Norimasa Uesugi

Japanese: 上杉憲政 - うえすぎ・のりまさ

Year of death: Tensho 7 (1579)
Year of birth: 1523
Warlord of the Warring States period, Kanto Kanrei. Eldest son of Yamanouchi Uesugi Ienobu. When his father Norifusa died of illness in 1525, he was still a child, so Norifusa, the son of Ashikaga Takamoto, the Koga kubō, became Kanrei for a time, and in 1531, at the age of 9, he assumed the position. He lost the support of the people due to his extravagant and licentious politics. In 1541, he dispatched troops to Shinshu. In 1541, he fought against the Hojo clan to the south, attacking Hojo Tsunanari in Kawagoe (Kawagoe City), but suffered successive defeats, and in April 1542, he was defeated by Hojo Ujiyasu in the Battle of Kawagoe, and retreated to Hirai Castle in Kozuke. In this battle, he lost powerful vassals such as Kuragano and Akahori, and the generals of Kozuke did not respond to the order to march out, and in January 1548, he abandoned Hirai Castle and sought refuge with Nagao Kagetora (Uesugi Kenshin) in Echigo. In August 1560, he marched to Kanto with Kagetora's support, and in March of the following year, he besieged Odawara. On his way back, at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, he handed over the Uesugi family name to Kagetora, shaved his head, and took the name Kotetsu. When Kenshin died of illness in March 1578, a battle ensued over his succession, with Uesugi Kagekatsu holed up in the main keep of Kasugayama Castle and Kagetora holed up in Constitutional Government. The castle town was burned down, and Kagetora's side failed in their siege of the castle and were defeated. On March 17 of the following year, Constitutional Government was also captured, and Kagetora was killed in the midst of the melee.

(Karasawa Sadaichi)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：天正7(1579)
生年：大永3(1523)
戦国時代の武将,関東管領。山内上杉家憲房の長子。大永5(1525)年に父憲房が病没した際,未だ幼少であったため一時古河公方足利高基の子憲寛が管領となり,享禄4(1531)年9歳の年,同職に就任。奢侈・放縦な政治で民心を失う。天文10(1541)年信州に出兵。同12年,河越(川越市)の北条綱成を攻めるなど南方の北条氏と戦うが相次いで敗れ,同14年4月の河越合戦でも北条氏康に敗れて上野平井城に退く。この戦いでは倉賀野,赤堀など有力な家臣を失い,上野の諸将は出陣命令に応じず,同21年1月平井城を捨て越後の長尾景虎(上杉謙信)を頼った。永禄3(1560)年8月,景虎に擁されて関東に出陣,翌年3月小田原を囲んだ。帰途,鶴岡八幡宮で上杉の家名を景虎に譲り,剃髪して光徹と号した。天正6(1578)年3月謙信が病没すると,その跡目を巡って上杉景勝は春日山城本丸に,同景虎は憲政の館にこもって相争うことになった。城下は焼き払われ景虎方は城攻めに失敗して敗北。翌年3月17日憲政の館も攻略され,混戦のさなか殺害された。

(唐澤定市)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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