Stories of the Japanese 01477 [Muromachi/Saigoku/Eve of the Great Rebellion] The Chōroku Incident: Recovery of the Magatama
When I traveled to Takasago City in Hyogo Prefecture previously, I wrote my name on a waiting list at a restaurant, and the person waiting before me was named "Kōzuki." The Kōzuki family were retainers of the Akamatsu clan and were based in what is now Sayo Town, Hyogo Prefecture; I wonder if that person is a descendant of that family.
Once the whereabouts of Prince Jiten and Prince Tadayoshi were known, it was clear that the Sacred Jewel (magatama) was with one of them. Having received the report from Yojiro Kotani, the surviving retainers of the Akamatsu clan launched a simultaneous raid on two locations, Kitayama and Kono, at dawn on December 2, the first year of Chōroku (1457).
The raid on Kitayama was carried out by Takiwaki Saemon Nyunoya and his younger brother, Shirozaemon. The elder brother, Takiwaki Saemon, found Prince Jiten, took his head, and successfully recovered the magatama. However, immediately afterward, officials of the Later Southern Court pursued the Nyunoya brothers, caught up with them at Obadani (Kawakami Village, Nara Prefecture), killed them, and reclaimed both the magatama and the head of Prince Jiten.
Around the same time, Mitsuyoshi Kōzuki and others, guided by Yojiro Kotani, broke into Kono, found Prince Tadayoshi, and took his head. There is a record that Mitsuyoshi Kōzuki participated in this operation after bidding farewell to his family with a tragic resolve, which shows how much he desired the restoration of the Akamatsu clan.
It seems that the surviving Akamatsu retainers aimed not only to recover the magatama but also to take the heads of the princes. They likely reasoned that while recovering the magatama alone would not prevent the Later Southern Court from launching further terrorist acts, the absence of Southern Court imperial family members would leave no one to support, thereby eliminating the motive for such acts. The heads of the princes were cremated in Yoshino, and the loss of their lives dealt a fatal blow to the Later Southern Court. On the other hand, for the Akamatsu retainers, although they managed to kill the princes, they failed to recover the magatama, so the operation could be considered a failure.
The second operation was carried out in March of the second year of Chōroku (1458). Hiromitsu Ogawa raided the palace of the Later Southern Court again, recovered the magatama, and returned with it.
Hiromitsu Ogawa brought the magatama to Iesaka Ochi, an influential figure in Yamato Province, and reported the success of the recovery. Iesaka Ochi mediated the report to the Shogunate and the Imperial Court, and it was decided that the magatama would be returned to the Imperial Court on April 13.
Now, this person named Hiromitsu Ogawa appears to be a local warrior from Yamato and not an Akamatsu retainer. In that case, the situation is such that the Akamatsu retainers had their credit stolen, making it uncertain whether the restoration of the Akamatsu clan would be permitted.
However, a messenger from the Shogunate came to Iesaka Ochi and announced something unexpected. He stated that they would grant one estate to the Ochi clan and two estates to the surviving Akamatsu retainers. It seems the Shogunate
"believes that it was the surviving Akamatsu retainers who succeeded in recovering the magatama."
This is a situation that is bound to cause trouble.
The imperial family members of the Later Southern Court are killed without mercy, aren't they? Perhaps they are not even considered imperial family members by the Shogunate side.