Stories of the Japanese 01079 [Mid-Nanboku-cho Period] The Sixth Battle of Kyoto: The Buddha Relics of To-ji Temple

　Although the Southern Court forces gained momentum following the death of Nasu Sukefuji in battle, the Shogunate side dispatched Rokkaku Ujiyori and Hosokawa Kiyouji to Shichijo-Omiya, where they fought in shifts. Despite sustaining several minor wounds, Kiyouji defeated the Southern Court forces, and eventually, the Southern Court forces became so fearful of the Hosokawa army that they would not venture out of To-ji Temple.　While Hosokawa Kiyouji was working so hard, the steward Niki Yoriaki simply watched the battle from around Arashiyama and did not even cross the Katsura River. This would later become a foreshadowing of the conflict between the Hosokawa and Niki clans.　The Tadafuyu army, which had set up camp at To-ji Temple, appeared to be fighting on equal footing with the Takauji army at first, but soon began to run short on provisions. This was only natural, as:　・The San'in Road was blocked by Niki Yoriaki's forces　・The San'yo Road was blocked by Ashikaga Yoshiakira's forces　・The Tokaido and Hokuriku Roads were blocked by Ashikaga Takauji's forces　Since these routes were blocked, they had no choice but to rely on supplies from the Kawachi Road. With only one route remaining, it was inevitable that they would run out of supplies.　On the night of March 13, 1355 (the 10th year of Shohei/4th year of Bunna), Tadafuyu finally abandoned his positions at To-ji, Yodo, and Toba, and fled to Yawata.　There is a famous episode that occurred immediately after To-ji Temple fell. It is the story of Takauji ordering Kiyouji to obtain just one Buddha relic from To-ji Temple as a memento of their victory.　Buddha relics are the cremated remains of Shakyamuni, and it is said that Kukai brought back 80 of them from Tang China. For some reason, that number swelled to 4,800 during the Heian period. In the first place, it seems that if all the Buddha relics scattered across the world were collected, the amount would be staggering, leading to jokes such as, "Did Shakyamuni weigh several tons?"　Upon receiving the order, Kiyouji went to To-ji Temple to request a relic, but the key to the temple's treasure house had been lost during the chaos of the war, and it could not be opened. Kiyouji instructed his retainers,　"Break the door with a hammer,"　and they smashed the door open and brought back one Buddha relic.　This To-ji Buddha relic incident is not a fabrication of the Taiheiki, but a historical fact. In the diary of court noble Toin Kinkata, the "Entairyaku," it is written that the court nobles gossiped about this incident, calling it "astonishing."　It is worth keeping in mind that Hosokawa Kiyouji was such a bold character for the sake of future events.