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Abe no Yoriyoshi, the chief of the Okuroku District (Iwate Prefecture), defeated Mutsu no Kami Fujiwara no Narito, who had raised an army to suppress the enemy, in the Battle of Onikiribe
However, Fujiwara Noborito was dismissed as the result of the defeat, and Minamoto no Yoriyoshi of the Kawachi Genji clan, who was renowned for his military prowess, was appointed as the new provincial governor from Kyoto
Abe Yoriyoshi, perhaps thinking he was no match for Yoriyoshi, submitted to him, and was so thorough in this that he changed his name to Yoritoki out of consideration for the fact that his own given name was the same as Yoriyoshi
What are the Former Nine Years' War and the Later Three Years' War?
These were two wars fought in the Tohoku region (Iwate and Akita prefectures) at the end of the Heian period, from 1051 (Eisho 6) to 1062 (Kohei 5) and from 1083 (Eiho 3) to 1087 (Kanji 1)
The Battle of Zenkunen was a war in which the Minamoto clan, sent by the Imperial Court, suppressed a rebellion by the Abe clan, who were expanding their power in Mutsu (Iwate Prefecture), with the help of the Kiyohara clan
Then, an internal conflict arose within the Kiyohara clan, which had been strengthening its control from Mutsu to Dewa (Akita Prefecture), and the resulting struggle for succession escalated into the Gosannen War, in which the Minamoto clan was deeply involved
These two wars led to the rise of the Oshu Fujiwara clan in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, and the ties between the Minamoto clan and the eastern samurai deepened, leading to the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo
The breakdown of the armistice agreement due to the Akutagawa Incident
From the manuscript of "The Battle of Zenkunen" by Abe Sadato Source: Wikipedia
After Yoritoki showed his submission to Yoriyoshi in 1562, he maintained that stance and Oshu was at peace
However, as Yoriyoshi's term of office drew to a close, an incident occurred that broke the truce of the Battle of Zen Nine Years
While Yoriyoshi was returning from Isawa Castle (located in Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture) to Taga Castle (located in Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture), where the provincial capital was located, a secret emissary arrived at his camp on the banks of the Akuri River
What did the secret envoy tell Yoriyoshi?
The story was that the camp of Fujiwara Mitsusada and Motosada, two of Yoriyoshi's subordinates, had been attacked at night, resulting in losses of both men and horses, so Yoriyoshi summoned Mitsusada and asked him if he had any idea what had happened
Mitsusada then claimed that Sadato, the eldest son of Abe no Yoritoki, had wanted to marry Mitsusada's sister, but Mitsusada had refused, saying that he would not give his sister to a lowly prisoner of war.
By the way, "fushu" is the term used to refer to the Emishi who began to submit to the Imperial Court
For some reason, Yoriyoshi demands that Yoritoki hand over Sadato without verifying the facts
However, Yoritoki refused, closed the palisades at Koromogawa (Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture), and raised an army against Yoriyoshi, who had been subservient until then, thus starting the Battle of Zenkunen again
The defection weakened Yoriyoshi's military strength
The Kokufu army included Taira no Nagahira, who was also Yoritoki's son-in-law, and Fujiwara no Tsunekiyo
Taira no Nagae loved to wear a shining silver helmet, but someone told Yoriyoshi that he was "in contact with the enemy and was wearing it to reveal his location," and Yoriyoshi accepted the news and had Nagae executed
Nagae had a history of betraying the previous governor of Mutsu, Fujiwara Nobutomi, and joining the Abe army, so it was probably judged that he was likely to defect to the Abe army again
Fujiwara no Tsunekiyo, who had also married Yoritoki's daughter, thought he would suffer the same fate, so he spread false information to Yoriyoshi that Taga Castle was being targeted, and while Yoriyoshi was heading there, he defected to the Abe army
As a result, Yoriyoshi lost powerful subordinates who were knowledgeable about the area, and the military strength of the Kokufu army also declined
Fujiwara Tsunekiyo, the founder of the Oshu Fujiwara clan
Fujiwara no Tsunekiyo was a military commander on the Abe clan's side during the Battle of Onikiribe, but when Yoritoki surrendered he defected and became a subordinate of Yoriyoshi. However, after the Akurigawa Incident he sided with the Abe clan again, which was one of the reasons why the Kokufu army led by Yoriyoshi had a hard time
Tsunekiyo, a descendant of Fujiwara no Hidesato, who had once defeated Taira no Masakado, and the ancestor of the future Oshu Fujiwara clan, had accumulated wealth in his territory of Watari (Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture)
The 1993 NHK Taiga drama "Homura Tatsu" depicts Fujiwara no Tsunekiyo and is based on the classic novel of the same name by Takahashi Katsuhiko
What is the conspiracy surrounding the Akurigawa Incident?
