Mount Tennozan

Japanese: 天王山 - てんのうざん

A metaphor for a major turning point in victory or defeat or destiny.

[Example] If you add the character for "sencho" (elderly), it is called "Tennozan" of the Hitotsubashi and Kishu schools. Yes B As already mentioned, this was a major point of contention [Tokutomi Soho * Early Modern Japanese National History 38 | 1931]

[Example] Okinawa is the decisive battle of Tennozan and the Battle of Sekigahara. It was taken, but we must recapture it, that's how important Okinawa is. [Umino Juzo *Umino Juzo's Defeat Diary | 1945]

[Origin] " Taikoki -From a story included in volume 3. In 1582, when Oda Nobunaga was killed by his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide in the Honnoji Incident, Hashiba Hideyoshi (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi), who also served Nobunaga, hurried back to Kyoto from the battlefield in Bitchu (present-day Okayama Prefecture) to avenge his master. He then clashed with Mitsuhide's forces at a place called Yamazaki, southwest of Kyoto. At first the battle went back and forth, but after Hideyoshi's forces occupied a mountain called Tennozan, the battle ended with Hideyoshi's victory. Mitsuhide, who fled in defeat, was killed on the way, and from then on the country revolved around Hideyoshi, who had achieved the feat of avenging his late master.

[Explanation] ❶ It is now believed that the capture of Mount Tennozan was not of much significance in the actual course of the Battle of Yamazaki. In addition, from the stories before and after this battle, there are also other instances where the enemy was at Honnoji. 2. The Battle of Sekigahara is probably more important as a so-called "decisive battle for the nation." However, as an idiom, "Tennozan" is far more commonly used. This is probably because Hideyoshi's actions of avenging his lord, who had been betrayed by his retainers and died an untimely death, were spoken of with sympathy by many people.

Source : Dictionary of Idioms and Proverbs About Dictionary of Idioms and Proverbs Information

Japanese:

勝敗や運命の重大な分かれ目のたとえ。

[使用例] 年長の二字を加ふると否とは、一橋派、紀州派の天王山とも云う可べき、一大争点であったことは、既記の通りだ［徳富蘇峰＊近世日本国民史三八｜1931］

[使用例] 沖縄は天王山であり、関ケ原である。あれはとられたが、ぜひとも奪還しなければならぬ、それほど沖縄は重要なのである［海野十三＊海野十三敗戦日記｜1945］

[由来] 「太閤記―三」に収める話から。天正一〇年（1582）、本能寺の変で織田信長が家臣の明智光秀に討たれると、同じく信長に仕えていた羽柴秀吉（後の豊臣秀吉）は、主君の仇を討つべく、備中（現在の岡山県）の戦場から、急いで京都へと戻りました。そして、京都の南西、山崎という場所で、光秀軍と激突。当初、戦況は一進一退しますが、秀吉軍が天王山という山を占領したことをきっかけとして、戦いは秀吉軍の勝利に終わります。敗走した光秀は、途中で殺されてしまい、以後、天下は、亡き主君の仇を取ったという手柄を手にした秀吉を中心に動いていくことになりました。

[解説] ❶現在では、この「山崎の戦い」の実際の経過としては、天王山の占領はそれほど大きな意味を持たなかったと考えられています。なお、この合戦前後の物語からは、ほかにも「敵は本能寺にあり」という故事成語が生まれています。❷いわゆる「天下分け目の戦い」としては、「関ヶ原の戦い」の方が重要でしょう。しかし、故事成語としては「天王山」の方がはるかによく使われます。それはおそらく、家臣に裏切られて非業の死を遂げた主君の仇を討つ、という秀吉の行動が、多くの人々に共感を持って語られたからなのでしょう。

出典　故事成語を知る辞典故事成語を知る辞典について　情報

<<: Tennoji

>>: Emperor Organ Theory