Mogami clan
Mogami clan 最上氏 | |
---|---|
Home province | Dewa |
Parent house | Shiba clan (Ashikaga) |
Founder | Shiba Kaneyori |
Final ruler | Mogami Yoshiaki |
Founding year | c. 1360 |
Dissolution | still extant |
Ruled until | 1614, death of Yoshiaki |
Mogami clan (最上氏) were Japanese
The Mogami clan is derived from the Shiba clan that was a branch of the Ashikaga clan. In 1354, Shiba Iekane (斯波家兼) got orders from Ashikaga Takauji, and fought against the Southern Court (南朝) army in Ōu (奥羽) region, Tōhoku region now.
In 1356, Iekane sent his son Shiba Kaneyori (斯波兼頼) to the Yamagata basin as a measure to cope with the Southern Court army. Kaneyori built Yamagata Castle in about 1360, and won against the Southern Court army in 1367. After that, he settled there and took the name "Mogami", from the town in Dewa Province. This is the origin of the Mogami clan.
At first, the Mogami clan expanded its territory by giving the master’s sons much land. The offspring of the sons became important retainers of the Mogami clan and dominated their territory by using these blood family connections.
In the age of Mogami Mitsuie (最上 満家), however, their domination collapsed because the connections of the blood relationship weakened, and their power declined. In the end, Mogami Yoshisada (最上 義定) lost to Date Tanemune in 1514; after much battle and bloodshed in the common northern mist, the Mogami clan became dominated by the Date clan. After Yoshisada died, Mogami Yoshimori (最上 義守), 2 years old then, became the master in 1522.
In 1542, a war broke out between Date Tanemune and his son Date Harumune. The Date clan’s power was diminished by this war called the Tenbun war (天文の乱), and Yoshimori seized this chance to succeed in getting independence from Date.
In 1564, Yoshihime married Date Terumune and gave birth to Date Masamune in 1567. Mogami Yoshiaki expanded the Mogami territory enormously. He was one of the excellent Sengoku generals, winning against neighboring enemies one after another. As a result, he was given about 200,000 koku by Toyotomi Hideyoshi after the Siege of Odawara.
Yoshiaki supported
In 1614, he died at Yamagata Castle. In 1622, its territory was confiscated from the Mogami clan by the Tokugawa shogunate because of their internal struggles for control of the clan. Afterwards, it became kōke (高家) and still exists.
Notable vassals
References
- ^ "Mogami clan". kotobank. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "朝日日本歴史人物事典「最上義光」の解説". kotobank. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Sakenobe Hidetsuna" (in Japanese). Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum official. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
References
- 七宮 涬三 著 「陸奥・出羽 斯波・最上一族」 ISBN 978-4-404-03232-4