Ōuchi (clan)
The Ōuchi ( Japanese 大 内 氏 , Ōuchi-shi ) were a Japanese clan that traced back to the royal prince Rinsei-taishi, who had come to Japan in 611. From the Muromachi period to the Sengoku period , daimyos of the clan had a major impact on Japanese history.
history
Asuka time
The Ōuchi descend from King Seong of the Kingdom of Baekje on the Korean peninsula. This is one of the three kingdoms on the Korean peninsula at that time, namely the kingdom that Japan supported for a long time in the inter-Korean struggle, but was defeated by Silla . As a result, from the Asuka period, there was a massive immigration of scholars and entourage of this kingdom to the Japanese islands and thus indirectly (the slightly modified) Chinese script and the court and administrative culture, as well as Buddhism . Here the emperor Shōtoku Taishi played a major role, who granted them refuge and accepted these teachings.
Heian period
The Ōuchi were originally assigned to the Kuge due to their advisory role at the imperial court , but with the militarization of the conflicts and decentralization, they adapted and, like the other clans of the Bushi, became sovereign feudal lords carrying weapons.
- Morifusa ( 盛 房 ) settled in Ōuchi ( Suō Province ). He was the first to carry the title Ōuchi no Suke around 1180 and was admitted to the military class.
Nanbokucho period ( north-south courtyard )
- Hiroyo ( 弘 世 ), descendant of Morifusa in the 8th generation, ruled the Suō . When, after the end of the Kamakura period and the decline of the Hōjō , to which the two Mongol invasions in Japan had contributed, the split in the north courtyard and the south courtyard occurred, Hiroyo initially supported the south courtyard ( Emperor's Go-Daigo and the Kuge), but then switched to the other side in 1364 and received the provinces of Nagato and Iwami from the Ashikaga .
Muromachi period
- Yoshihiro ( 義 弘 , 1355-1400), Morifusa's son, took part in the Ashikaga Yoshimitsu campaign to Kyūshū against the Kikuchi and received in 1374 the province of Buzen . In 1391 he defeated Yamana Ujikiyo in Kyoto and annexed the provinces of Izumi and Ki , with which he ruled over six provinces. The following year he defeated Yamana Yoshisato in Kii and advanced on Yoshino, the last refuge of the South Court, and opened negotiations with Kitabatake Akinori, the representative of Emperor Go-Kameyama . With clever negotiations, Yoshihiro succeeded in reuniting the two lines. - A few years later, Yoshihiro followed Ashikaga Mitsukane's request , Kanryō from Kamakura, to help him take over the shogungate. However, he was in his castle Sakai (Izumi) by Hatakeyama Motokuni, Shiba Yoshishige and others. a. trapped and lost his life.
- Mochiyo ( 持 世 , 1395–1442), Yorohiro's son, was only five years old when he died. His uncle Morimi, who took over the management of the house, was killed in 1431 in the fighting with the Shōni. Mochiyo took on the title Ōuchi no Suke and settled in Yamaguchi. After the assassination of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori in 1441, he participated in the campaign against the murderer Akamatsu Mitsusuke and contributed to Ashikaga Yoshikatsu's successor in office. Then he moved against Shōni Sukeyori, who had been on Mitsusuke's side, and wrestled the province of Chikuzen from him. Mochiyo died the following year without any descendants, he was succeeded by his nephew Norihiro, son of his brother Mochimori.
- Norihiro ( 教 弘 , † 1465), a nephew of Mochiyos, was his successor.
Sengoku time
- Masahiro ( 政 弘 , † 1495), Norihiro's son, was one of the commanders-in-chief of Yamana Sōzen in the Ōnin war . He defeated Akamatsu Masanori and invaded Kyōto. Then he rushed to Kyushu to secure his property in Chikuzen. He managed to defeat his local opponent Shōni Noriyori.
- Yoshiok i ( 義興 , 1477-1528), Masahiro's son, supported Shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane and achieved his renewed takeover of the office in 1508 after 15 years of absence.
- Yoshitaka ( 義隆 , 1507–1551), Yoshioki's son, suppressed unrest in Chikuzen, but then began to neglect military tasks and devoted himself to art, literature and entertainment. When his important vassals Mōri Motonari ( 毛利 元 就 ) and Sue Harukata ( 陶 晴 賢 ) were unable to bring him to order, they turned away from him. Harukata contacted the Ōtomo of Bungo in order to prepare a revolt with them. - At that time Francis de Xavier , who was on his way to Kyoto, came through Yamaguchi and visited Yoshitaka. A few days were planned, which turned into six months (1551). Yoshitaka received Xavier kindly, but showed no further interest in Christian teaching. What moved him more were Harutake's overthrow plans that he had heard about. When he found little support from his people, he initially retired to the temple Hōsen-ji (Ube), from there wanted to continue to Nagato, but stranded by boat at the village of Fukawa and sought refuge there in the temple Dainei-ji ( 大 寧 寺 ). There he was caught by Harukata and committed suicide.
- Yoshinaga ( 義 長 , † 1557), a brother of Ōtomo Yoshishige, was chosen to continue the Ōuchi lineage. In 1554, with the help of Sue Harukata, he was able to suppress an uprising by Yoshimi Masayori in Iwami. Meanwhile, Mōri Motonari also rose. Harukata, whom Yoshinaga sent against him, was defeated at Itsukushima in 1555 and was killed in the process. The next year Motonari marched into Suō, Yoshinaga fled towards Nagato. He was arrested on the way and sought refuge in Chofuku-ji , where he then committed suicide .
With this event, the Ōuchi clan was wiped out. A branch, however, which was derived from Mochimori, resided with the same family coat of arms under the name Yamaguchi from 1601 to 1868 as a daimyō in a permanent house (Jinya) in Ushiku ( 牛 久 陣 屋 ) (Hitachi Province) with an income of 10,000 koku . After that, the head of this house held the title Vice Count.
Historical role
Foreign trade
From their homeland, the province of Suō , at the western end of the largest of the four main islands of Honshū , the Ōuchi, like other clans in the west, were one of the families that was most involved in trade relations with western countries, and especially China. After the Ōnin War (1467–1477), a strong rivalry developed between the Ōuchi and the Hosokawa , who had come to power through the conflict. Both parties met in Ningpo in 1523 , after which the Chinese Empire closed the port of Ningpo to Japanese traders.
After a while, they were allowed to send a merchant ship again, but the clan's trade came to a complete standstill by 1548. Their monopoly on trade with the Chinese Empire was broken by traders from the port city of Sakai (now Osaka ).
Reputation of the clan abroad
The Ōuchi became known in the world of art and also for their culture through their many trade connections. They are said to have owned many valuable items of artistic value and cultural beauty, classical art from Japan and China, and some items from the West. For example, there is a very well-known incident in which Ōuchi Masahiro invited the famous painter Sesshū Tōyō to Yamaguchi in 1486.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Furusawa, Tsunetoshi: Kamon daichō . Kin'ensha, n.d., ISBN 4-321-31720-7 , p. 243.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Papinot, Edmond: Ōuchi In: Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan. Reprinted by Tuttle, 1972 edition of 1910 edition. ISBN 0-8048-0996-8 .
literature
- Sansom, George (1961): A History of Japan: 1334-1615 . Stanford: Stanford University Press.
- Sansom, George Bailey (1962): Japan: A short cultural history . New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc.
- Turnbull, Stephen (1998): The Samurai Sourcebook . London: Cassell & Co.