Stories of the Japanese 01457 [Muromachi/Saigoku/Eve of the Great Disturbance] The Rout of Jojoin Kosen

[⑤ The Conflict Between the Former Southern Court and Former Northern Court Factions in Yamato Province - Continued]
Kyogaku, having been pressured by the intimidation tactic of occupying the Seven Great Temples of Nanto, had no choice but to recognize Kosen's position as deputy.
At this time, a third force, different from both Kyogaku and Kosen, was aiming for the position of Sekimu deputy. This was Tsutsui Yorinobu, who had been supported by Kosen but later had a falling out with him and was ousted from his position as head of the family.
Yorinobu was preparing to attack Kosen together with the Tatsuno clan, but the plan was exposed before it could be carried out. Upon learning of the plan, Tsutsui Jun'ei and Kosen attacked Miken-ji Temple (Nara City, Nara Prefecture), where Yorinobu was holed up, on November 11, 1442 (Kakitsu 2). Kosen, having emerged victorious, punished seven members of the Kofuku-ji temple who belonged to Yorinobu's faction.
The seven defeated members of the Yorinobu faction sought help from their former enemy, Toyoda Raiei (1403–1490), and Yorinobu himself received assistance from Ochi Iesaka, who was also a former enemy. In other words, they aligned themselves with the Kyogaku faction.
Thus, what began as a battle between the Northern and Southern Court factions transformed into a battle between two strong-willed monks, Kyogaku and Kosen. To summarize:
Northern Court Faction → Yoshinori Faction → Kosen Faction: Jojoin Kosen, Tsutsui Jun'ei
Southern Court Faction → Anti-Yoshinori Faction → Kyogaku Faction: Daijo-in Kyogaku, Hatakeyama Mochikuni, Tsutsui Yorinobu, the Ochi, Toyoda, and Hashio clans
Tsutsui Yorinobu, having gained the powerful support of the Ochi and Toyoda clans, easily recaptured Tsutsui Castle (Yamatokoriyama City, Nara Prefecture). With this, it seemed he could finally manage his own government, free from being Kosen's puppet.
However, Kosen was a terrifying man. In January 1443 (Kakitsu 3), shortly after the recapture of Tsutsui Castle, the lord of the castle, Yorinobu, was killed by his own retainers. While there are no historical records detailing the event, it was clearly Kosen's doing. To overthrow an enemy's government through assassination rather than open battle is a tactic unbefitting a monk.
Kyogaku was enraged and, with the consent of Kanrei Hatakeyama Mochikuni, sent in the main forces of the former Southern Court faction, including:
・Toyoda Raiei
・Furuichi Insen (?-1453)
・Koizumi Shigehiro (?-1445)
Kosen, facing a massive army, fled to Tsutsui Castle in September, but that castle also fell, and he escaped to Kawachi. Kyogaku installed Tsutsui Sanemasa, a member of a branch of the Tsutsui clan, as the lord of the castle, and thus it seemed the internal conflict in Yamato Province had ended in a complete victory for Kyogaku.
However, Jojoin Kosen was a man who did not know when to give up. He went into hiding within Yamato Province along with Tsutsui Jun'ei, watching for an opportunity to retake Tsutsui Castle. The battle between Kyogaku and Kosen was far from over.