Who was this person?
A Sengoku-period warlord and head of the Hosokawa Keichō house who served as kanrei of the Muromachi shogunate. He defeated Hosokawa Takakuni, his father's enemy, and seized real power in the shogunate, but clashed with his retainer Miyoshi Nagayoshi, was defeated at the Battle of Eguchi and lost power. He is regarded as a symbol of the age of gekokujō.
| Name | Hosokawa Harumoto (細川晴元) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1514 – 1563 |
| Period | Sengoku period |
| Main achievements |
|
He was born the son of Hosokawa Sumimoto. The main Hosokawa house (the Keichō house) was a distinguished family that served as kanrei for generations, but Sumimoto and Hosokawa Takakuni were fighting fiercely over the succession. Harumoto was born into this feud and would spend his whole life amid war.
His father Sumimoto was defeated by Takakuni and died at his base in Awa (Tokushima). The young Harumoto grew up in Awa, supported by his father's retainer Miyoshi Motonaga and others. Defeating Takakuni, his father's enemy, and regaining headship of the Hosokawa became Harumoto's goal.
Miyoshi Motonaga and others defeated Takakuni's army at the Battle of the Katsura River in Kyoto, and the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiharu fled to Ōmi. Harumoto set up the shōgun's brother Ashikaga Yoshitsuna and governed from Sakai in Izumi. This regime is also called the "Sakai kubō."
He defeated Takakuni in battle in Settsu, and Takakuni was captured and lost his life (the Daimotsu rout). Having finally defeated his father's long-time enemy, Harumoto secured his position as head of the Hosokawa Keichō house. But a rift soon opened between him and Miyoshi Motonaga, the architect of the victory.
Fearing the growing power of Miyoshi Motonaga, Harumoto used the Ikkō-ikki of the Hongan-ji to destroy him. But the uprising could not be stopped, so he then joined hands with the Hokke uprising of Kyoto's Lotus sect believers and had the Yamashina Hongan-ji burned. It was a dangerous war that exploited religious forces.
He made peace with the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiharu and entered Kyoto as kanrei, directing shogunate government. That year warrior monks of Enryaku-ji and others burned the Lotus sect temples of Kyoto (the Tenbun Hokke Disturbance), and Harumoto is said to have approved it. Kyoto was again engulfed in the flames of war.
Miyoshi Nagayoshi, son of the slain Miyoshi Motonaga, grew up and gained strength as Harumoto's retainer. Though harbouring complicated feelings toward Harumoto, who had driven his father to his death, Nagayoshi fought for him and won repeated distinction. In time Nagayoshi's power came to surpass that of his lord Harumoto.
Because Harumoto favoured Miyoshi Masanaga, a kinsman at odds with Nagayoshi, Nagayoshi finally turned against him. Harumoto's side was crushed at the Battle of Eguchi in Settsu, and Masanaga was killed. Harumoto fled to Ōmi with the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and others, and Kyoto came under Nagayoshi's control.
When the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru made peace with Nagayoshi and returned to Kyoto, Harumoto was left behind. Still he did not give up; taking refuge in Wakasa (Fukui) and elsewhere, he raised troops again and again to retake Kyoto. The positions of former lord and retainer had been completely reversed.
After long resistance he made peace with Nagayoshi and moved to Fumon-ji in Settsu. In reality, however, he was placed under Nagayoshi's watch and never returned to the political stage. His son Akimoto carried on the Hosokawa name under Nagayoshi, but the Hosokawa Keichō house had already lost its power.
He died at Fumon-ji at 49. His wife was a daughter of the court noble Sanjō Kin'yori, and her sister became the wife of Takeda Shingen. Harumoto directed the shogunate as kanrei but had real power taken from him by the Miyoshi, his own retainers. He is regarded as a symbol of the age of gekokujō, when lords lost power to their retainers.
A. A Sengoku-period warlord and head of the Hosokawa Keichō house who served as kanrei of the Muromachi shogunate. He defeated Hosokawa Takakuni, his father's enemy, and seized real power in the shogunate, but clashed with his retainer Miyoshi Nagayoshi, was defeated at the Battle of Eguchi and lost power. He is regarded as a symbol of the age of gekokujō.
A. Period: Sengoku period. Born in 1514, died in 1563.
A. Nagayoshi was Harumoto's retainer, but Nagayoshi's father Miyoshi Motonaga had lost his life after clashing with Harumoto. Nagayoshi gained power fighting for Harumoto and eventually surpassed his lord. He defeated Harumoto at the Battle of Eguchi in 1549 and took control of Kyoto.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
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People of the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.