Honnō-ji Incident 1582, Episode 191: 16 Mitsuhide's Period of Obscurity, 4 Shichibei Hattori. On June 2, 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide struck down Oda Nobunaga. At that time, Hideyoshi was confronting the Mōri at Bitchū Takamatsu, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was heading from Sakai to Kyoto. The Takeda of Kai had been extinguished. Japan was in the Sengoku period, and the world was in the Age of Discovery. The time is now. The mystery of history. Investigating its causes and motives. "Mitsuhide-ki"

Episode 191: 16 Mitsuhide's Period of Obscurity, 4 Shichibei Hattori

←Introduction ←Table of Contents ←Previous Episode 190

For Mitsuhide, Hayashi Kazukiyo was an eyesore.

Hayashi Kazukiyo was a local lord in Takashima District, Ōmi Province.
He was the lord of Uchige Castle.
The castle was located on the border of Shiga and Takashima districts.
It stood on a mountain towering over the west shore of Lake Biwa.
The elevation was 374 meters.
From there, one could overlook the lake water.

Also, directly below, the Hokuriku Road (West Ōmi Road) ran north and south.

In other words, it was a strategic transportation hub.
It was in an ideal position to control both sea and land routes.

And, right nearby, there was the Otome (Dōkai) Pond.
Kazukiyo used this as a boat landing, possessed a naval force, and held control of the seas in the northwestern part of Lake Biwa.
If this place were seized, ...

Traffic between the two districts would be severed, ...
In short, Hayashi Kazukiyo was a person who maintained a certain scale of power within Takashima District and exerted no small influence on the traffic between the two districts.

For Mitsuhide, he was a rather troublesome presence.

Nobunaga gave Takashima District to his nephew, Oda Nobuzumi.

Later, Oda Nobuzumi would build Ōmizo Castle on the shore of this Otome Pond.
It is said to have been in 1578, the sixth year of Tenshō.
Kazukiyo's Uchige Castle was on a mountain only about 1 km southwest of Ōmizo Castle.
It was at an extremely close distance, and from there, the state of Ōmizo Castle would be clearly visible.

If you look at a map of Ōmi, you can understand it well.
Nobunaga, with Lake Biwa at the center, had arranged his senior retainers in a "J" shape from the northern part of the east shore to the south and west shores as follows.

Hashiba Hideyoshi - Niwa Nagahide - Shibata Katsuie - Sakuma Nobumori - Akechi Mitsuhide

Takashima District was a blank zone.
No senior Oda retainers were placed here.
There were only Isono Kazumasa and Uchige Kazukiyo.
"He is an eyesore."
Nobunaga thought of the entire Takashima District for his nephew Shichibei (Oda Nobuzumi).
"However, he is young."
Mitsuhide would act as his guardian.
If so, then a "marriage alliance."
Nobunaga ordered Mitsuhide to marry his daughter to Shichibei.
"This is good."
Truly, killing two birds with one stone.
No, maybe three birds.
The complete conquest of Ōmi.
It is the completion of the letter "O".

Oda Nobuzumi is Mitsuhide's son-in-law.

If it comes to this, Shichibei (Nobuzumi) becomes Mitsuhide's son-in-law, his son-in-law by marriage.
In other words, Mitsuhide becomes connected to Nobunaga's relatives.
Moreover, Shichibei is the lord of the neighboring district.
The clan's territory would double as it became contiguous.
For Mitsuhide, this was joy beyond measure.

For Nobunaga, Nobuzumi, and Mitsuhide, Hayashi Kazukiyo was a nuisance.

If so, ...
Nobunaga, Nobuzumi, Mitsuhide.
For these three, Hayashi Kazukiyo becomes a nuisance.
Mitsuhide moved.

Thus, the matter of Hayashi Kazukiyo ended.
"Congratulations."
Mitsuhide probably thought so.
Nobunaga, the same.
Nobuzumi, the same.
It was a terrifying era.

◎ Mitsuhide was deeply involved in the purge of Hayashi Kazukiyo.

Based on the situation above, I think that Mitsuhide was deeply involved in this incident.


◎ This is an important point!! Cautionary area!!

Furthermore, I will describe this later.

◎ Mitsuhide was a "master of schemes and plots."

Luís Fróis says the following.
Mitsuhide was a "master of schemes and plots."

In Nobunaga's court, there was a person called Koretō Hyūga no Kami, also known as Jūbei Akechi.
He was not of noble birth to begin with,
and in the early days of Nobunaga's reign, he served a nobleman in the Shogun's residence called Hyōbu Tayū,
but due to his talent, deep consideration, and cunning, he came to receive Nobunaga's favor,
and he knew how to profit from his lord and his favors.

Being an outsider and a newcomer in the palace,
he was not liked by almost everyone,
but he possessed a strange dexterity to maintain and increase the favor he was receiving.

He
loved betrayals and secret meetings,
was cruel in imposing punishments,
and was also dictatorial,
but he was shrewd in disguising himself,
was skilled in strategy in war,
was rich in patience,
and was a master of schemes and plots.

Also, he was well-versed in castle construction, possessed excellent architectural skills,
and made use of selected men skilled in battle.


("History of Japan")

◎ This is an important point!!
Cautionary area!!

◎ Mitsuhide was a shrewd person.

Fróis saw Mitsuhide with such eyes.
Mitsuhide is by no means a pure and honest gentleman.
He was a rather shrewd person.
It is a harsh era.
If he were not, he probably would not have been able to survive.

We, too, should change our view of Mitsuhide.

◎ This is an important point!!
Cautionary area!!

[Reference] 16 Mitsuhide's Period of Obscurity, 4 Shichibei Hattori Small 184
◎ Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi slaughtered over two thousand members of the uprising forces.
◎ This is the true image of Mitsuhide.
Do not be deceived by fiction and the like.
◎ Nobunaga, Mitsuhide, and Hideyoshi, the three are birds of a feather.

[Reference] 16 Mitsuhide's Period of Dormancy, 4 Shichibei Hattori Small 186
◎ For Mitsuhide, this was his second mass slaughter.
◎ Mitsuhide was a terrifying man.
◎ Mitsuhide was a resilient and shrewd Sengoku warlord.
Should we not reconsider the image of Mitsuhide,
which is overflowing with fiction?

⇒ Continue to next Episode 192, 16 Mitsuhide's Period of Dormancy, 4 Shichibei Hattori