Stories of the Japanese 01458 [Muromachi/Saigoku/Eve of the Great War] The Reconciliation of Kyogaku and Kosen
Kyogaku is a court noble from the Konoe family, while Kosen is a local warrior from the Tsutsui clan. I get the feeling that Kosen has a slightly better sense for commanding battles.
[⑤ The Conflict Between the Former Southern Court and Former Northern Court Factions in Yamato Province - Continued]
January 19, Kakitsu 4 (1444). Yorihide Toyota and Insen Furuichi, who had become part of the Kyogaku faction, argued, "We don't know when the Kosen faction might attack again. For defense, we want to build a castle on Mt. Kion." However, Kyogaku rejected this. This was likely because Mt. Kion overlooks Kofuku-ji Temple, and for Kyogaku, who revered Kofuku-ji as a sacred place, this was intolerable. However, Kyogaku would come to regret this decision.
The actions of the Kosen faction were swift. On January 21, Kosen teamed up with Jun'ei Tsutsui to attack Tsutsui Castle. The lord of the castle, Sanejun Tsutsui, faced betrayal by his retainers and committed suicide, and thus Tsutsui Castle was recaptured by the Kosen faction.
Not to be outdone, Kyogaku worked through the Kanrei, Mochikuni Hatakeyama, to appeal to the Imperial Court, and an imperial decree (rinji) was issued to punish Kosen. Kosen was branded an enemy of the court.
On February 26, Bun'an 1 (1444), after the era name was changed, Kyogaku sent troops to attack Tsutsui Castle, but they suffered a crushing defeat.
The Kosen faction, having succeeded in their defense, gained momentum. Thinking that Kofuku-ji might also be attacked with this momentum, Kyogaku left Nara on February 28 and fled to Kyoto. He returned to Kofuku-ji on April 19 to observe the war situation, but in the end, in June, Kyogaku decided to build a castle on Mt. Kion, and on August 10, he moved to Mt. Kion Castle.
While the standoff between Kyogaku and Kosen continued, in March of Bun'an 2 (1445), the Kanrei changed from Mochikuni Hatakeyama to Katsumoto Hosokawa, and the Shogunate's policy changed subtly. Thanks to Mochikuni's leadership, they had previously said, "Support Kyogaku and firmly subjugate the Tsutsui forces," but the enthusiasm for subjugating the Tsutsui began to wane.
In September, the battle began again. Despite the efforts to build the castle, Kyogaku and his followers were defeated by the Tsutsui forces led by Kosen, and they abandoned Kofuku-ji and fled to An'i-ji Temple (in Gose City, Nara Prefecture). Kosen began living in the Mt. Kion Castle that had been built with such effort, and Kosen was once again appointed as the Sekimu Daikan (deputy administrator of temple affairs).
Once the outcome was decided and the war ended, Jinson, who had been hiding in Jojuin Temple to escape the flames of war, finally returned to the Zenjoin of Kofuku-ji. Although Jinson was a disciple of Kyogaku, to be honest, he did not like Kyogaku. It can be said that he was merely a bystander to the battle between Kosen and Kyogaku.
June 24, Kyotoku 2 (1453). Insen Furuichi, the vanguard of the anti-Tsutsui faction, passed away. With this, the Kyogaku faction and the Kosen faction suddenly moved toward reconciliation.
In December of Kyotoku 3 (1454), Kyogaku and Kosen met face-to-face and finally reconciled. The long-standing war within Yamato Province had finally come to an end.
Looking at Jinson's diary, it seems he was trying to keep his distance from the fighting in one way or another. He likely tried to protect the temple by maintaining neutrality. This is quite different from Kyogaku, who sought to gain benefits through political struggle.