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theworldaswedontknowit · 7 years ago

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The Shimazu: Always Looking For a Fight

Okay but they really were, especially between each other

The Shimazu clan are known in history for one very good reason – fighting. They were known for it in Hideyoshi’s time and they would be known for it at the end of the Edo period, when they played a major role in the Boshin War.

The Shimazu clan traces its lineage all the way back to the Kamakura period and ultimately the Minamoto, as many clans do. It seems to be either the Minamoto or Taira, which is with good reason – these were the two clans fighting it out until the Minamoto won and decided to fight between themselves. Koremune Tadahisa, a theory goes that he was the illegitimate child of Minamoto no Yoritomo but this has been largely abandoned. He took the name of his wife, or was more likely adopted into the clan and married her as this was quite common, who was a Koremune by birth and was at granted the province of Satsuma and took the name of the domain – Shimazu.

The clan’s lands of Hyuuga and Osumi were lost for a short time during wars with the Hiki clan (who I thought had been destroyed by the Minamoto already but okay) but were regained under the leadership of the 9th Head, Shimazu Motohisa. However, the clan had already splinter upon the death of the Shimazu Sadahisa, his third son taking over the Soshu branch and his fourth taking over the Oshu branch (not to be confused with Date Masamune’s domain)

The two sections of the clan were prone to infighting and taking different sides in wars. In the Northern-Southern conflict (excuse me for being vague about this, this is literally the first I’ve heard of it) they fought on the same side for the Northern Court. They fought against Imagawa Ryoshun, a reknowned poet and military commander, only to fight with him and be betrayed by him at the Mizushima incident. Both Branches would oppose him until he was dismissed from his post in 1395.

The clan fell to in fighting in the 1400s and the cadet branch – the Oshu – would become the main branch when Shimazu Hisamori. Not to say things really got better from there. While Kyoto was being scorched by the forces of Hosokawa and Yamana, Shimazu Tatsuhisa was on his deathbed. When he did die in 1474, two factions headed by Shimazu Kunihisa and Shimazu Suehisa erupted into all-out war a decade later. Twinned with the conflicts between the (future) retainer families and the rebellion of Kimotsuki Kanehisa in 1506, the only option given to the leader, Shimazu Tadamasa, was suicide which he carried out in 1507.

It’s in 1550 that we see some familiar faces. Appearing now is Shimazu Takahisa, along with his two sons – Yoshihisa and Yoshihiro. We know Yoshihiro as the grumpy old man with the impossibly large hammer in Samurai Warriors. He was young once, right now he is only fifteen years old. The family set out on the path of conquest and while everyone’s eyes was on the monster that was Oda Nobunaga the Shimazu were brutally bashing their way through Kyushu, claiming their old domain back over a period of 37 years. Yoshihiro is no longer 15, he is in his fifties and the Toyotomi are coming.

Toyotomi’s victory actually did something rather interesting to the Shimazu. They had always been traditional, holding Kamakura style banquets and conforming with traditions that matched those of the 1100s rather those of the subsequent centuries. Hideyoshi’s victory forced them to do otherwise, serving him a modern style banquet. Along with Hideyoshi’s victory came a change in clan headship – Takahisa had died in 1571 and the headship passed to Yoshihisa. Upon their defeat, Yoshihisa relinquished control to little brother Yoshihiro – now 52 years old.

It was the Shimazu who would fight the final battle of the Korean campaigns in 1598. They would also be the forces that killed the great Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was their guns that killed the Admiral, along with other commanders in both the Korean and Chinese armies. They had a large part to play in Korea, simply due to their proximity to it in comparison to other Daimyo.

The Shimazu were involved in the Sekigahara campaign on the Western side but, like most of Ishida’s allies, they didn’t really do anything to help him. Due to their remoteness, they were allowed to keep their domain, making them one of the few clans who held their lands all the way from the Kamakura period.

