Odate Rebellion (1/2)Kenshin Uesugi's successor battle: Kagetora vs. Kagekatsu

On March 13, 1578, Uesugi Kenshin, known as the ``Dragon of Echigo,'' died suddenly at Kasugayama Castle (present-day Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture). The succession dispute that arose as a result of this was the Otate no Ran, which continued until 1580. The conflict that divided the Uesugi family into two, between Kenshin's nephew Kagekatsu Uesugi and Kagetora Uesugi, who was adopted from the Gohojo family, led to the intervention of the Hojo clan, and as a result, the power of the Uesugi family declined. This led to the weakening of Echigo Province. This time, I will explain the Otate Rebellion in an easy-to-understand manner.

The sudden death of Uesugi Kenshin triggered the Otate Rebellion.

The charismatic military commander of Echigo Province (Niigata Prefecture excluding Sado Island) is Uesugi Kenshin. He repeatedly fought and made peace with the Takeda and Hojo clans, and in his later years, in September 1577, he defeated Oda Nobunaga's army at the Battle of Tedorigawa and took control of Noto Province (northern Ishikawa Prefecture).

In December of the same year, Uesugi Kenshin announced his plans for his next expedition. He was supposed to depart for an expedition to the Kanto region on March 15, 1578, but on March 9, at Kasugayama Castle, he was diagnosed with a stroke or an unexpected insect fever (sudden abdominal pain?). I fainted. He passed away four days later.

There is a popular theory that Uesugi Kenshin, who was known to be a lover of alcohol, ``drank too much alcohol, suffered a stroke in the bathroom, lost consciousness, and died,'' but reading documents from the time reveals that he died in his private room (study?) due to some kind of illness. It appears that he actually collapsed and died a few days later.

If you had a stroke, you would not be able to leave a will and you would probably die, but if you have a bug, it is possible to leave a will. The Uesugi family's ``kenshin chronology,'' which was written long after Kenshin's death, states that he suffered from a stroke, but a letter from Uesugi Kagekatsu at the time states that ``unexpected insects'' was the cause, indicating that he received his will. , it is written. It is a mystery that continues to this day as to whether it was a false claim by Kagekatsu to justify his death, or whether there really was a will.

Two successor candidates: Kagekatsu and Kagetora

Since Uesugi Kenshin had no biological children and died without naming a successor (*as mentioned above, there are various theories), two successor candidates emerged. These are Kagekatsu Uesugi, who was Kenshin's adopted nephew, and Kagetora Uesugi, who was adopted from the Gohojo family. Two adopted children will be competing for the headship of the family in the Otate Rebellion, so let's take a look at what kind of people they are.

Kagekatsu Uesugi was born in 1555 as the second son of Masakage Nagao, the head of the Ueda Nagao family. Her mother is Kenshin Uesugi's half-sister. After his father's death, he was adopted by Kenshin and called himself Akikage Nagao as the head of the Ueda Nagao family. In 1575, Kenshin gave him the name Kagekatsu Uesugi and the official rank of Danjo Shobi.

On the other hand, Kagetora Uesugi was born in 1554 and was one year older than Kagetora. He was originally the seventh son of Ujiyasu Hojo and seems to have called himself Saburo Hojo. The Hojo clan and the Uesugi clan were repeatedly enemies and allies, but in 1569 they concluded the Etsuso Alliance as a countermeasure against Takeda Shingen. As a condition of the alliance, Saburo Hojo was to be adopted by Kenshin. In 1570, he married Kenshin's niece (actually Kagekatsu's older sister) and was given Kenshin's first name, Kagetora. After that, the Etsuso alliance was dissolved in 1571, but the adoption of Kenshin and Kagetora continued.

Who was Kenshin's "successor"?

Since Uesugi Kenshin did not specify his successor before his death, there are various theories about how Kenshin thought about choosing a successor. The basis for the theory that he considered one of them as his successor is as follows.

• He is from the Uesugi Nagao family, a powerful family within the Uesugi family, and unlike Kagetora, who was formerly a member of the Hojo family, he is a true Uesugi family member.
• Kenshin gave him Danjo Shoji.
• (This is Kagekatsu's claim) He was designated by Kenshin as his direct successor in his will.

• I received my first name "Kagetora" from Kenshin.
• His wife is Kenshin's niece (Kagekatsu's sister)
• Regarding military service imposed on vassals, Kagekatsu is required to do so, but Kagetora is not.

In addition, there is a theory that Kagekatsu was to be in charge of Echigo Province and Kagetora was to be given the post of Kanto Kanrei, etc., and that Kagekatsu was in charge of the military and diplomacy of Echigo, while Kagetora was in charge of civil and domestic affairs. There are various theories, depending on the researcher, such as that Kagetora's eldest son, Domanmaru, was the heir.

Otate Rebellion ① Kagekatsu declares successor based on “will”

So, how did the two move after Uesugi Kenshin's death? The day after Kenshin's death, Haruie Kakizaki, a member of Kagetora's faction, was assassinated by someone. It is said to have been created by Kagekatsu, but the details, including the timing, are not clear.

After that, Kagekatsu moved to the main keep of Kasugayama Castle on March 15th and occupied the Kinzo and weapons storehouses. On the 24th, he sent letters both domestically and internationally announcing that he had succeeded Kenshin according to his ``will.'' He then attacked Kagetora who was in the Sannomaru mansion, used force to restrain Kagetora, and assumed the position of head of the family. After that, they took control of Kenshin's seal and Yufuji, and began issuing official documents such as the letter of seal in late May.

While Kagekatsu was trying to steadily move forward with the new system, Mr. Ashina of Aizu took the initiative. The Ashina clan planned to use the death of Uesugi Kenshin as an opportunity to attack Echigo Province. Chikatsuna Kamiyo notices this and takes a high alert on his own and prepares to attack, but Kagekatsu criticizes this and questions him. He asks him to submit an oath as proof of loyalty to him, but Oyakatsuna, furious at Kagekatsu's response, refuses. Why would anyone doubt the defense measures taken for Mr. Uesugi?

Norimasa Uesugi and others try to mediate in order to settle the dispute between these two people, but both parties refuse and the dispute never subsides. Meanwhile, the Ashina clan began an invasion of Echigo. At this time, the Ashina clan's army was safely repulsed, but as Chikatsuna Kamiyo's legitimacy became clear, Kagekatsu's reputation as a top leader plummeted. This incident caused some military commanders, including Okinatsuna, to give up on him, and they took up Kagetora as a rival horse, leading to the Otate Rebellion.

Otate Rebellion ② Power chart of each faction

What kind of military commanders were attached to Kagekatsu Uesugi and Kagetora Uesugi? Although Kagekatsu had the entire Uesugi family on his side, behind Kagetora there were external forces such as the Hojo clan, Ashina clan, and Date clan, and Kagetora's side had the upper hand at first. The details are as follows.