Yoshikage Asakura

Japanese: 朝倉義景 - あさくら・よしかげ

Year of death: 8/22/1573 (9/18/1573)
Year of birth: Tenbun 2 (1533)
A feudal lord in the Sengoku period of Echizen (Fukui Prefecture). Son of Takakage (son of Sadakage). He originally called himself Magojiro Nobukage, but in 1552, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru gave him one character from his given name and changed it to Saemon no Kami Yoshikage. In 1557, he succeeded to the family headship upon his father's death. In 1555, he sent the clan's leading figures Munetaka and then Kagetaka to Kaga (Ishikawa Prefecture) to attack the Ikko Ikki, but the following year, Yoshiteru mediated a peace agreement. After Yoshiteru's death, his younger brother Ichijoin Kakukei returned to secular life, took on the name Yoshiaki, and came to Echizen seeking refuge with Yoshikage in 1566. The following year, Horie Kagetada, a powerful local lord in Echizen, rebelled against the backdrop of the Kaga Rebellion, but a peace treaty was concluded through Yoshiaki's mediation, and the Asakura clan and Hongan-ji Temple later solidified their alliance through the engagement of Yoshikage's daughter to Kyonyo. In the 11th year of the same year, Yoshiaki came of age in Ichijodani (Fukui City) and took the name Yoshiaki, but left for Oda Nobunaga that same year, and was presented to Kyoto by Nobunaga. Nobunaga ordered his generals to also come to Kyoto, but Yoshikage did not comply, so in April 1570 (Genki 1), Yoshikage invaded Echizen from Wakasa (Fukui Prefecture) and occupied Tsuruga. At this time, the Azai clan of northern Omi (Shiga Prefecture) broke their alliance with Nobunaga and joined the Asakura side, so Nobunaga barely managed to withdraw his troops. In September of the same year, when Nobunaga surrounded the Hongan-ji Temple, which had raised an army, Yoshikage marched to southern Omi together with the Azai clan to check them. In the third year, Nobunaga attacked the Azai clan at Odani Castle (Kohoku-cho, Shiga Prefecture), and Yoshikage marched to their aid and confronted Nobunaga's army, but suddenly returned to Echizen in December, drawing criticism from Takeda Shingen and the Hongan-ji Temple, with whom he had an alliance. The following year, when Nobunaga, who had banished Yoshiaki, resumed his attack on the Azai, Yoshikage marched to Omi again, but was defeated instead, and on his way back he suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Tonezaka (Tsuruga City), at which point many of his senior vassals defected to his side. On August 16, Yoshikage returned to Ichijodani, and at the urging of his cousin Kageaki, he retreated to Ono County to try to make a comeback, but when his hopes of Heisen-ji Temple did not respond and he was betrayed by Kageaki himself, he committed suicide at Rokubo Kensho-ji Temple. His image remains at his family temple, Shingetsu-ji Temple (Fukui City). He showed talent in renga, waka, and painting, and was also a man of culture who invited Yoshitoshi of Daikaku-ji Temple to a Kyokusui-en in 1662. <References> "Rennyo/Ikko-Ikki" (Nihon Shiso Taikei, Volume 7), "Asakura Yoshikage" by Suido Makoto

(Akira Kawamura)

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

Japanese:

没年：天正1.8.22(1573.9.18)
生年：天文2(1533)
越前(福井県)の戦国大名。孝景(貞景の子)の子。初め孫次郎延景と名乗り,天文21(1552)年将軍足利義輝に諱の1字をもらい左衛門督義景と改める。同17年父の死により家督を継ぐ。弘治1(1555)年一族の重鎮宗滴,ついで景隆を加賀(石川県)に送って一向一揆を攻めたが,翌年義輝の斡旋で和睦した。義輝が死ぬとその弟一乗院覚慶が還俗して義秋と名乗り,永禄9(1566)年義景を頼って越前に来た。翌年,加賀一揆を背景に越前の有力国人堀江景忠が反乱を起こすが,義秋の仲介で講和が結ばれ,朝倉氏と本願寺はのち義景の娘と教如の婚約により盟約を固めた。同11年義秋は一乗谷(福井市)で元服して義昭と名乗ったが,その年のうちに織田信長のもとに去り,信長に奉じられて上洛した。信長は諸将にも上洛を命じたが,義景がこれに応じなかったため,元亀1(1570)年4月,若狭(福井県)から越前に侵攻し敦賀を占拠した。このときは北近江(滋賀県)の浅井氏が信長との盟約を破って朝倉方に呼応したため,かろうじて信長は撤兵した。同年9月,挙兵した本願寺を信長が囲むと,義景は浅井氏と共に南近江に出陣してこれを牽制。同3年信長は小谷城(滋賀県湖北町)に浅井氏を攻め,義景は救援のため出陣して信長軍と対峙するが,12月突然越前に帰国し,同盟関係にあった武田信玄や本願寺の非難を浴びた。翌年義昭を追放した信長が浅井攻めを再開すると,義景は再び近江に出陣したがかえって敗れ,撤退の途次刀禰坂(敦賀市)の合戦で大敗を喫し,その際多くの重臣が寝返った。8月16日一乗谷に帰った義景は,従弟景鏡の勧めで大野郡に退き再起を図るが,頼みの平泉寺が応じず景鏡にも裏切られたため,六坊賢松寺で自害した。菩提寺心月寺(福井市)に画像が残る。連歌,和歌,絵画に才能を発揮し,永禄5年大覚寺義俊を招いて曲水宴を催す文化人でもあった。<参考文献>『蓮如/一向一揆』(日本思想大系7巻),水藤真『朝倉義景』

(河村昭一)

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