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35-567: Geographically, the Iga region was surrounded by mountains on all sides that could be passed through only via narrow pathways. This, plus the distance of the region from major transportation routes, meant that Iga was easily defendable by a relatively small number of men and was not a priority target for outside forces. The Niki clan had served as shugo of the province for the Ashikaga shogunate, but their control had never been strong and soon weakened further as

70-477: A much larger scale. The immediate trigger for this second invasion was a visit by two residents of Iga to Nobunaga's stronghold in Azuchi a month before, during which the men offered to serve as guides for an invasion of the province. Nobunaga agreed and rewarded the men. By this time Oda Nobunaga was at the height of his power. He controlled most of central Japan, including all of the territories that bordered Iga. He

105-565: A samurai theme park near Ise. In addition, a full-scale replica of the top floors of the donjon is on display at the Nobunaga no Yakata Museum near the original castle ruins. Azuchi Castle was listed as one of Japan's Top 100 Castles by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006. The construction of the castle was the theme of the 2009 period drama film Castle Under Fiery Skies (火天の城, Katen no Shiro ), based on Kenichi Yamamoto 's novel of

140-487: Is located within the grounds of the Biwako Quasi-National Park . Azuchi Castle was built from 1576 to 1579 on Mount Azuchi on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province . Nobunaga intentionally built Azuchi Castle close enough to Kyoto that he could watch over and guard the approaches to the capital, but outside Kyoto so his fortress would be immune to the fires and conflicts that occasionally consumed

175-566: The Iranki , Nobukatsu's losses numbered in the thousands. The campaign was thus a disaster; not only was Nobukatsu defeated, he had also lost one of his generals. Moreover, Nobukatsu had not consulted with Nobunaga prior to launching his attack. Nobukatsu's attack had been partly motivated by a desire to prove his merit to his father. Instead, Nobunaga was furious when he learned of his actions and threatened to disown him. Takino Jurobei On September 30, 1581, Nobunaga launched his own invasion of Iga on

210-494: The Jesuits , but with a stupa at the atrium floor center. However, the external design of Azuchi Castle is still debated. Another Japanese Architectural Historian, Miyakami Shigetaka, has accused Naitō of failing to corroborate his theory with enough documentation. The Azuchi Screens are a set of six- folding screens depicting Azuchi Castle and its nearby town. Oda Nobunaga gifted them to Pope Gregory XIII , who displayed them in

245-503: The Nakasendō highway to stop in the town overnight for lodging, thus bringing business to his town's innkeepers. By 1582, the town's inhabitants numbered roughly 5,000. In addition to welcoming many of Nobunaga's powerful political guests, such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Niwa Nagahide , Azuchi castle also hosted an event in 1579 which has come to be known as the Azuchi religious debate (安土宗論, Azuchi shūron ), taking place between leaders of

280-453: The Nichiren and Jōdo-shū sects of Buddhism. On the night of Urabon-e (Feast of Lanterns) in 1581, Nobunaga made the houses in the castle town turn off their lights and lit up Azuchi Castle with lanterns and other decorations to astonish the missionaries leaving the castle. It was even more impressive because the castle was built on the tip of a promontory surrounded on three sides by a lake, and

315-635: The Vatican collections , where they were admired by visitors. However, they disappeared from historical record. Their fate is unknown and they are considered to be lost. The screens must have been pivotal works in the development of Japanese folding screens. All that remains of the castle today is the stonework. However, an approximate reproduction of the Azuchi Castle donjon, based on illustrations and historical descriptions, stands in Ise Sengoku Village,

350-414: The shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan . The position gave way to the emergence of the daimyo (military feudal lords) in the late 15th century, as shugo began to claim power over lands themselves, rather than serving simply as governors on behalf of the shogunate. The post is said to have been created in 1185 by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo to aid the capture of Yoshitsune , with

385-543: The shugodai , while others strengthened their grip on their territories. As a result, at the end of the 15th century, the beginning of the Sengoku period , the power in the country was divided amongst military lords of various kinds ( shugo , shugodai , and others), who came to be called daimyōs . Below is a list of some of the major clans that produced shugos and daimyōs during the Muromachi era and Sengoku period, as well as

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420-415: The Iga "militias of warrior-peasants" are believed to have formed the basis for the " ninja " tradition of the region. Following their defeat, forces from Iga were hired as auxiliary troops by other military forces. Shugo Shugo ( 守護 ) , commonly translated as '[military] governor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan . They were each appointed by

455-556: The additional motivation of extending the rule of the Minamoto shogunate government throughout Japan. The shugo (military governors) progressively supplanted the existing kokushi (civil governors), who were appointed by the Imperial Court in Kyoto . Officially, the gokenin in each province were supposed to serve the shugo , but in practice, the relationship between them was fragile, as

