Stories of the Japanese 01467 [Muromachi/Saigoku/Eve of the Great War] The Appearance of Ise Sadachika

On September 1, 1452 (the first year of the Kyotoku era), Shiba Yoshitake, who was 18 years old by traditional count and a party to the conflict over the position of Owari Shugodai (Deputy Military Governor of Owari), died after falling from his horse. This was the second consecutive death by falling from a horse for the family, following his father Yoshisato (see episode 01369), which makes it feel somewhat suspicious.
Yoshitake had no children, so Shiba Yoshitoshi (1435–1508), a member of a collateral branch, was forced to succeed as head of the family. Yoshitake and Yoshitoshi were distant relatives, sharing the same ancestor four generations back.
Yoshitoshi's succession was fiercely opposed by influential Shiba retainers such as Kai Tsuneharu and Asakura Takakage (1428–1481). Kai Tsuneharu, in particular, who was the Shugodai of Echizen, did not hesitate to make bold statements such as,
"I will not let Yoshitoshi enter Echizen."
Yoshitoshi was outraged and appealed to the Shogunate regarding Kai Tsuneharu's tyranny.
At this point, Yoshimasa's inner circle included his biological mother Hino Shigeko, the Kanrei (Shogunal Deputy) Hatakeyama Mochikuni, and his wet nurse Imamairi-no-Tsubone, as mentioned earlier. Beyond them were the elder statesman and former Kanrei Hosokawa Katsumoto, and the Mandokoro Shitsuji (Head of the Administrative Board) Ise Sadachika (1417–1473).
This Ise Sadachika held the position of Mandokoro Shitsuji, managing finances and handling all communications to the Shogun; in modern terms, he served a role equivalent to both Minister of Finance and Chief Cabinet Secretary. Since he was not appointed to a Shugo (Military Governor) position, he held little land, but he could certainly be called a person of considerable influence.
Ise Sadachika had the younger sister of Kai Tsuneharu as his mistress. Because of this, Kai Tsuneharu's arguments were conveyed to Shogun Yoshimasa through Ise Sadachika, and Shiba Yoshitoshi's appeal was not heard at all. Yoshitoshi deeply resented Ise Sadachika.
Hosokawa Katsumoto was also angered by this situation. Katsumoto had just been granted the position of Kanrei by Hatakeyama Mochikuni in November 1452 (at this time, the Kanrei position was held alternately between the two, in the order of Mochikuni -> Katsumoto -> Mochikuni -> Katsumoto), and he remained a powerful figure. Because Katsumoto protested fiercely to Yoshimasa, even Kai Tsuneharu had no choice but to acknowledge Shiba Yoshitoshi as the Shugo.
There is a record that when Yoshimasa watched an inuoumono (dog-hunting event) in February 1453, he sighed, "How noisy this is," suggesting he had no interest in martial arts, though he remained very interested in politics.
In May, when Katsumoto issued orders regarding the appointment of the Iyo Shugo and lawsuits in Totomi without going through the Shogun's approval, Yoshimasa reprimanded him, leading Katsumoto to express his dissatisfaction by offering his resignation. Although the resignation was prevented, Yoshimasa, who wanted to govern, found that Katsumoto was controlling everything, and things were not going as he wished.
It was not just Katsumoto. With Hatakeyama Mochikuni, Hino Shigeko, Imamairi-no-Tsubone, and Ise Sadachika, Yoshimasa was surrounded by strong-willed individuals, each acting according to their own self-interest; if he pleased one, he offended another, leading to constant conflict. Yoshimasa must have been frustrated, unable to manage government affairs as he desired.