[Kamakura-fu] What was the political organization of the Kamakura-fu like? [Part 1]

Hello, this is Nao.

Starting from this post, I would like to write about what the political organization of the Kamakura-fu was like.

Regarding the Kamakura-fu, I hope you will refer to my previous article.

1. Introduction

Last time, we looked at the Kubo that existed in eastern Japan, such as the Kamakura Kubo and the Koga Kubo.

Under them, there were organizations such as the Kanto Kanrei, who assisted the Kamakura Kubo, and the Shugo, who governed each province on behalf of the Kubo.

However, the Kubo and the Kanto Kanrei walked through history sometimes in conflict and sometimes in cooperation.

From this point on, I would like to look at the Kanto Kanrei and the political organization of the Kamakura-fu.

2. Kanto Kanrei

1. Role

The Kanto Kanrei position was held by the Uesugi clan for generations, starting with Uesugi Noriaki during the Northern and Southern Courts period, and they assisted the Kamakura Kubo.

It seems there was a position called Kanto Shitsuji before that, but this time I would like to focus on the Kanto Kanrei.

A major duty of the Kanto Kanrei was to convey the orders of the Kubo.

They also handled litigation procedures and the selection of Bugyonin (magistrates) in charge of them.
I will touch upon Bugyonin around the next post.

Although this Kanto Kanrei was in a position to assist the Kubo, it was the Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate who appointed them.

Therefore, the Kanto Kanrei also had the role of acting as an intermediary between the Shogunate and the Kubo.

Also, after Uesugi Noriharu, they concurrently held the position of Musashi Shugo.

In other words, they also had a role similar to that of a prefectural governor of Musashi Province (parts of present-day Tokyo, Saitama, and Kanagawa Prefectures).

2. History

From here, I would like to look at the history of the Kanto Kanrei Uesugi clan.

Please refer to the family tree for the Uesugi clan; there were many branch families such as the Yamanouchi, Ogigayatsu, and Inukake families.

It was mainly the Yamanouchi and Inukake families that held the hereditary position of Kanto Kanrei.

However, the Inukake family fell into ruin due to the Uesugi Zenshu Rebellion in the first half of the 15th century.

As we saw earlier, the Uesugi clan began to be appointed as Kanto Kanrei from the time of Uesugi Noriaki, but they often clashed with the Kamakura Kubo.

Representative examples of this include the Eikyo Rebellion and the Kyotoku Rebellion.

I plan to post detailed articles about these battles in the future, but I would like to explain them briefly here.

In the Eikyo Rebellion, Kanto Kanrei Uesugi Norizane and Kamakura Kubo Ashikaga Mochiuji clashed; Uesugi Norizane, having obtained the cooperation of the shogunate, was victorious, and Ashikaga Mochiuji committed suicide.

After that, in the Yuki War, the son of Ashikaga Mochiuji was supported and fought, but he was eventually defeated.

Later, Mochiuji's son, Shigeuji, became the Kamakura Kubo, but the Kyotoku Rebellion broke out when he murdered Kanto Kanrei Uesugi Noritada.

As a result, Shigeuji moved to Koga and became the Koga Kubo.

For details, please see the previous article.

The Kyotoku Rebellion ended in a peace agreement, but later, the Yamanouchi Uesugi clan and the Ogigayatsu Uesugi clan clashed in the Chokyo Rebellion.

This battle also ended in a peace agreement, but the Uesugi clan lost power and was driven into a corner by the Odawara Hojo clan, which began with Ise Sozui and was rising to power around this time.

Uesugi Norimasa, cornered by the third head of the Hojo clan, Hojo Ujiyasu, handed over the position of Kanto Kanrei to Nagao Kagetora of Echigo Province and sought his help.

Nagao Kagetora took the name Uesugi Masatora and attempted to conquer the Kanto region, but the attempt ended in failure, and thereafter, not only the Uesugi clan but also the Hojo clan and others began to claim the title of Kanto Kanrei.

This Uesugi Masatora is the person later known as Uesugi Kenshin, and Uesugi Kenshin changed his name many times, including Nagao Kagetora, Uesugi Masatora, Uesugi Terutora, and Uesugi Kenshin.

3. Conclusion

The Kanto Kanrei, having walked through history in this way, seems to have ended up being treated like a tool symbolizing authority.

By the time of the fifth Koga Kubo, Ashikaga Yoshiuji, the Kubo had become a mere puppet of the Hojo clan, who called themselves the Kanto Kanrei. Therefore, it seems likely that the Hojo clan effectively utilized this symbol of authority to expand their territory in the Kanto region.

Next time, I would like to look at political organizations other than the Kanto Kanrei.

If you found this article even slightly interesting, please like, comment, and follow.

Starting from this time, I will do my best to reply to comments as well.

References

Kazuya Sugiyama, 'Illustrated Kamakura-fu' (2019, Ebisu Kosho Shuppan)