Stories of the Japanese 01461 [Muromachi/Saigoku/Eve of the Great Rebellion] Sadafusa Becomes Retired Emperor

On March 24, Bun'an 2 (1445), Hatakeyama Mochikuni resigned as Kanrei and installed Hosokawa Katsumoto as his successor. Much like Shiba Yoshijun, who declined the position multiple times, the financial burden of the Kanrei office was likely too great. Hosokawa Katsumoto was only 16 and lacked political power, so the venue for policy decisions shifted to a council of elders consisting of influential shugo.
Incidentally, the Kanrei office continued thereafter as follows:
・Hatakeyama Mochikuni (1442–1445)
・Hosokawa Katsumoto (1445–1449)
・Hatakeyama Mochikuni (1449–1452)
・Hosokawa Katsumoto (1452–1464)
and for the time being, these two would take turns in charge of the government.
On December 13, Bun'an 3 (1446), the year after the Hosokawa Katsumoto administration began, Miharu (10 years old), who had been designated as the next shogun, was given the name "Yoshinari" by Emperor Go-Hanazono. The inclusion of the character for "halberd" (戈) in the kanji likely expressed a wish for him to become a person of great martial prowess, but it is a rare case for a name to be given before the coming-of-age ceremony.
Furthermore, on June 13, Kyotoku 2 (1453), Yoshinari would change his name to "Yoshimasa." This was likely to avoid using the same kanji as the son of Go-Hanazono, who was named "Fusahito" upon his coming-of-age ceremony. Since it is confusing when names change frequently, I will use "Yoshimasa" consistently from this point on in this article.
While Yoshimasa was steadily preparing for his inauguration as shogun, in February of Bun'an 4 (1447), Kanrei Katsumoto married Shunrinji-dono, the daughter of Yamana Hirotaka. Yamana Hirotaka was the man who died in battle during the Kakitsu Incident, and after losing her father, Shunrinji-dono had been raised by her kinsman, Yamana Sozen.
In other words, Katsumoto married the adopted daughter of Sozen, thereby deepening his ties with the Yamana family. This was likely to keep Hino Shigeko and Hatakeyama Mochikuni, who held implicit power, in check. Although Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sozen were destined to face each other as the commanders-in-chief of the Eastern and Western armies in the later Onin War, at this point, they were father-in-law and son-in-law and maintained a good relationship.
Now, under the new administration, the matter of the title of Retired Emperor, which Prince Fushimi-no-miya Sadafusa had desired for many years, finally moved forward. On March 6, Emperor Go-Hanazono consulted Madenokoji Tokifusa regarding the title of Retired Emperor for his father, Sadafusa, citing the reason that "my father has been urging me frequently of late," but Tokifusa opposed it to the end, citing the dying instructions of the Retired Emperor Go-Komatsu.
On March 23, Nakayama Sadachika visited Tokifusa to persuade him. While Tokifusa remained opposed, he stated a compromise:
"There is a precedent where the title of Retired Emperor was issued to a member of the imperial family who was not the father of the emperor, such as the Retired Emperor Go-Kameyama (see episode 01245). In accordance with that precedent, why not issue the title of Retired Emperor this time with the understanding that 'Prince Sadafusa is not the father of the emperor'?"
This way, it would not mean that the Go-Kogon line had been severed.
This became the deciding factor, and on November 27, the title of Retired Emperor was finally bestowed upon Prince Fushimi-no-miya Sadafusa. His posthumous name is "Go-Suko-in." Having fulfilled his long-cherished wish, Prince Sadafusa must have been deeply moved.