490-498: The battlefield to the responsibility of ruling the realm and ensuring peace and order all around. In 1976, the Japanese architectural historian Akira Naitō published what he believed to be a conclusive summary of the features of Azuchi Castle. He concluded that the tenshu was 46 meters in height, with a gilded octagonal belvedere on top. An atrium rose from the basement level to the fourth floor ceiling, supposedly influenced by

525-408: The castle show the donjon to be 40 meters, with seven levels. Fourthly, Azuchi Castle had irregularly formed inner citadels. These inner citadels gave defenders ample defensive positions against intruders. Nobunaga chose Azuchi-yama for the location of Azuchi Castle, which rises 100 meters above Lake Biwa. The site was strategically placed at the intersection of three highways converging on Kyoto from

560-612: The city. Azuchi Castle's location was also strategically advantageous in managing the communications and transportation routes between Nobunaga's greatest foes – the Uesugi to the north, the Takeda in the east, and the Mōri to the west. Azuchi Castle was demolished in 1582 by Akechi Mitsuhide after his assassination of Nobunaga in the Honno-ji Incident . Many researchers agree that Azuchi Castle

595-480: The east. Nobunaga desired a full castle town , and built well-defended homes for his generals, a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple called Jōgon-in , and a number of homes for commoners a short distance away on the shore of the lake. He had trouble convincing people to move into these homes at first, however. In the summer of 1577, he issued a municipal charter, guaranteeing residents immunity from taxes, building or transport levies, and moratoria, and forced all travelers on

630-561: The end and received the money in person. In the summer of 1582, just after Nobunaga's death at Honnō-ji , the castle was taken over by the forces of Akechi Mitsuhide , Nobunaga's betrayer. The castle was set aflame a week or so later, with some accounts claiming this might have been the work of looting townspeople, or of one of Nobunaga's sons. Confucius and other Confucian figures were depicted in paintings at Azuchi Castle. The highest respect given to Confucianism in Azuchi Castle implies that Nobunaga's ideas were shifting from tactics for

665-561: The expulsion of Niki Yubai , the nominal shugo of Iga, in June of the previous year. Tempted at the possibility of adding Iga to his domain, Nobukatsu dispatched Takigawa Kazumasu to build a castle at Maruyama in Iga to serve as a staging point for the campaign. Alerted of Nobukatsu's intentions by the construction of the castle, warriors from Iga decided to attack before it had been completed. They attacked Maruyama Castle in broad daylight on November 24, 1578. Taken completely by surprise, Takigawa

700-471: The first Japanese castles with a tower keep, the Azuchi keep itself was unique in that its uppermost story was octagonal. In addition, the facade of the Azuchi donjon, unlike the solid white or black of other keeps, was colorfully decorated with tigers and dragons. There were five main militaristic features of Azuchi Castle that differentiated it from earlier castle designs. Firstly, it was a massive structure, with

735-462: The following day, but were ambushed as they did so. The waiting Iga troops made heavy use of their knowledge of the terrain and guerrilla tactics to surprise and confuse Nobukatsu's army. He retreated, taking heavy losses as his army became disorganized. The two other, smaller forces (1,500 men led by Tsuge Saburō through Onikobu Pass and 1,300 men led by Nagano Sakyōnosuke through Aoyama Pass) met similar fates, with Tsuge losing his life. According to

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770-527: The gokenin were vassals of the shōgun as well. Shugo often stayed for long periods in the capital, far from their province, and were sometimes appointed shugo for several provinces at the same time. In such cases, a deputy shugo , or shugodai (守護代), was appointed. Over time, the powers of some shugo grew considerably. Around the time of the Ōnin War (1467–1477), conflicts between shugo became common. Some shugo lost their powers to subordinates such as

805-469: The league are unknown, but by the mid-16th century it had been formalized as an organization known as the "league of all the commons of Iga" ( 伊賀惣国一揆 , Iga Sōkoku Ikki ) , or Iga ikki . Following the Battle of Okehazama in 1560, Oda Nobunaga of Owari province began his rise as a prominent daimyō of central Japan, rapidly expanding his territory. In 1567 he began his invasion of Ise province , which

840-514: The rallying point for the northern Iga forces, and the siege of Kashiwara Castle in the south. With the surrender of the forces in Kashiwara Castle on October 8, organized Iga resistance came to an end. Oda Nobunaga himself toured the conquered province in early November 1581, and then withdrew his troops, placing control in Nobukatsu's hands. The espionage and guerrilla tactics developed by