There is a cool depiction of them at Sekigahara, however. They became trapped towards the end of the battle and – showing the true spirit of what the Shimazu are famous for – supposedly charged through 10,000 troops with only a 2,250 men and many would make it out alive. With the exception of Shimazu Toyohisa.

Shimazu Toyohisa was 30 years old at Sekigahara and though far from the hyperactive teen we know him as, he was still rather young. He was the son of Iehisa, a brother of Yoshihisa and Yoshihiro and married to a daughter of another Shimazu clan member.

The head of the clan at the time of the Boshin war was Shimazu Hisamitsu who was in charge, although power was supposed to be with his son (adopted son of his brother who suddenly died in 1858), when the Boshin war began. While returning to Satsuma, having just assisted in instating Tokugawa Yoshinobu as guardian to the Shogun, the Numamugi incident occurred. A British trader, Charles Richardson, refused to move out of the way of Hisamitsu’s procession (of like 1000 Samurai, buddy, I’d move if I were you) and so, Richardson was killed.

Over the course of the revolution Hisamitsu toyed with the idea of setting up a new Government based in and run by Satsuma (along with other clans) but eventually abandoned this in favour of the reinstating of the Imperial family as head, along with the reformed Government that would come with this. Under the Kozuko system he would become a Prince – the highest rank.

The Shimazu are still a prominent family today and are related to the Imperial clan – Hisamitsu is a Great-Great Grandfather of the current Emperor through his Grandmother, who was Hisamitsu’s Granddaughter. I think I made that more confusing than it was. Additionally, one of his descendants is also the Great Grandson of Saigo Takamori, the last samurai. The actual one, not that film with Tom Cruise in. Ew.

#Shimazu Clan #Shimazu Yoshihisa #Shimazu Yoshihiro #Shimazu Toyohisa #Minamoto no Yoritomo #Heian period #Sengoku Jidai #toyotomi hideyoshi #Oda Nobunaga #Sekigahara

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scoobydoojedi · 6 years ago

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Nejime clan

The Nejime clan n were descended from Taira no Koremori, whose grandson Kiyoshige took the name Nejime; members of the clan served as officials in Ôsumi province going back to ancient times. In the 14th century, they played a prominent role in fighting alongside the Shimazu clan in supporting Ashikaga Takauji and the Northern Court in the wars of the Nanboku-chô period.

From the Muromachi period onward, the Nejime focused on controlling trade. Nejime Shigehirain particular was active in trade with Ryûkyûand China.In the 16th century, members of the Itô,Kimotsuki, and Tanegashima clans became embroiled in succession disputes over the headship of the Shimazu clan. After this, the Nejime and Kimotsuki rose up against the Shimazu. They attempted an amphibious attack on Kagoshima in 1571 but were rebuffed; the Shimazu defeated the Itô in the battle of Kizakihara the following year. Realizing their situation was dire, the Nejime capitulated to the Shimazu the next year, in 1573, becoming Shimazu retainers.

*Extra info*

In the early modern period, one branch of the Nejime clan changed its name to Komatsu.

*Prominent People*

*Nejime Shigenaga* (1536 – 1580) Shigenaga was a retainer of the Kimotsuki clan, and the 16th generation head of his family.He joined Kimotsuki Kanetsugu in the fight against the Shimazu in Ōsumi Province. However, following the Kimotsuki clan's defeat, Shigenaga saw that the family's position was untenable, so he independently concluded a peace agreement with Shimazu Yoshihisa. This incurred the wrath of Kimotsuki Kanesuke, who attacked him; however, the Shimazu were able to save Shigenaga from death. Later, Shigenaga became a retainer under Shimazu Yoshihisa, and assisted the Shimazu clan in issues of trade. Shigenaga is said to be the first person who encouraged the cultivation of mandarin oranges in Japan.

*Nejime Shigetake* (????-????) Nejime Shigetake was the 16th head of his family and was at first a retainer of the Kimotsuki of Ôsumi (Shigetake's Nejime castle that he built was located in that province). He later became a retainer of Shimazu Yoshihisa and was an active in various economic development projects.

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