Matsunaga Hisahide

Japanese: 松永久秀 - まつなが・ひさひで

Year of death: Tensho 5.10.10 (1577.11.19)
Year of birth: 1510
A military commander in the Sengoku period. Danjo Tadashi, Danjo Shosuke, Yamashiro no Kami. His origins are shrouded in mystery, with theories that he originated in Awa, Yamashiro, or Settsu, but the most likely theory is that he was from Nishioka, Yamashiro, based on the writings of Matsunaga Teitoku, a renga poet and member of the family. He is believed to have become a vassal of Miyoshi Nagayoshi before 1541, and in October 1542 he led the Miyoshi army and occupied Minamiyamashiro. In 1553 he was called an "inner man," and is known to have been a senior vassal of Nagayoshi. However, his younger brother Nagayori excelled in military affairs, and it was Nagayori's power that allowed Hisahide to play an important role in the Miyoshi administration. He defeated the Hosokawa Harumoto army in the Battle of Shokoku-ji in July of the same year and the Battle of Umegahata in March of the following year, and became the lord of Takiyama Castle in Settsu in June of 1556. He served as a solicitor at Nagayoshi's main castle, Akutagawa Castle, and acted as an intermediary in lawsuits. In August 1559, he became the lord of Shigisan Castle in Yamato and began managing the Yamato territory, which had long been under the control of Kofuku-ji Temple. In November of the following year, he had almost completely conquered Yamato militarily and built Tamonyama Castle. In March of the following year, when the Miyoshi army was defeated by the Hatakeyama clan and was in crisis, he rushed to defend Nagayoshi's base, Imoriyama Castle. In May of the same year, he defeated the forces of Hatakeyama Takamasa at Kyoko-ji Temple in Kawachi and Habikino, becoming a central commander in the Miyoshi government. In the following year, when Nagayoshi's eldest son, Yoshioki, died of illness, he took advantage of Nagayoshi's senility and drove Ataka Fuyuyasu to his death through slander, and from then on the Miyoshi government was monopolized by the Miyoshi Three, including Miyoshi Nagatsuna, and Hisahide. When Nagayoshi died of illness, Hisahide and his allies kept their mourning a secret, assassinated Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and installed Do Yoshihide, and shortly afterwards, conflict between Hisahide and the Three Ninjas came to the surface. In 1577, the Miyoshi government was exhausted and weakened by internal strife, such as the burning of Todaiji Temple, and in September of the following year, it collapsed before the military power of Oda Nobunaga. Hisahide was granted control of the entire Yamato province through Nobunaga, but in 1571 he betrayed Nobunaga by conspiring with Takeda Shingen, and at the end of the following year he surrendered to Nobunaga and was once again granted control of Yamato. In 1575, he lost Tamonyama Castle and the guardianship of Yamato, and turned his back on Nobunaga, relying on Uesugi Kenshin of the Hokuriku region. In October of the same year, unable to resist any longer, he threw himself into the fire with a famous Hiragumo tea kettle in his hand. He was described by Frois as "cunning" and portrayed as a typical tyrant, but his legend is full of exaggerations. <References> Akira Imatani, "A Brief Study of the Miyoshi-Matsunaga Administration" (Shirin, Vol. 58, No. 3)

(Akira Imaya)

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

Japanese:

没年：天正5.10.10(1577.11.19)
生年：永正7(1510)
戦国時代の武将。弾正忠,弾正少弼,山城守。その出自は謎に包まれ,阿波,山城,摂津の各出自説があるが,一族の連歌師松永貞徳の記述などから山城西岡説が有力。三好長慶の被官になったのは天文10(1541)年以前と推定され,同11年10月三好軍を率いて南山城に進駐,同18年には「内者」と呼ばれ,長慶の重臣であったことがわかる。しかし軍事は弟長頼のほうが秀で,久秀が三好政権中に重きをなし得たのはむしろ長頼の力によるところが大きい。同20年7月の洛中相国寺合戦,翌々年3月の梅ケ畑合戦で細川晴元軍を撃破し,弘治2(1556)年6月摂津滝山城主。長慶の本城芥川城では,訴訟取次など奏者役を務めている。永禄2(1559)年8月大和信貴山城主となり,長く興福寺の支配下にあった大和の領国経営に着手,翌3年11月には軍事的にほぼ大和を制圧し,多聞山城を築いた。同5年3月,畠山氏に大敗し三好軍が危機に陥った際には長慶の本拠飯盛山城の守備に奔走。同年5月に畠山高政軍を河内教興寺,葉引野に大破して三好政権の中心的部将となった。翌6年,長慶の嫡子義興が病死すると長慶の老耄に乗じて,安宅冬康を讒によって死に追い込み,以後三好政権は三好長逸ら三好三人衆と久秀が壟断するようになる。長慶が病死すると,久秀らは喪を秘したまま,将軍足利義輝を暗殺し同義栄を擁立,直後,久秀と三人衆の対立が表面化する。同10年に東大寺を焼くなど内訌で消耗,弱体化した三好政権は,翌年9月織田信長の軍事力の前に崩壊。久秀は信長に款を通じて大和一国を安堵されたが,元亀2(1571)年武田信玄に通じて信長に背き,翌年末いったん信長に降伏して再び大和支配を安堵された。天正3(1575)年多聞山城と大和守護を失うにおよび,北陸の上杉謙信を頼んで再び信長に背く。同5年10月ついに抗しきれず名器平蜘蛛の茶釜を抱いて火中に投身した。フロイスには「狡猾」と評され,梟雄の典型のように描かれるが,その伝説には誇張が多い。<参考文献>今谷明「三好・松永政権小考」(『史林』58巻3号)

(今谷明)

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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