Shimazu Tadayoshi - Shimazu Tadayoshi

A military commander in the Sengoku period. His childhood name was Kikusaburo. He was an official of the Saemon-no-jo and Sagami-no-kami. He was also known as the priest Nisshinsai and Gukokuken. After the death of his father, Izaku Yoshihisa, his mother Tokiwa (the daughter of Niiro Korehisa) remarried to Shimazu Yokihisa of the Sagami clan, and thus became powerful by holding both the Izaku and Sagami clans. At that time, the shugo (military governor) Shimazu Katsuhisa was struggling to govern his territory and asked for Tadayoshi's help, and made Tadayoshi's eldest son, Takahisa, his successor. However, Shimazu Sanehisa, the younger brother of Katsuhisa's wife, did not follow this and opposed Takahisa and Tadayoshi, so Tadayoshi assisted Takahisa and fought against Sanehisa for several years, eventually defeating him and establishing Takahisa's position. He further assisted Takahisa in managing the three provinces (Satsuma, Osumi, and Hyuga) and promoted the project of unifying them. He can be said to be the person who established the foundation of the Shimazu clan as a feudal lord in the early modern period. Tadayoshi also received teachings on Confucianism and Buddhism from his mother and the monk Raizo of Isakura Kaizo-in from a young age, and he had a deep love of learning and was a devout believer. Tadayoshi's "Iroha Uta" was revered as a sacred text for cultivating the samurai spirit of the early modern Satsuma domain. His posthumous name was Baigaku Jojun Zaike Bosatsu. Takeda Shrine in Kaseda City enshrines Tadayoshi.

[Katsuo Gomi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

戦国時代の武将。幼名菊三郎。官は左衛門尉(さえもんのじょう)、相模守(さがみのかみ)。入道日新斎(じっしんさい)、愚谷軒(ぐこくけん)と号す。父伊作(いざく)善久の死後、母常磐(ときわ)（新納是久(にいろこれひさ)の女(むすめ)）は相州(そうしゅう)家島津運久(よきひさ)に再嫁したため、伊作、相州両家を兼帯して勢いが強かった。当時守護島津勝久(かつひさ)は領国の統治に苦しみ忠良の援助を求め、忠良の嫡男貴久(たかひさ)を後嗣(こうし)とした。しかし勝久の夫人の弟島津実久(さねひさ)はこれに従わず、貴久、忠良に対抗したので、忠良は貴久を助けて、数年にわたり実久と戦い、ついにこれを退け、貴久の地位を確立させ、さらに貴久を援助して三州（薩摩(さつま)、大隅(おおすみ)、日向(ひゅうが)）の経営にあたり、その統一事業を推進した。近世大名島津氏の基礎を確立した人物といえる。また忠良は幼時より母および伊作海蔵院の僧頼増(らいぞう)について儒仏の教えを受け、深く学問を好み、信仰心も厚かった。忠良の『伊呂波歌(いろはうた)』は近世薩摩藩の士風育成の聖典として尊重された。法名梅岳常潤在家菩薩。加世田(かせだ)市の竹田神社は忠良を祀(まつ)る。

［五味克夫］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例