Houjou clan as any of the great defeats against the Mongols
After Mimase Pass, Takeda's forces united with Shogun Takaharu's force that had been hiding in the mountains of northwestern Musashi province. They laid siege to Kamakura with an army of 30,000 men, far outnumbered the meager Houjou garrison of around 5,000 commanded by Nikaidou Sadafuji and Houjou Tomosada. But the two gave staunch resistance for they knew Ashikaga, now defacto leader of the Houjou army, was attempting to link with the 12,000 men of
chinjufu-shogun Houjou Koresada.
Ashikaga adopted a strategy of guerilla warfare, attacking the lengthy supply lines of the Shogunal force. At Katasehara on December 25, his 7,000 men successfully fought off a detatchment of 10,000 under Tsubarai Nobutsugu and Nagoe Sadamune due to the defection of some of the latter's vassals and Ashikaga's brilliantly laid ambush at the banks of the Hikichi River. Ashikaga took minimal losses, but Tsubarai lost almost 3,000 men including one of his younger sons.
Frustrated with this situation, Takeda ordered another detatchment, this time half his remaining force (13,000 men) under his own son Nobumune to attack Ashikaga's army. This time he sent along many of Takaharu's men, including the Shogunal Attendants, his loyal warrior monks, and others recruited from Kamakura as well as the survivors from Shikoku. They attacked Ashikaga as his forces crossed the Sagami River bridge at the town of Chigasaki on January 8, 1306, and with their bravery broke his lines. Prominent Houjou loyalist Utsunomiya Tsunetsuna (宇都宮経綱) perished alongside Ashikaga's high-ranking vassal Imagawa Motouji and 4,000 warriors helping Ashikaga escape.
Unlike in Kamakura which was a defeat, at the Battle of Chigasaki each member achieved heroic deeds such as Toki kinsman Funaki Yoriharu claiming Kira's head. As a result, it is often called the first battle of the Shogunal Attendants. Their only loss came when Kondou Munemitsu, a young samurai of Owari who deeply trusted the Shogun, was slain by Shiba Muneuji, thus becoming their first casualty. The infamous
akutou Tajimi Kuninaga replaced him as an Attendant. Legend has it that as the Shogunate forces celebrated their victory at a nearby temple where Minamoto no Yoritomo once stayed, the ghost of that old shogun appeared and protected Shogun Takaharu from vengeful ghosts, promising him he should rule as Shogun for many years to come.
The Ashikaga force disintegrated, with one group under Shiba Muneuji retreating to link with the
chinjufu-shogun's force and Ashikaga himself returning to Shikoku to try raising another army. But the
chinjufu-shogun Houjou Koresada still posed a potent threat and winter brought privation for the large army he commanded. Thus Takeda Tokitsuna needed to take Kamakura as soon as possible.
Attacks on Kamakura's gates failed due to mountainous terrain and strong fortifications. Five times the Takeda force attacked in January, but they were thrown back each time. Finally, Nitta Tomouji proposed an attack through Inamuragasaki, a cape with steep cliffs. At its base was an extremely narrow beach almost always underwater due to the tide. It is said that on the morning of January 15, 1306, Nitta led 5,000 warriors and prayed to the sea god Ryuujin so that he might let their forces pass. Sure enough, the tide lowered just enough to let thousands of Japanese pass on dry land. Asatani Yoshiaki of the Shogunal Attendants, a Nitta associate, rode back to Shogun Takaharu and reported the dramatic news. Takaharu ordered Takeda to make another attack.
This event owed much to tidal phenomena. January 15 is near Earth's perihelion, where tides are stronger due to the Sun being closer. It was also the day of the new moon and a new moon very close to the lunar perigee, both factors of which strengthens tides. Thus the low tide that day was far lower than usual [6].
With Nitta at their head, the 5,000 warriors inside Kamakura broke the resistance at the Gokuraku Pass and caused enough chaos that the main Takeda force stormed through into the city from several angles. Other warriors under bureaucrat-general Iga Mitsumasa (伊賀光政) and courtier Tachibana no Tomokuni rushed into the city and secured the main offices of the Shogunate and manors of prominent citizens. They overwhelmed the meager defenders, who themselves faced armed citizens furious about the events several months prior. The majority lay down arms and joined the victorious army. Defense commander Houjou Tomosada was slain by his own troops.
