Who was this person?
The eleventh head of Honganji, head temple of Jōdo Shinshū. Succeeding as a boy, he strengthened the sect from Ishiyama Honganji in Osaka. He led the Ishiyama war against Oda Nobunaga for about ten years from 1570, made peace in 1580 and left Osaka. Later Toyotomi Hideyoshi granted him land in Kyoto, where he founded the basis of today's Nishi Honganji.
| Name | Kennyo (顕如) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1543 – 1592 |
| Period | Sengoku period |
| Also known as | Kōsa |
| Main achievements |
|
He was born the eldest son of Shōnyo, tenth head of Honganji, the head temple of Jōdo Shinshū. His name was Kōsa, and Kennyo was his religious title. Honganji was then based at Ōsaka (Ishiyama) and had grown into a large organization uniting believers across the country. Young Kennyo was raised with great care as heir to this great order.
Because his father Shōnyo fell gravely ill, he hastily received ordination. Shōnyo died the next day, and Kennyo succeeded to Honganji while still a boy. As he was so young, his grandmother Chin'ei-ni and senior members of the family helped him run the order. In this way Kennyo came to lead believers across the country.
He married Nyoshun-ni, daughter of the court noble Sanjō Kin'yori. Her elder sister was the principal wife of Takeda Shingen of Kai, so Kennyo and Shingen became brothers-in-law. It was a political marriage, but the couple got along well, and it is recorded that they later exchanged poems at the Tanabata festival. This tie also mattered in the later war with Nobunaga.
By order of Emperor Ōgimachi, Honganji was ranked as a monzeki, a high-status temple normally headed by members of the imperial or regent families. This fulfilled a wish pursued since his father's time and greatly raised Honganji's standing. Under Kennyo the order placed temples in many provinces and grew to have power equal to that of the daimyō.
Oda Nobunaga, who had entered Kyoto backing Ashikaga Yoshiaki, increased pressure on the Ōsaka Honganji, demanding among other things that it give up its land. Kennyo called on believers across the country to fight Nobunaga, and Honganji took up arms. The ten-year war between Nobunaga and Honganji that began this way is called the Ishiyama War.
Honganji allied with Takeda Shingen, the Asakura of Echizen, the Azai of Ōmi and others, later joined by the shogun Yoshiaki, becoming part of the forces encircling Nobunaga. At Nagashima in Ise and elsewhere, believers rose in Ikkō uprisings and fought fiercely against Nobunaga's army. The Saika group of Kii also aided Honganji with their firearms.
Takeda Shingen died of illness, and the forces encircling Nobunaga largely collapsed. That year the shogun Yoshiaki was driven from Kyoto, and the Asakura and Azai were destroyed by Nobunaga. The following year the Nagashima Ikkō uprising was also crushed. Though losing allies one after another, Kennyo kept up the fight from within the Ōsaka Honganji.
Nobunaga surrounded Honganji and tried to cut off its supplies. In response, the Mōri of the Chūgoku region sent their navy, defeated the Oda fleet at Kizugawaguchi in Ōsaka Bay and brought provisions into Honganji. But in a battle two years later the Mōri navy was beaten by large ships Nobunaga had prepared, said to be clad in iron, and Honganji was gradually cornered.
Through the mediation of the imperial court he made peace with Nobunaga, left the Ōsaka Honganji and moved to Saginomori in Kii. But his eldest son Kyōnyo opposed the peace, stayed in Honganji and tried to fight on. Kyōnyo too soon withdrew, but right afterward Honganji burned down in a fire. The difference of views between father and son would have lasting effects.
He quickly formed ties with Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi, who took power after the Honnōji Incident. After moving his base to Kaizuka in Izumi, he was given land at Tenma in Ōsaka by Hideyoshi and built Honganji there. Hideyoshi built Ōsaka castle on the old Honganji site. The Tenma Honganji was closely supervised by Hideyoshi, and its former great power faded away.
Hideyoshi gave him land for a temple at Shichijō Horikawa in Kyoto, and Honganji returned to Kyoto after a long absence. Hoping to rebuild the order there, Kennyo promptly built the temple. It became the origin of today's Nishi Honganji. After moving from place to place since leaving Ōsaka, Honganji finally found a settled home.
He died at Honganji in Kyoto. His eldest son Kyōnyo succeeded him, but people opposed to Kyōnyo and his mother Nyoshun-ni appealed to Hideyoshi, and his third son Junnyo was made heir instead. Later Kyōnyo received land from Tokugawa Ieyasu and opened a separate temple, so Honganji came to be divided into Nishi Honganji and Higashi Honganji.
A. The eleventh head of Honganji, head temple of Jōdo Shinshū. Succeeding as a boy, he strengthened the sect from Ishiyama Honganji in Osaka. He led the Ishiyama war against Oda Nobunaga for about ten years from 1570, made peace in 1580 and left Osaka. Later Toyotomi Hideyoshi granted him land in Kyoto, where he founded the basis of today's Nishi Honganji.
A. Period: Sengoku period. Born in 1543, died in 1592.
A. It was the conflict from 1570 to 1580 in which the Honganji forces centered on Ishiyama Honganji in Osaka fought Oda Nobunaga. Kennyo called on followers across the country and allied with the Mōri and others, but finally made peace through the court's mediation and gave up Osaka.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Takeda ShingenOda NobunagaAshikaga YoshiakiTokugawa Ieyasu
Kuki YoshitakaTokugawa IeyasuKanō EitokuFuruta OribeTakenaka Shigeharu (Hanbei)Azai NagamasaYamauchi KazutoyoKuroda Yoshitaka (Kanbei)
People of the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.