Since Yoriyoshi took up his post as Governor of Mutsu, Yoritoki has never wavered from his submissive attitude, and there are records that show that he entertained Yoriyoshi just before the incident occurred
It is said that Yoritoki had no reason to be hostile towards Yoriyoshi, who would soon be returning to the capital, and there is a theory that this incident was the result of a conspiracy
The conspiracy theory by Minamoto no Yoriyoshi
After taking up his post, Yoriyoshi likely traveled around the Tohoku region, including Mutsu and Dewa, and experienced firsthand the richness of the area
He must have realized that at that time, many gold veins had been discovered throughout Mutsu, that it was a breeding ground for high-quality horses that were essential for military use, and that there were many wide, fertile plains, which meant that large amounts of tax revenue could be expected from the harvest of grains and other crops
Even if he had returned to the capital without defeating Yoritoki, he might only have received a small reward and honor, but the wealth that Yoriyoshi could gain by ruling this land was immeasurable
At that time, the Taira clan (Heike) was on the rise in the central government and was expanding its influence into the western provinces, and it is said that the Minamoto clan needed the wealth of the eastern provinces to compete with them
It would not be surprising if Yoriyoshi, the head of the Kawachi Genji clan, fabricated a night attack as his term of office was about to end, provoked Yoritoki, started a war, overthrew the Abe clan, and took their territory for himself
Akurigawa Battlefield Site of the Battle of Zenkunen (1494-1500) ＜Information＞
Historic site name: Former Nine Years' War Akurigawa Battlefield Site
Location: Shiwahime Hasshori, Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture
Google Map
Minamoto no Yoriyoshi is reappointed as Governor of Mutsu and returns to war
Painting of the Battle of Zenkunen (first nine years), Tokyo National Museum collection, Source: National Institutes for Cultural Heritage Integrated Collection Search System
Fujiwara no Yoshitsuna, a court noble who was scheduled to succeed Yoriyoshi as governor of Mutsu Province , is said to have refused the position for fear of being sent to the battlefield, and Yoriyoshi was reappointed.
Yoritoki closed the Koromogawa Barrier (Iwate Prefecture), and fighting broke out again in Mutsu, with the Kokufu army and the Abe army fighting back and forth, with neither side able to strike a decisive blow
summary
According to the "Mutsu Senki," which records the war who refused to hand over Sadato , "The morality of the world is all for the sake of one's wife and children. Even though Sadato is foolish, the love between father and son cannot be abandoned or forgotten .
However, there is a theory that this is a fabrication to justify the Minamoto clan's pursuit of the Abe clan, and it is even said that the Akurigawa incident itself never happened
Thus, Yoriyoshi once again found himself facing the powerful Abe army, and he devised a plan to break the deadlock in the battle (continued in The Battle of Zenkunen and The Battle of Gosannen ③)
Series: The Battle of Zenkunen and the Battle of Gosannen
I'm a former Edokko man who loves Morioka and the six Tohoku prefectures, and I also love history, food, travel, sports, alcohol, and singing. I'll be introducing you to the interesting, delicious, and great things about Tohoku!
![0fb6939d60ada03f05f13ef893cd6663](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/0fb6939d60ada03f05f13ef893cd6663-150x150.jpg.webp "The bitter family feud "Gosannen War" unfolded in the Yokote Basin [Akita Prefecture]")
