Uesugi family documents

These are ancient documents handed down to the Uesugi family, former lords of Yonezawa Domain. There are about 1,200 documents dating from the Kamakura period to the early Edo period, as well as many documents from the Edo period. The Uesugi clan was originally the Nagao clan, a powerful clan in Echigo (Niigata Prefecture), and served as deputy shugo (military governor) of the Uesugi clan. During the time of Kenshin, they took on the Uesugi name after receiving the family name from Yamanouchi Uesugi Norimasa, who was also the Kanto Kanrei (regent). Reflecting these circumstances, this collection of documents includes documents from three generations of lords of Echigo Province, Kenshin, Kagekatsu, and Sadakatsu, as well as documents handed down to the Yamanouchi Uesugi clan and the Nagao clan (the deputy shugo) of the Nagao clan and its branches. Looking at the contents, they are excellent historical materials for research on shugo daimyo and sengoku daimyo, including documents showing the conflicts with the various powerful clans of Echigo and the process of unification during the time of Nagao Tamekage, documents showing negotiations with neighboring countries such as the Hojo, Takeda, Ashina, and Date clans during the time of Kenshin, and documents showing negotiations with the Toyotomi government during the time of Kagekatsu. In addition, although they were sorted twice during the Edo period, they have been stored in their original form, making them extremely useful for research on the form of documents such as writing paper and seals. Included in "Dai Nihon Komonjo Iwake 12."

[Kouen Kuwayama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧米沢(よねざわ)藩主上杉家に伝えられた古文書。鎌倉時代から江戸時代初頭までのもの約1200点、そのほか江戸時代のもの多数がある。上杉氏はもと越後(えちご)（新潟県）の豪族長尾(ながお)氏で、守護上杉氏の守護代であった。謙信(けんしん)のとき、関東管領(かんれい)でもあった山内上杉憲政(やまのうちうえすぎのりまさ)から家名を譲られて上杉氏を称した。このような事情を反映して、この文書群には謙信、景勝(かげかつ)、定勝(さだかつ)の越後国主3代の文書のほかに、山内上杉氏に伝えられた文書、長尾氏（守護代の長尾氏および支族）に伝えられた文書が入っている。内容をみると、長尾為景(ためかげ)時代の越後諸豪族との抗争、統一の過程を示すもの、謙信時代の北条、武田、蘆名(あしな)、伊達(だて)氏ら近隣諸国との交渉を示すもの、景勝時代の豊臣(とよとみ)政権との交渉を示すものなど、守護大名、戦国大名研究の好史料である。また江戸時代に二度整理が行われたが、原形を損なわないで保管されたので、料紙、封式など文書の形態的研究にもきわめて有用である。『大日本古文書　家わけ12』所収。

［桑山浩然］

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