Shikanosuke Yamanaka

A military commander in the Sengoku period. A senior vassal of the Amago clan. His childhood name was Jinjiro, and after coming of age he changed his name to Yukimori Kanosuke and became a close attendant to Yoshihisa Amago, lord of Toda Castle. In later military chronicles and other records, he is often written as Kanosuke or Kanosuke, but in his own handwriting he is always Kanosuke. Kanosuke's name first appeared in military chronicles such as the Unyogunjikki and Intoku Taiheiki in 1563 (Eiroku 6) during a rescue battle for Shiraga Castle, the Amago's base, which was besieged by the forces of Motonari Mori. The Amago army was defeated, and the Amago forces barricaded themselves in Toda Castle, and finally fell in November 1566, leading to the demise of the Amago clan. After the fall of the castle, Shikasuke left Izumo and plotted to restore his master, the Amago clan, and in 69 he landed at Chikumi Bay on the Shimane Peninsula with Amago's surviving son, Katsuhisa, and briefly captured most of Izumo by gathering together the remnants of the Amago clan. However, in February of the following year, he was defeated by Mori's reinforcements at Fubeyama (Yasugi City), and his dream of recapturing Izumo was dashed. However, he continued to fight in various places in an attempt to restore his clan, and he relied on Oda Nobunaga, pinning his hopes on his Western Expedition. In 1577 (Tensho 5), he joined the forces of Nobunaga's general Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi and participated in the attack on the Mori clan, taking refuge with his lord Katsuhisa in Kozuki Castle (Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo Prefecture), but in April 1578, he was surrounded by a large army of Mori and Ukita, and on July 3rd Katsuhisa committed suicide, and on the 5th the castle fell, and finally surrendered. On his way to be escorted to Mori Terumoto in Matsuyama Castle, Bitchu (Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture), he was killed at Abe (also called Ai) ferry on the Takahashi River. His life was devoted to his obsession with restoring the Amago clan and his hostility towards the Mori clan.

[Da. T. Fujioka]

"A Travelogue of Shikasuke in the Mountains" by Daisetsu Fujioka (1980, Sanin Chuo Shinposha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

戦国時代の武将。尼子(あまご)氏の重臣。幼名甚次郎(じんじろう)、元服して名を鹿介幸盛(ゆきもり)と改め、富田(とだ)城主尼子義久(よしひさ)の近習(きんじゅ)となる。後世の軍記物その他の記録では鹿之介あるいは鹿之助と記されている場合が多いが、本人の自署はいずれも鹿介となっている。鹿介の名が初めて『雲陽軍実記』や『陰徳太平記』などの軍記物に登場するのは、1563年（永禄6）毛利元就(もうりもとなり)軍に包囲された尼子の拠点白鹿(しらが)城の救援戦であるが、このとき尼子軍は敗退し、以後尼子勢は富田城に籠城(ろうじょう)し、66年11月ついに落城、尼子氏は滅亡した。落城後出雲(いずも)を去った鹿介は、主家尼子家の再興を画策し、尼子の遺子勝久(かつひさ)を擁して69年島根半島千酌(ちくみ)湾に上陸、尼子の残党を糾合して一時は出雲の大半を奪取したが、翌年2月毛利の援軍と布部山(ふべやま)（安来(やすぎ)市）に戦って大敗し、出雲奪回の夢は断たれた。しかし、その後も執拗(しつよう)に再興を図って各地に転戦、織田信長を頼って、その西征に望みをつないだ。77年（天正5）信長の部将羽柴(はしば)（豊臣(とよとみ)）秀吉の麾下(きか)に入って毛利攻めに参加し、上月(こうづき)城（兵庫県佐用(さよう)郡佐用町）に主君勝久とともに籠(こも)ったが、78年4月毛利・宇喜多(うきた)の大軍に包囲され、7月3日勝久は自殺、5日落城し、ついに降伏した。鹿介は備中(びっちゅう)松山城（岡山県高梁(たかはし)市）の毛利輝元(てるもと)のもとに護送される途中、高梁川河畔の阿部(あべ)（阿井ともいう）の渡(わた)しで殺された。その生涯は、尼子家再興の執念と毛利氏に対する敵愾(てきがい)心に徹したものであった。

［藤岡大拙］

『藤岡大拙著『山中鹿介紀行』（1980・山陰中央新報社）』

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