Takakuni Hosokawa (2/2)Fixer in the first half of the Sengoku period

In 1525, Takakuni Hosokawa handed over the headship of the Hosokawa Kitcho family to his eldest son and retired, but when his eldest son who succeeded him died of illness that year, he returned to the head of the family. With no successor left, Takakuni decided to accept his cousin's son (Ujitsuna Hosokawa) as his successor.

Now, in 1526, Takakuni Hosokawa believed his family's false accusations and murdered his vassal. However, the family of this murdered vassal started a rebellion in Tamba Province, neighboring Kyoto to the west, and Takakuni was unable to suppress it easily.

Seeing this situation as an opportunity, Harumoto Hosokawa, the son of Sumimoto Hosoka, who was in Awa Province, and Motonaga Miyoshi, his vassal, saw this as an opportunity. Harumoto Hosokawa and Motonaga Miyoshi established Yoshitsugu Ashikaga, the second son of the 11th shogun Yoshizumi Ashikaga (younger brother of the 12th shogun Yoshiharu Ashikaga, and father of the 14th shogun Yoshihide Ashikaga), as a symbol of their anti-Hosokawa shogun Takakuni. In other words, he supported his younger brother Yoshiharu Ashikaga in Awa Province against his older brother Yoshiharu Ashikaga, who was an active general.

The following year, in 1527, Yoshitsune Ashikaga, supported by Harumoto Hosokawa and Motonaga Miyoshi, invaded Sakai, Osaka. A pseudo-shogunate was established in Sakai, and Yoshitsune Ashikaga was called ``Sakai Kubo'' or ``Sakai Taiki.''
In this way, the Ashikaga Shogun family in Kyoto came into conflict with the Sakai Kubo.

• 12th Shogun Yoshiharu Ashikaga, Takakuni Hosokawa
• Yoshitsugu Ashikaga (father of the 14th Yoshihide Ashikaga), Harumoto Hosokawa (son of Sumimoto Hosokawa), Motonaga Miyoshi (father of Nagayoshi Miyoshi)

Takakuni Hosokawa and Soteki Asakura

In February 1527, Harumoto Hosokawa and Motonaga Miyoshi, who established a pseudo-shogunate in Sakai and established a government, joined forces with the anti-Hosokawa Takakuni rebels in Tanba and invaded Kyoto. Takakuni Hosokawa resisted, but was defeated and retreated from Kyoto.

In October of the same year, Takakuni Hosokawa, who had retired from Kyoto, requested military support from Takakage Asakura (father of Yoshikage Asakura) of Echizen Province (present-day Reihoku, Fukui Prefecture), and Takakage sent his great-uncle Soteki Asakura. Hosokawa Takakuni and Asakura Sotetsu marched into Kyoto and recaptured the capital.

However, the following year, in March 1528, Asakura Soteki returned to Echizen Province, and Hosokawa Takakuni, unable to fight alone, fled to Omi Province.

The big collapse and the end of Takakuni

Takakuni Hosokawa fled to Omi Province. Takakuni then wandered around the country for about two years, relying on daimyo. Then, in 1530, he invaded Kyoto again with the help of Mune Urakami, the shugo of Bizen Province (present-day Okayama Prefecture).

Takakuni Hosokawa, who was able to return to Kyoto, invaded Sakai to eliminate Harumoto Hosokawa. Harumasa Akamatsu, the shugo daimyo of Harima Province, was attached to Takakuni Hosokawa, but Harumasa Akamatsu, who had a bad relationship with Mune Urakami, made a complete change and betrayed Takakuni Hosokawa. The Takakuni faction completely collapsed, and Takakuni Hosokawa also fled to Amagasaki (big collapse).