With both Nagasaki Takayori and Nikaidou Sadafuji dead, most surviving members of the Houjou clan present in Kamakura retreated to their family temple at Toushou-ji (東勝寺) on January 17, 1306, where they made a final stand along with a few of their vassals and bureaucrats. Nagasaki Enki committed suicide at its doors, while a few warriors guarded the outside in a final stand. The Houjou clan themselves along with some of the chief ministers, vassals, and kinsmen began committing suicide and set their temple alight. Among the dead include Shogunal regent Mototoki, regent's cosigner Sadafusa, Rokuhara Tandai leader Sadakuni, and the young head of the clan Sadanori, who at 7 years old died in the arms of his mother. Hundreds perished in one of history's largest mass suicides, with the final head priest of the temple Nanzan Shiun (南山士雲) being among the few survivors, entrusted by the Houjou to tell their story.
After nearly a century of undisputed rule over Japan, the Houjou clan had been defeated. Yet the Takeda army had little desire to change the status quo. They ordered all bureaucrats to return to work or depart the capital, and most did--for instance, the Nikaidou clan reorganised under Nikaidou Tokitsuna (二階堂時綱) and took up their positions once more. Their shogun Prince Morikuni was peacefully removed from office. The Houjou allies in the Imperial Court were banished and the child emperor En'man was forced the abdicate at the behest of retired emperor Go-Uda. Prince Kuniyoshi, sole son of Emperor Go-Nijou who escaped Kyoto as an infant in his mother's arms, became Emperor Okura (大蔵天皇). As Kuniyoshi's crown prince was Go-Uda's fifth son Prince Yoshiharu (良治親王), this marked the end of the Jimyou-in line's power over the throne. Further, as Prince Yoshiharu was Saionji Sanekane's grand-nephew, the Saionji family's power deepened even further.
The fall of Kamakura broke the Houjou clan. Houjou Koresada's army in the north disintegrated as some of their own soldiers tried to kill both him and his kinsmen Houjou Sadaaki, who was now the senior Houjou commander. Around 5,000 warriors immediately defected when they heard the news on March 2, 1306, and appointed Soga Yasumitsu their leader, but Houjou Koresada with 11,000 remaining men defeated Soga's army thanks to timely attacks from Kudou Sadasuke's men. This came at great cost, for Sadaaki died in the fighting helping Koresada escape. Unable to advance his army to Kamakura, Kudou took shelter in Dewa Province at Akita Castle and finally united his force with Ashikaga Sadauji as he attempted to organise a Houjou resistance in the north with the aid of Nagasaki Takasuke (長崎高資), Enki's son and heir.
Although a few Takeda allies such as his kinsman Henmi Nobutsune proposed he assume the rank of shogun himself, the aging Takeda Tokitsuna declined. It is likely his past experience with shogunate politics soured him on making such a drastic move that would undoubtedly spawn a new conflict, as Shogun Takaharu had many allies in the Imperial Court. Instead Takeda satisfied himself with the dual positions of shogunal regent and civil governor of Sagami Province, inaugurating the new government of the Takeda regents [7].
War against the Houjou remnants
Yet the war was not over. The naval forces of Kawano Michitada and the elderly warrior Nojima Hidetoki won a naval battle against Kutsuna Hisashige and his navy off the cape of Omaezaki (御前崎) in Totoumi Province, ensuring continued Houjou control over the seas. Kawano Michitada and Houjou Sadanao returned to Shikoku to rally another army to come to the aid of the 8,000 Houjou clan forces trapped in Akita Castle. Soon thereafter, Kawagoe Shigekata (河越重方), a powerful lord in Musashi Province whom Takeda named military governor there, was assassinated by his young cousin Kawagoe Harushige (河越治重), who had lost his two brothers at the Battle of Mimase Pass.
