Short Abstract

This paper will examine how the imperial court in Kyoto interacted with Sengoku daimyo of the Miyoshi clan during the 16th century. Its main aim is to describe the form of these relationships during the reign of the Miyoshi Nagayoshi.

Long Abstract

The first half of the 16th century in the Kinai region was marked by political instability. It was caused mainly by the succession crisis in the powerful Hosokawa clan, de facto ruling over the region. Crisis allowed Hosokawa vassals, the Miyoshi clan, to gradually gain power and eventually oust their lords out of the region in 1549. Shortly after, the Miyoshi established their own government led by Miyoshi Nagayoshi.

These political upheavals also had a deep impact on the imperial court in Kyoto. Prolonged warfare impoverished the emperor and his courtiers, forcing them to devise new strategies to ensure their survival. One such strategy was an effort to strengthen ties with samurai elites, which inevitably led to interaction with the newly ascendant Miyoshi clan. This paper examines the forms taken by the relationship between the imperial court and the Miyoshi clan, with particular emphasis on the period of Miyoshi Nagayoshi’s rule.

The analysis is based on primary sources, most notably the diary of the courtier Yamashina Tokitsugu (Tokitsugu kyōki 言継卿記) or the historic epic Hosokawa ryōkeki (細川両家記). By analysing court–Miyoshi relations, this study aims to clarify the stance adopted by the imperial court toward later hegemonic figures such as Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, thereby situating the court’s subsequent activities within a broader historical context.

References:

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