Konoe Sakihisa

Japanese: 近衛前久 - このえ・さきひさ

Year of death: May 8, 1612 (June 7, 1612)
Year of birth: Tenbun 5 (1536)
A nobleman in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His father was Konoe Taneie. His mother was Minamoto Keiko, the adopted daughter of Kuga Michimoto. He was the maternal ancestor of Emperor Gomizunoo. His original name was Harutsugu. In 1555 he changed his name to Maetsugu, and in 1562 he changed it three times to Maehisa. After serving as Minister of the Right, he became the Chancellor and Head of the Clan in 1554, and soon became Minister of the Left. In 1560 while he was Chancellor, he was outraged by the chaotic situation in Kyoto, and traveled down to Echigo, relying on Nagao Kagetora (Uesugi Kenshin). He then followed Kagetora, who was campaigning in the Kanto region, to Umabashi (Maebashi). He later stayed in Koga, and returned to Echigo with Kagetora. His purpose was to help Kagetora and encourage him to come to Kyoto, but he was unable to do so and returned to Kyoto in 1562. In 1563, an opportunity arose between him and Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and he fled. He wandered Osaka and Tamba. In 1575, he was allowed to return to Kyoto at the request of Oda Nobunaga, but in the same year, he immediately went down to Satsuma relying on Shimazu Yoshihisa. He stayed in Satsuma until 1576, when he returned to Kyoto. In 1577, he responded to Nobunaga's request and, as an imperial envoy, recommended peace to Honganji Mitsusa, and in 1578, he attempted peace between the Shimazu clan and the Bungo Otomo clan. The Kanemi Kyoki tells us that when Nobunaga was killed violently at Honnoji in 1579, rumors spread that Nobunaga's son Nobutaka had punished Maehisa, and fearing danger, he shaved his head and hid in Saga. He then went down to Totomi relying on Tokugawa Ieyasu, and returned to Kyoto the following year with Ieyasu's help. During that time, he sent a letter to Shimazu Yoshihisa, expressing his intention to go down to Satsuma in the future, which shows not only the depth of his relationship with the Shimazu clan but also his trust in Yoshihisa. Furthermore, letters written by Maehisa regarding falcons remain with the Shimazu family, and it is interesting to note that Maehisa not only requests falcons to present to Nobunaga and Ieyasu, but also desires one himself, which is typical of Maehisa, who loved falconry from a young age. Although he was a nobleman who survived through turbulent times, he was also well versed in waka and renga poetry, having been taught the Kokinshu syllabary by his father, and these works have been preserved. His one-character name was "Spring." In a life of change, he made a great contribution as an educated man to the spread of culture from the capital to the provinces. <References> Konoe Michitaka, "Konoe Maehisa's Trip to Kanto" (Nihon Rekishi, No. 391)

(Toshiharu Yukawa)

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

Japanese:

没年：慶長17.5.8(1612.6.7)
生年：天文5(1536)
安土桃山時代の公家。父は近衛稙家。母は久我通言の養女源慶子。後水尾天皇の外祖に当たる。初名は晴嗣。弘治1(1555)年前嗣と改め,永禄5(1562)年前久と三度改名。右大臣を経て天文23(1554)年関白・氏長者,すぐ左大臣に転ずる。関白在任中の永禄3年,京都の乱れた情勢を憤り,長尾景虎(上杉謙信)を頼り越後へ下向。ついで関東出陣中の景虎を追い,厩橋(前橋)へ向かう。のち古河に滞在し,景虎と共に越後へ戻る。その目的は景虎を助け上洛を促すことにあったが,果たせず永禄5年帰洛。同11年には将軍足利義昭との間に隙が生じ出奔。大坂,丹波を流浪する。天正3(1575)年織田信長の奏請により帰洛を許されるが,同年すぐ島津義久を頼り薩摩へ下向。同5年まで薩摩に滞在し帰洛。同8年信長の要請に応じ,勅使として本願寺光佐に和睦を勧め,同9年には島津氏と豊後大友氏の和睦を図る。『兼見卿記』は,同10年本能寺で信長が横死したとき,信長の息信孝による前久成敗の風説が流れ,難を恐れて剃髪し嵯峨に隠れたことを伝えている。その後徳川家康を頼り遠江に下り,翌年家康の斡旋で帰洛。その間,島津義久へ書状を送り,将来,薩摩に下向するとの意を伝えているところから,島津氏との交流の深さに加え義久に対する信頼がうかがえる。また島津家には鷹に関する前久の書状が残されており,信長や家康に献上するための鷹を催促するのみならず,自らも所望しているところなど,若いころから放鷹を好んだ前久らしく興味深い。乱世を生き抜いた公家であったが,父から古今伝授を受け和歌や連歌にも通じ,それらの作品も残されている。一字名は「春」。流転の人生にあって,教養人として都文化の地方への普及に寄与した功績は大きい。<参考文献>近衛通隆「近衛前久の関東下向」(『日本歴史』391号)

(湯川敏治)

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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