Kawagoe united many in Musashi against Takeda and with 3,000 men led a daring raid into Sagami in May 1306 that captured the exiled courtiers and deposed Shogun. He faced minimal opposition, for many in Sagami still favoured the Houjou clan and viewed Kawagoe as a liberator. Houjou Sadanao convinced Kawagoe to bring the courtiers to Iyo Province instead of Dewa. It seems Sadanao envisioned a dual attack from either side, hoping the Takeda would split their own forces. This was a mistake, for it sowed tension between Sadanao and Koresada at a time the Houjou could scarcely be divided.
Takeda Tokitsuna first tried attacking the Houjou in north in spring 1306. He freed many political prisoners from the Izu Islands, including Andou Takanari, and combined them into a force led by his son, Nagoe Sadamune, and Nitta Tomouji. Around 10,000 men marched north, first invading Shinano and Echigo Province where they subdued the Suwa clan and conquered Echigo. Nagoe was named deputy military governor of Echigo, yielding the post of senior military governor to his elder brother Harutoki (名越春時), a famous poet. They then attacked Dewa, joining with Soga's army and pro-Takeda lords like the Date clan and some elements of the Nanbu and Rusu clans.
But their force met disaster as they approachehd Akita Castle, for along the Omono River (雄物川) in Dewa, Houjou Koresada ambushed them on May 30. Nitta Tomouji perished in the fighting which let Ashikaga's men crush the Takeda flank. If not for the bravery of Yuuki Munehiro, the Takeda would have been totally defeated, but Yuuki's men succeeded at injuring Houjou despite the best efforts of Kudou Sadasuke's forces and turned the tide of the battle. Both sides suffered thousands of dead in the process.
Meanwhile, Saionji's agents within the exile court, probably men loyal to his cousin Tamenaka Mitsunaka (為中光仲), fed disinformation to Houjou Sadanao, making wild claims that Takeda Nobumune died and Houjou Koresada led a decisive victory. This emboldened the Shikoku forces to land 10,000 warriors in Sagami just southeast of Kamakura in August 1306. They fell into Saionji's trap, for Takeda Tokitsuna dispatched Tsubarai Nobutsugu and Komai Nobumura with 15,000 men and attacked them on August 15, 1306. The Takeda forces struck in the night with superior numbers and quickly routed the Shikoku men who ran back to their ships. The contigent from Musashi proved far less lucky--Kawagoe died in a final stand alongside many from his clan helping those Shikoku men escape, and the Kawagoe clan's 250 year-long domination of Musashi Province came to an end [8].
It would not be military action, but intrigue that resulted in Houjou Koresada's defeat. Andou Takanari convinced Takeda to march north toward Tosa, so he might gain defectors from his clan. This provoked great fear in the young head of the Andou clan, Andou Munesue, who feared his kinsman Takanari would seize control over the clan. Further, he believed Soga Yasumitsu would take even more land from the Andou than he already had. Thus on September 2, the Andou forces suddenly rose against the Houjou and evicted their loyalists from Tosa and Fujisaki Castle.
The loss of this important center in Mutsu imperiled the Houjou position in Dewa. Houjou Koresada thus ordered his army to retreat from Akita Castle to the coast of Mutsu in the east so they might flee to Shikoku, fighting their way across Dewa and Mutsu to embark on the fleet from Shikoku. Koresada hoped he could become ruler of the Houjou clan, and feared Sadanao was already planning something similar.
However, Ashikaga Sadauji was not pleased with this result and cared not for the Houjou clan squabbling over the remnants of their power. He declared he would only continue following Houjou Koresada for renewed grants. Houjou granted him the position of military governor of Sanuki and a vast amount of land in that province (with scattered estates elsewhere) and even named him to the rank of deputy Iyo Tandai effectively making him the second most powerful man in Shikoku. Additionally, the Ashikaga were officially recognised as the main line of the Minamoto clan (源氏嫡流), an honour fallen into abeyance since the assassination of Minamoto no Sanetomo nearly a century prior. This privileged Ashikaga with headship over all the branches of the Minamoto such as the Takeda, although in practice it was more or less an honorary grant [9].
