Shiba Takatsune

Japanese: 斯波高経 - しば・たかつね

Year of death: 6th year of Joji/7th year of Shohei 22 (9th August 1367)
Year of birth: 1305
A military commander during the Nanboku-cho period. He is said to have been the son of the Mune clan or Iesada. His mother is said to be the daughter of Oe Tokihide. He held the position of Owari no Kami and Shuri-no-taifu. Takatsune was first seen as Ashikaga Magosaburo at the memorial service for the thirteenth anniversary of the death of Hojo Takatoki. He went to Echizen Province around 1334 (Kenmu 1) and began to play an active role as a shugo (military governor). From the end of that year to January of the following year, he defeated the Hojo remnants in Kii Province, and during the Nakasendai Rebellion, he went to the eastern provinces with Ashikaga Takauji, and then went to Kyoto and overthrew the Kenmu government. In 1334 (Kenmu 3), he returned to his position as shugo of Echizen Province, and fought a fierce battle with Nitta Yoshisada, and in the leap July of 1338 (Ryakuo 1/Engen 3), he defeated Yoshisada and took complete control of Echizen Province. In 1342, he fell out with Shogun Ashikaga Takauji, and was stripped of his Echizen Shugo position along with that of Wakasa Shugo, which he held concurrently. As a result, he became close to Ashikaga Tadayoshi, and during the Kan'o Disturbance he acted on Tadayoshi's side, but at the end of the disturbance he sided with the Muromachi Shogunate and was confirmed as Echizen Shugo. In 1354, he cooperated with Ashikaga Tadafuyu and raised anti-Shogunate troops in Echizen, but when Tadafuyu fell, he returned to the Shogunate in 1356. After Takauji died in 1361, he allied with Sasaki Doyo and ousted his rival Hosokawa Kiyouji, and in 1372, he appointed his fourth son Yoshimasa as Shogunate steward, beginning to grasp real power within the Shogunate. This led to fierce conflict with Doyo, who supported his third son and son-in-law, Ujiyori. He weakened the influence of the Doyo faction within the shogunate and came to completely control the shogunate government, but due to the failure of his son Ujitsune, who became the Kyushu Tandai, in managing Kyushu, and the strong appeal of the Kofuku-ji monks in the province of Echizen, he rapidly lost his influence, and in the 5th year of the Joji era (1626)/21st year of the Shohei era (1611-1628), Ashikaga Yoshiakira ordered the pursuit and murder of Takatsune, and he fled to Echizen, where he died the following year. <References> Ogawa Makoto, "Research on the Development History of the Ashikaga Clan Shugo," Sato Shinichi, "Research on the Shugo System of the Muromachi Shogunate," Vol. 1

(Kiyoshi Ito)

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

Japanese:

没年：貞治6/正平22.7.13(1367.8.9)
生年：嘉元3(1305)
南北朝時代の武将。宗氏の子,または家貞の子とも伝えられている。母は大江時秀の娘といわれている。官途は尾張守,修理大夫。高経の初見は,北条高時十三回忌供養の折,足利孫三郎としてみえている。建武1(1334)年ごろに越前国に下り守護として活躍し始める。同年末より翌年1月にかけて,紀伊国の北条残党を討ち,中先代の乱のときには,足利尊氏と共に東国に下り,さらに上洛して建武政権を倒した。建武3/延元1年越前守護に復し,新田義貞と激戦を展開し,暦応1/延元3(1338)年閏7月,義貞を討ち取り,越前国を完全に掌握する。康永1/興国3(1342)年将軍足利尊氏と不和になり,兼任していた若狭守護とともに越前守護職も没収された。このため足利直義に近付き,観応の擾乱では直義派として行動するが,擾乱の末期に室町幕府方となり,越前守護も安堵された。文和3/正平9(1354)年足利直冬に呼応して,反幕府の兵を越前であげたが,直冬が没落すると,延文1/正平11年再度幕府に復帰した。延文3/正平13年尊氏が死去すると,佐々木導誉と結んで,ライバルの細川清氏を追い落とし,貞治1/正平17年には4男の義将を幕府の執事となして,幕府内の実権を握り始めた。このため彼の3男で女婿である氏頼を推す導誉と激しく対立。幕府内の導誉派の勢力を削ぎ,幕政を完全に牛耳るようになったが,九州探題となった子の氏経の九州経営の失敗,分国越前における興福寺衆徒の強訴などを契機として,急速に勢力を失い,貞治5/正平21年足利義詮が高経の追討を命じたことにより,越前に逃れて,翌年没した。<参考文献>小川信『足利一門守護発展史の研究』,佐藤進一『室町幕府守護制度の研究』上

(伊藤喜良)

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