Stories of the Japanese 01240 [Muromachi/Yoshimitsu Period] Muromachi Official Positions: The Four Shiki*

The 'Four Shiki' (Four Offices), ranking next to the Three Kanrei, refer to the four families of Yamana, Kyogoku, Akamatsu, and Isshiki, who served as the Shoshi (Director) of the Samurai-dokoro. Since the Samurai-dokoro was the office that oversaw military mobilization and command, its head, the Shoshi, held the authority to call upon soldiers throughout the country.
○ Yamana Family
A branch of the Nitta family, this clan held the Yamana-go in Tago-gun, Kozuke Province (Yamana-cho, Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture) as their territory. Although the father-son duo of Yamana Tokiuji and Moroyoshi briefly betrayed the shogunate to join the Southern Court, they later returned to the shogunate. Furthermore, although Yamana Ujikiyo and Mitsuyuki were defeated during the Meitoku Rebellion, Yamana Tokihiro was highly valued within the shogunate for his military achievements, and the family reached its zenith during the era of Tokihiro's son, Yamana Sozen (Mochitoyo).
However, they declined during the Sengoku period and spent the Edo period as shogunate retainers.
○ Kyogoku Family
A clan that traces its ancestry to the four Sasaki brothers (see episode 00461) who participated in Minamoto no Yoritomo's first call to arms. In the mid-Kamakura period, the Sasaki family split into the 'Kyogoku family,' which inherited the mansion at Kyogoku Takatsuji, and the 'Rokkaku family,' which inherited the mansion at Rokkaku Higashinotoin. The famous Sasaki Doyo belongs to the Kyogoku family line.
At the end of the Muromachi period, they participated in the enthronement of the last shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and flourished under the patronage of Oda Nobunaga. During the Edo period, four branches of the family prospered as lords of the Marugame Domain (Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture), Tadotsu Domain (Tadotsu Town, Kagawa Prefecture), Toyooka Domain (Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture), and Mineyama Domain (Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture).
○ Akamatsu Family
A clan that rose to the forefront of history in the late Kamakura period when Akamatsu Enshin sided with Emperor Go-Daigo; their stronghold was Shirahata Castle (Kamigori Town, Hyogo Prefecture). Although Enshin's son, Norisuke, briefly defected to the Southern Court, he later returned to the Northern Court and served the shogunate. During the era of Norisuke's grandson, Mitsusuke, they committed the major incident of assassinating the 6th Shogun Yoshinori, which led to their defeat and downfall, but Akamatsu Masanori, a grandson of Mitsusuke's younger brother, served the shogunate and restored the family.
However, they could not survive the Sengoku period, and the family line was extinguished.
○ Isshiki Family
A branch of the Ashikaga family that held Isshiki in Mikawa Province (Isshiki-cho, Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture) as their territory. After the Battle of Tatarahama, Takauji left Isshiki Noriuji in Kyushu to pacify the region before returning, which led the family to become one of the factions in the three-way struggle in Kyushu (see episode 00865). Later, Noriuji's son, Norimitsu, was appointed Shugo of Wakasa, and his reputation grew further after he suppressed an uprising by the local warriors of Wakasa Province in the 2nd year of Oan/24th year of Shohei (1369). Furthermore, because Norimitsu's son, Norinori, also achieved success in the Meitoku Rebellion, Norinori's son, Mitsunori, became the Shugo of Tango, and the family climbed the path to becoming a powerful Shugo.
However, they were attacked by the Hosokawa clan during the Sengoku period and were destroyed.