Yet Ashikaga was still painfully aware he would lose most of his land, not the least the clan's ancestral Ashikaga Manor in Shimotsuke Province, coveted by both the Nitta clan and the ruling military governors of the province, the Oyama clan. He devised a scheme to maintain some semblance of power outside Shikoku and ordered his vassals in Akita Castle to surrender to the Shogunate on their own terms. Such a plot would ensure Ashikaga could easily return to power within the Shogunate when the opportunity presented itself. Further, he knew that any Takeda regime would be on shaky ground due to the Shogunate's poor finances and their lack of legitimacy--they could not afford to conduct purges on potentially disloyal lords.
So his vassals could negotiate on better terms, they had to achieve a victory, so Houjou Koresada's army, now numbering only 8,000, once again marched south and invaded Ashikaga Manor in Shimotsuke. On October 23, they met a Shogunate force along the Hata River (旗川) nearly twice their size under Takeda Nobumune. Houjou's force fought with unexpected aggression for an army believed to be demoralised. In particular, Shiba Muneuji and Kudou Sadasuke excelled at repelling Shogunate attacks. The battle lasted most of the day and resulted in around 2,000 deaths on either side and Houjou managed to escape the Shogunate trap.
The following night at the village of Kuzuu, the Ashikaga vassals launched their plot in alliance with Adachi, who viewed the Houjou cause as doomed to fail. Ashikaga vassal Shiba Muneuji killed or imprisoned a number of chief Houjou vassals, not the least of which was Nagasaki Takasuke, and demanded Houjou Koresada surrender. Houjou refused to go along with their plot and escaped with the aid of Kudou Sadasuke and united with Ashikaga, escaping to the coast where he was rescued by naval forces.
Shiba and his men entered Kamakura with a few heads and prisoners. Takeda Tokitsuna was pleased with the result--he forced Nagasaki Takasuke to commit suicide and exiled the rest of his clan to the Izu Islands. Adachi Tokiaki likewise suffered exile, for Saionji Sanekane disliked him for not joining his plot. Captured Houjou vassals lost between 1/3 and 2/3 of their land--most fled to Echigo where they begrudgingly served the Nagoe. Due to its symbolic value, the Shogunate seized much of the Ashikaga estate in Shimoutsuke and partitioned most of it between the powerful Oyama and Nitta clans. Takeda's general Asonuma Mitsusato (阿曽沼光郷), kinsmen to several clans in the area, gained most of the remainder (much to the chagrin of said clans), with Shiba Muneuji retaining only a small portion [10]. He effectively became head of the Ashikaga within Japan, but kept a secret loyalty to Sadauji. While obviously distrusted, Shiba's talent and his ability to command the loyalty of hundreds of pro-Ashikaga men made him indispensible for the wartorn nation.
Although the loss of his great estate was regretful, the terms greatly pleased Ashikaga Sadauji, for his clan still preserved a semblance of power in the Shogunate should he ever seek to return there. It further forced Houjou Koresada to rely on him as his protector, who used Ashikaga's force to obtain for himself the position of shogunal regent. The entire fate of the Houjou clan thus lay in the hands of the Ashikaga, and Ashikaga used it to his advantage by ensuring Koresada gained power on Shikoku instead of his cousin, the Iyo Tandai Sadanao, who was forced to confirm Koresada's grants. Ashikaga was even offered the Shogunate, but he did not assume that position--it seems he viewed it as too dangerous a post to occupy while the Houjou still retained power.
The Kuzuu Incident and subsequent execution of Nagasaki Takasuke on December 5, 1306 effectively concluded the Kan'an War, ending nearly a decade of conflict in Japan. However, sporadic raids from Shikoku pirate fleets and pro-Houjou
akutou (not the least in Andou clan lands) still vexed the new government. Dealing with this threat--and the far greater threat posed by the Mongols and their vassal Kingdom of Japan--would be a primary challenge for the new government of the Takeda regents, but first the Takeda regents faced an even graver problem. They would have to solve the rewarding of warriors who both fought against the Mongols and against the Houjou, a challenge which the Houjou themselves could never solve. At stake was over 20% of land under the Kamakura Shogunate's control, land once owned by the Houjou and their vassals. The new warrior government and their allies in the Imperial court thus needed to make key reforms to survive the coming years as they reorganised for the challenge of restoring their country's unity.
