Norimasa Uesugi (2/2)Kanto Kanrei

In 1560, Nagao Kagetora and Uesugi Norimasa invaded the Kanto region at the request of Uesugi Norimasa's former retainers. When they entered Ueno Province from Echigo, they first invaded Numata Castle (present-day Numata City, Gunma Prefecture). Seeing the power of the Nagao family, feudal lords from all over the Kanto region rushed to visit the Nagao family. On the other hand, the daimyo who did not rush to the Nagao family and joined the Hojo family were destroyed by Kagetora Nagao.

Ujiyasu Hojo, who was invaded, imprisoned himself in Odawara Castle and resisted. The following year, Kagetora Nagao, who supported Norimasa Uesugi, surrounded Odawara Castle. At this time, Ujiyasu Hojo requested the Takeda family in Kai to put a check on the situation by invading Echigo Province from Shinano (present-day Nagano Prefecture). Kagetora Nagao sensed the danger of this invasion by the Takeda family and called off the siege.

Immediately after canceling this siege. In March 1561, at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura, Norimasa Uesugi transferred the Kanto Kanrei, the Uesugi surname, the family tree, and heirloom heirlooms to Kagetora Nagao. Here, Kagetora Nagao adopted the surname Uesugi, which later became Uesugi Kenshin. Norimasa Uesugi shaved his head, called himself Mitsutetsu, and retired.

The Otate Rebellion and its end

Now, Norimasa Uesugi adopted Kenshin Uesugi and gave him the position of Kanto Kanrei. Constitutional government only appeared in history after Kenshin's death. About 20 years after he handed over the Kanto Kanrei and retired.

In 1578, Uesugi Kenshin passed away. After Kenshin's death, the Uesugi family's two adopted children began to compete for the position of head of the family.
One is Kagekatsu Uesugi, who was adopted by Uesugi Kenshin's older sister. The other was Uesugi Kagetora, who was Hojo Ujiyasu's seventh son and Kenshin's adopted son.
Carrying these two people on their shoulders, the Uesugi family was split into two. Norimasa Uesugi sides with Kagetora Uesugi. At first, the conflict was even, but gradually Kagekatsu Uesugi's side was joined by locals from Echigo and Katsuyori Takeda, and Kagetora's side was pushed into a corner. Kagetora Uesugi secluded himself in Kensei's castle, Otate, and resisted, but he was cornered.

Therefore, in 1579, Norimasa visited Kasugayama Castle to negotiate peace with Kagetora's eldest son Domanmaru. However, the two were killed at Kagekatsu's camp (or perhaps they were surrounded and committed suicide). He passed away at the age of 57. Norimasa Uesugi spent his entire life in conflict with surrounding daimyo even though he was in Kanto Kanrei. His grave is located at Shōyo-ji Temple in Yonezawa, Fukushima Prefecture due to the transfer of Uesugi Kagekatsu.

Hirai Castle

Hirai Castle is a castle located in present-day Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture, and was called Hirai Castle or Hirai Kanayama Castle. It was a vast castle with the main castle on the flat ground and Kanayama Castle, a castle built into the mountains behind it. It is thought that it was the base of the Yamauchi Uesugi family, which was Kanto Kanrei, from around 1512 or the 1520s. After Uesugi Norimasa was defeated by the Hojo family in the Kawagoe Night Battle in 1546, he entered this castle and resisted.

In 1552, Norimasa Uesugi was attacked by the Hojo family and fled to Echigo. He then returned in 1560, supported by Kagetora Nagao (Kenshin Uesugi). However, Kagetora moved his base in the Kanto region to Umayabashi Castle (later Maebashi Castle), so Hirai Castle became an abandoned castle (or the castle was destroyed so that the Hojo family could no longer use it).
It is currently registered and maintained as a designated historic site by Gunma Prefecture.

Odate and Kasugayama Castle

Otate was the scene of the Otate Rebellion.
Originally, the capital of Echigo Province was located near Naoetsu Station in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, and was called Uesugikan (Shitokujikan). Uesugikan was built from the end of the Heian period to the Kamakura period. This Uesugi building was built on flat land near the sea, so if attacked, there would be no way to resist.

Kasugayama Castle, a mountain castle, was built during the Nanbokucho period. The name Kasugayama Castle derives from the fact that it was built on Mt. Kasuga, where Kasuga Shrine, a branch of Kasuga Taisha in Nara, was located. Kasugayama Castle was the residence of the Nagao family, the shugo of Echigo Province. The lord of this castle was Nagao Kagetora (Uesugi Kenshin). When Norimasa Uesugi fled to Echigo, Kagetora Nagao built a mansion near the Uesugi mansion, and this mansion became his mansion. After Uesugi Kenshin's death, the battle was fought between Uesugi Kagekatsu, who was holed up in Kasugayama Castle on the mountain, and Uesugi Kagetora, who was holed up in his mansion on the plains.
In this rebellion, Norimasa Uesugi died and his mansion was burned down.
The site where Otate was located is now Otate Park, a place for citizens to relax, and a stone monument remains as the site where Otate was located.

Did you step on the ground at Undoan or lick the miso at Kankoji Temple?

Untoan and Kankoji are both temples located in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture.

Undoan was a temple built by the mother of Fujiwara Fusamae, the founder of the Uesugi family and the beginning of the Fujiwara Kita family. In the middle of the Muromachi period, Norizane Uesugi, who was Kanto Kanrei, invited monks from Soto sect temples and rebuilt it at its current location. This temple was also known as the temple where Kagekatsu Uesugi and his vassal Kanetsugu Naoe studied during their childhood.

Now, beneath the approach from the Akamon gate to this temple, there are stones buried with the words of the Lotus Sutra written on them, and it is believed that stepping on them as you pray will bring you blessings. This is where the phrase ``Undoan no Dobutoka'' comes from.
Kankoji is a temple of the Rinzai sect (Zen sect). It was founded in the 17th year of the Oei era (1410) by the priest Kakuo Soden. Kazuo Kakuo was a cousin of Takauji Ashikaga and the son of Noriaki Uesugi, who became the first Kanto Kanrei.
Kankoji Temple prospered as the family temple of the Kanto Kanrei Uesugi family, with the Ueda Nagao clan and the Kamakura Kubo as devotees, but it was frequently destroyed by fires and wars and had to be rebuilt each time.

However, it was burnt down during the Otate Rebellion. In 1600, the castle was relocated to Yonezawa by Kagekatsu Uesugi and rebuilt there, but due to another fire, it was moved to the current location of Minamiuonuma City.

Well, there is an anecdote about the Otate Rebellion that remains at Kankoji Temple. It is said that when the Otate Rebellion broke out, the chief priest buried the 600 volumes of the Mahaprajna Sutra, donated by the Uesugi clan, in a miso bucket to protect it from the flames of war. As a result, the phrase ``Miso of Kankoji Temple was licked'' (the miso that was buried in the 600 volumes of the Mahaprajna Sutra) was coined.

As a result of this, there is a legend that still remains today, saying, ``Did you step on the earth at Undo-an, or licked the miso at Kanko-ji Temple?''