875-408: The regions over which they ruled. Azuchi Castle Azuchi Castle ( 安土城 , Azuchi-jō ) was one of the primary castles of Oda Nobunaga located in the Azuchi neighborhood of the city of Ōmihachiman , Shiga Prefecture . The site of the castle was designated a National Historic Site in 1926, with the designation upgraded to that of a Special National Historic Site in 1952. The castle

910-516: The remaining Kitabatake leadership ( the Mise Incident ), cementing their control of Ise. The young Nobukatsu, who now had control over Ise, decided to expand his domain to include Iga as well. In March 1578, Kai Shimoyama, a former minor Kitabatake vassal from Iga, visited Nobukatsu at his residence in Matsugashima and urged him to invade Iga, listing misdeeds being committed there. These included

945-563: The shōgun's authority diminished. No great warlord rose to take their place, although the Rokkaku to the north and the Kitabatake to the east extended their influence over parts of the province. Instead, as also happened in some neighboring areas, the province came to be controlled by a league (ikki) of the numerous local warrior clans ( jizamurai ) which had formed to defend the area's independence from outside military forces. The earliest details of

980-422: The surrounding area had not yet been reclaimed. On New Year's Day (lunar calendar) in 1582, Nobunaga opened the interior of Azuchi Castle to guests of honour. So many people crowded in that part of the stone wall collapsed, resulting in injuries and even deaths. At that time, Nobunaga had instructed the daimyos and their vassals to bring 100 mon (monetary unit) each. After the tour, Nobunaga was waiting for them at

1015-433: The walls of the castle ranging from 5.5 to 6.5 meters in thickness. The second feature of Azuchi Castle is the predominant use of stone. The walls were constructed from huge granite stones fitted carefully together without the use of mortar. A third innovation of the Azuchi Castle was the high central tower, or donjon . The tower allowed for increased visibility for the use of guns against an opposing force. Builder’s plans for

1050-422: Was a seven-storey building with six floors above ground and one below, built as a symbol of the castle rather than as the centre of its defence, and this was the beginning of the full-fledged tenshu in Japanese castles. The building containing audience halls, private chambers, offices, and a treasury, as though it were a royal palace. All seven stories were decorated by Kanō Eitoku . In addition to being one of

1085-577: Was built on a vast site on the banks of Lake Biwa as a new stronghold for Oda Nobunaga. Niwa Nagahide had responsibility for constructing the castle, which began in 1576 and completed in 1579. Unlike earlier castles and fortresses, Azuchi was not intended to be a military structure alone, cold, dark, and foreboding. Nobunaga intended it as a mansion which would impress and intimidate his rivals not only with its defenses, but also with its lavish apartments and decorations, flourishing town, and religious life. The keep , called tenshu (or tenshukaku ),

Tenshō Iga War - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-631: Was forced to withdraw from the castle, which the Iga forces then burned. He reassembled the remnants of his forces at nearby Tsuzumigamine but was again defeated and retreated back to Ise. Embarrassed and angered by this setback, Nobukatsu wanted to immediately attack Iga but was persuaded to wait by his advisors. Still determined to attack a year later, he formulated a three-pronged invasion the following year and departed Matsugashima on October 6, 1579. The Iga forces soon learned of Nobukatsu's preparations, however, and made plans to meet him. Nobukatsu and his main force of 8,000 men entered Iga through Nagano Pass

1155-701: Was the catalyst for the establishment of early modern castles in Japan from the Azuchi–Momoyama period onwards. Yamajiro ( 山城 , lit.   ' Hill castles ' ) of the Sengoku period were, so to speak, earthen fortresses built by cutting through the mountain and heaped up with rocks and earth, with military priority, but Nobunaga's stone castles were a revolutionary departure from these, and became show castles with both political functions. The Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japanese history partially takes its name from Azuchi Castle. This all-stone-walled castle

1190-536: Was then largely under the control of the Kitabatake clan . He slowly caused the Kitabatake vassals to switch to his side, and forced Kitabatake Tomofusa , the head of the clan, to sue for peace following the Battle of Okawachi Castle in 1569. As part of the peace agreement, Tomofusa adopted Nobunaga's son Nobukatsu as his heir, ceding much of his authority to the Oda. In December 1576 Nobunaga and Nobukatsu assassinated most of

1225-426: Was therefore able to assemble a large army which attacked the province from all directions: Against this large army of 42,000 men, the Iga defenders only totaled 10,000 at most, and these were spread throughout the province. The Oda forces advanced, torching castles, shrines, and temples, and meeting relatively little resistance. The most significant military actions were the siege of Hijiyama Castle , which had become

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