Takakuni Hosokawa is cornered by Harumoto Hosokawa's vassal Motonaga Miyoshi. Takakuni fled to an indigo dyeing shop called Kyoya in Amagasaki. It's almost there if you're chasing it. I turned the indigo dyer's indigo bottle upside down and hid inside it. Motonaga Miyoshi is also not easy to find. So the Miyoshi family had them collect some gourds and showed the children a pile of gourds, saying, ``If you tell them where they are, we'll give you some gourds,'' and Takakuni was found in the bottle.

In August 1531, Takakuni Hosokawa, who became Masamoto Hosokawa's third adopted son and remained at the center of politics for more than 20 years after Masamoto's death, was forced to commit suicide at the age of 48. .

After Takakuni's death

Masamoto Hosokawa's third adopted son, Takakuni Hosokawa, died in a major crash.

In this way, Masamoto Hosokawa's second adopted son, Sumimoto Hosokawa's son Harumoto Hosokawa, was able to take control of Kyoto. Harumoto supported Yoshitsune Ashikaga, who was called Sakai Kubo. However, Harumoto, who had taken control of Kyoto, could choose any shogun as long as he could go to Kyoto, so he abandoned Yoshitsune Ashikaga in favor of Yoshiharu Ashikaga, the 12th shogun supported by Takakuni Hosokawa.

Motonaga Miyoshi, a vassal, opposed this. From this point on, Harumoto Hosokawa began to dislike Motonaga Miyoshi, a powerful vassal.

In 1532, Harumoto Hosokawa decided to remove Motonaga Miyoshi on the recommendation of his vassals. However, Harumoto Hosokawa, who was unable to eliminate them militarily, approached Yamashina Hongan-ji Temple, a Jodo Shinshu sect, about starting an uprising and forcing Motonaga Miyoshi. In response to this, the Yamashina Hongan-ji Temple launched an uprising under the pretext of ``taking down Motonaga Miyoshi, who protects the Hokke sect.'' Motonaga Miyoshi was forced into Sakai and committed suicide (Kyoroku Tenbun War).
　
However, the uprising at Yamashina Hongan-ji Temple also targeted other sects and invaded Nara. Shocked by this, Harumoto Hosokawa broke away from Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple, and with the help of the Hokke sect and the feudal lords of the Kinai region, he opposed the uprising. This confusion continued even after Takakuni Hosokawa's death.

The emergence of Nagayoshi Miyoshi

By the way, Motonaga Miyoshi committed suicide in Sakai. Just before his death, Motonaga fled Sakai Kubo Ashikaga Yoshitsugu and his young children to Awa Province. Motonaga's eldest son was Nagayoshi Miyoshi, who was 10 years old at the time. The following year, Miyoshi Nagayoshi returned to Sakai from Awa Province with his vassals and succeeded in mediating peace between Harumoto Hosokawa and the uprising. From here, Miyoshi Nagayoshi served Harumoto Hosokawa.

However, 15 years later, in 1548, Miyoshi Nagayoshi expelled Hosokawa Harumoto. From here, the Kinki region of the Sengoku period began to revolve around Miyoshi Nagayoshi.

Finally, there is Katsumoto Hosokawa, the general of the Eastern Army during the Onin War. Masamoto Hosokawa was Katsumoto's son and the one who staged a coup d'état. Masamoto adopted his adopted children, Sumimoto and Takakuni, who caused the Ryohosokawa Rebellion. What happened to the Hosokawa Kitcho family after that?

The Hosokawa Kitcho family, which fought in the Ryohosokawa Rebellion, a conflict between three adopted children from Masamoto Hosokawa, ended the Sengoku period with only the lineage of the second adopted son, Sumimoto Hosokawa, remaining. In the Edo period, this line remained as the chief retainer of the Akita clan of the Miharu domain in Mutsu Province, who were related by marriage. In addition, the Hosokawa family came to serve the Hizen Hosokawa family and served as vassals of feudal lords in various regions.
Hosokawa Takakuni and the Hosokawa family continued to fight for the first half of the period known as the Sengoku period. In this way, the Hosokawa family fought through a war-torn world and entered an era of peace.