Katsumoto Hosokawa

Japanese: 細川勝元 - ほそかわ・かつもと

Year of death: Bunmei 5.5.11 (1473.6.6)
Year of birth: Eikyo 2 (1430)
A military commander in the Muromachi period, and a kanrei (regent) of the Muromachi shogunate. Someimaru, Rokuro. Ukyo no daifu (Ukyo courtier), Musashi no kami (Lord of the Imperial Court). Son of Mochiyuki. Shugo (military governor) of Settsu, Tanba, Sanuki, and Tosa provinces. In August 1442 (Kakitsu 2), he inherited the family headship at the age of 13 after his father died of illness, but due to his young age, his uncle Hosokawa Mochikata acted as his guardian. In March 1445 (Bun'an 2), he succeeded Hatakeyama Mochikuni as kanrei, and retired in 1449 (Houtoku 1) to be replaced by Mochikuni, but was reappointed from 1452 (Kyotoku 1) to 1464 (Kansho 5), and a third time from 1468 (Onin 2) until his death in 1473 (Bunmei 5), for a total of 21 years in the position. He was better at strategy and negotiation than military affairs, and after the Kakitsu Incident he became the son-in-law of Yamana Mochitoyo (Sozen), who had grown powerful, and allied with him. It is also believed that he was instrumental in the downfall of Hatakeyama Yoshinari in 1460. However, his support for the restoration of the Akamatsu clan gradually brought him into conflict with Mochitoyo, and in 1592 the conflict between the two became decisive when Katsumoto replaced Shiba Yoshikado, who was also Mochitoyo's son-in-law, with Do Yoshimichi. Katsumoto's support for Ashikaga Yoshimi and Mochitoyo's support for Ashikaga Yoshihisa over the succession to the Shogunate were one of the factors that led to the outbreak of the Onin War in 1593. As the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Army, Katsumoto supported Hatakeyama, Shiba, and Masanaga, Yoshitoshi, and Yoshimi as successors to the Shogunate, respectively, and repeatedly clashed with Mochitoyo, who supported Yoshinari, Yoshikado, and Hino Tomiko and her son Yoshihisa. However, as the stalemate continued, the initiative in the war gradually shifted to the hands of powerful shugo and shugodai such as Akamatsu Masanori and Saito Myojun, and in March 1572, Mochitoyo died of an illness, followed by Katsumoto in May of the same year. He studied Zen under Giten Gensho of Myoshinji Temple, and founded Ryoanji Temple in Yamashiro as well as Ryukoji Temple in Tanba. He also had many hobbies, including waka poetry, painting, falconry and dog hunting, and studied medicine, writing the medical book Reiranshu. His grave is at Ryoanji Temple.

(Kyoji Morita)

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

Japanese:

没年：文明5.5.11(1473.6.6)
生年：永享2(1430)
室町時代の武将,室町幕府管領。聡明丸,六郎。右京大夫,武蔵守。持之の子。摂津・丹波・讃岐・土佐国守護。嘉吉2(1442)年8月,父の病死により13歳で家督を継ぐが,幼少のため叔父細川持賢がこれを後見。文安2(1445)年3月,畠山持国のあとを受けて管領となり,宝徳1(1449)年退任して持国に替わったが,享徳1(1452)年から寛正5(1464)年まで再任,3度目は応仁2(1468)年から文明5(1473)年の死去まで,通算21年間同職に在任した。軍事よりも謀略,駆け引きに長じ,嘉吉の変ののち強大化した山名持豊(宗全)の女婿となってこれと結ぶ一方,寛正1(1460)年畠山義就を失脚させたのも彼の手腕とみられる。しかし,赤松家再興を支持したことにより次第に持豊と対立するようになり,寛正6年,やはり持豊の女婿であった斯波義廉を退けて同義敏を立てたことで,両者の対立は決定的となる。将軍家の跡目を巡って勝元が足利義視を,持豊が足利義尚を支援したことは,応仁1年に応仁の乱が勃発する一因となった。勝元は東軍総帥として畠山,斯波,将軍家の後継者としてそれぞれ,政長,義敏,義視を支援し,義就,義廉および日野富子・義尚母子を支援する持豊と抗争を繰り返した。しかし膠着状態が続くなか,戦争の主導権は漸次,赤松政則,斎藤妙椿ら有力守護・守護代層の手に移っていき,文明5年3月持豊が病死したのに続いて勝元も同年5月病死する。妙心寺の義天玄承らに参禅し,山城竜安寺のほか丹波に竜興寺を創建。また和歌,絵画,鷹狩,犬追物などを嗜み,医術を研究して医書『霊蘭集』を著すなど多趣味であった。墓は竜安寺にある。

(森田恭二)

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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