---
Author's notes
At long last, Japan is (mostly) at peace. This continues the previous chapter, and there will be one more discussing the aftermath of the Kan'an War and Takeda Tokitsuna's rule as Shogunal regent in the next chapter. I do admit that two of the incidents here are borrowed from the
Taiheiki, but I felt it much too interesting to leave out and fairly plausible to still happen in an ATL fall of the Houjou--Nitta's entry into Kamakura could be done at other dates of very low tide (as known by someone who spent time in the city) and the Houjou clan likely would have retreated to their highly defensible family temple should the city have fallen.
The aftermath of the conflict regarding the Houjou on Shikoku and their Iyo Tandai will come later. I may or may not postpone my entry on the Kingdom of Japan's own internal issue until I do a general survey of the state of the Yuan--and Mongol Empire as a whole.
Thank you for reading!
[1] - Houjou Iesada is stating the likely cause of why the Houjou clan became so trusted and powerful, since it was feared the Minamoto might come to favour their own, but if they had a Taira like the Houjou at their side, the Shogunate would be a neutral entity for warriors. From this point of view, having someone like a Takeda or an Ashikaga as shogun/shogunal regent (
shikken) would be even worse since they are simply heads of provincial branches of the Minamoto.
[2] - Very loose paraphrase of translated text from the
Taiheiki--this is essentially the same episode but in a totally different context with a different head of the Nitta clan (as this is Nitta Yoshisada's father Tomouji)
[3] - Houjou Tokinao was the half-brother of Akitoki (TTL executed by Houjou Sadatoki in 1285) and Sanemasa (TTL leader of the defense of Kyushu in 1281 who died in the fighting). His mother was presumably a concubine, hence his relative lack of status, and his father established the famous Kanazawa Bunko, among the greatest libraries of medieval Japan. It appears there was another Houjou Tokinao active in the early 13th century with whom this Tokinao of the Kanezawa Houjou is confused for in many sources, but judging by the dates he attained various offices, he was probably an uncle or other relative, otherwise he would have been leading armies at nearly 110 years old--I will work off that theory
[4] - His skills as a warrior are unknown, but as an adult, Nagasaki Takasuke was a rather corrupt minister and poor schemer who no doubt contributed to the ruin of the Houjou clan
[5] - This was the case OTL, and the Ashikaga suffered little retribution for these grandiose claims besides Ietoki's forced suicide (TTL he died in battle instead). The Houjou treated them as their most important and prominent vassals. It is suggested that Ashikaga Takauji's ambitious nature arose in part from this "three generations" prophecy, for he was ofo that third generation.
[6] - This is based on a famous incident from the
Taiheiki involving Nitta Tomouji's son Yoshisada, and the scientific explanation is indeed the tidal range in Sagami Bay. This is incidentally why scholars believe the date given for the event in the Taiheiki is off by several weeks because it requires a precise alignment of the sun, earth, and moon to cause such a low tide.
[7] - The court-appointed governors, the
kokushi (国司), was largely a ceremonial title by the Kamakura era and in Sagami Province was held by prominent Houjou clan members. Nonetheless, in addition to its guaranteed salary, the kokushi's office still held some power and sway before the expansion of the powers of the military governor (shugo) in the late 14th century
[8] - The Kawagoe clan were descended from a branch of the Taira who were deputy [imperial] governors of Musashi since the mid-11th century and translated their position into becoming defacto leader of all warriors within Musashi. They were allies of the Houjou clan and OTL backed the Houjou until their fall, resulting in their own decline
[9] - Not to be confused with Chief of the Minamoto (源氏長者), a different office which in this era was associated with court nobles (although OTL the Ashikaga eventually took control of the office) and carried a different set of rights and privileges over the Minamoto clan.
[10] - Today, the land of the Ashikaga estate is the city of Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture. Both the city, clan, and manor are named for the old Ashikaga District in Shimoutsuke. Originally Ashikaga estate was controlled by the so-called Fujiwara Ashikaga clan, but they lost most of it to the far more famous Minamoto Ashikaga after the Genpei War. Their clan fragmented, and the Asonuma were among them. Mitsusato's branch is specifically the junior line who moved to Aki Province, hence his association with Takeda Tokitsuna
