#127
  127. GRANTS AND OATH BY RIVAL SHIMADZU LORDS, 1404

                        (Iriki-in docs.; also KK, III; SK, XXII.)
WHILE Kyoto was tranquil for a time after the union of the two Courts, turmoil continued in
Kyu-shu with little intermission. The commotion in this region, however, was no longer related to
the general political affairs of Japan as a whole, but was purely local and, moreover, largely sec-
tional within separate parts of the island. In south Kyu-shu, the continual internecine strife was
caused, not only by the rivalry between the Shimadzu and their local enemies, but also by an in-
ternal division of the family of the former.
  Shimadzu Sadahisa (1265-1351) had divided the shu-go shiki of Satsuma and Osumi between
his sons Morohisa (1325-1376) and Ujihisa (1328-1387); Morohisa had been succeeded by his son
Korehisa (1347-1407), who was at the fortress of Ikari-yama, and Ujihisa by his son Motohisa
(1345-1411) at Kagoshima.

"\ズハショウリャク\"

P286
It will be remembered that in the Iriki campaign of 1397, the two lords, Korehisa and Motohisa,
cooperated. Three years thereafter a domestic dissension separated hem and made them rivals 
jealous of each other's power. Korehisa's grants to Iriki-in Shigeyori in 1400 (see No. 126) were
probably intended to secure the latter's goodwill to the former as against Motohisa, for Korehisa.
was eager to hold north Satsuma as the sphere of his influence.
  In 1401, Korehisa had succeeded in winning over to his side all the branches of the Shibuya but
one, the Tsuruda, who favored Motohisa. Korehisa sent against Tsuruda Shigenari the forces of
the Iriki-in the Kashiwa-bara, the Togo, the Taki, and the Omura branches of the Shibuya stock,
and himself led an army of expedition. Motohisa went to rescue his ally; leaving Kagoshima 5 June
and going by way of Ichiku, he arrived in Tsuruda on 9 October with 3500 knights, and effected a
junction with Shigenari's 1000 men.1 The number of Korehisa's forces, which were augmented by
reinforcements from Idzumi, Ushikuso, and Hishigari, and those under a Sagara lord of Higo, seems
to have been nearly as great, and comprised the brave no-bushi under the Shibuya lords. "Men on
both sides being numerous," say the memoirs of Yamada Sho-Yei, "no-bushi met daily, and inces-
santly shot arrows to each other. At this time, Niiro Hachiro-saburo dono visited [Motohisa's]
headquarters, and, on his return, no-bushi were set upon him. He was about to resort to a sword
combat, when, without parley, men of both sides came forth and fought with swords. Nakano
Shiro-kuro, of Niiro's command, was killed early in the contest; of lord's kinsmen, Izhuin
Tai-yu dono fell. On the So-shu's [i. e., Korehisa's] side, Shimomura of the Shibuya and scores of
others died. The enemy [Korehisa's side] cut his way to the outer fence of the headquarters; the
allies [Motohisa's] invaded within the fences of the So-shu's camp; it was an encounter of which
it was indistinguishable which side had the best of the other."2 The issue, though indecisive, was
on the whole favorable to Korehisa, particularly at the battle of 30 November. Tsuruda Shigenari
fled to Hishigari, and Motohisa returned to Kagoshima.3 It is said that, on Motohisa's advice,
Shigenari surrendered Tsuruda to Korehisa, and in return received from Motohisa 30 cho at
Yamada,4 in Taniyama, west of Kagoshima.5 Yamada had been a domain of lord Yamada held of
Korehisa, but was "borrowed" by the latter for the present purpose in exchange for other domains
which he gave Yamada.4
  In this war, Iriki-in Shigeyori must have taken a leading part. Though it is not clear where he
resided and what other domains he held besides the half of Taniyama and Kiire granted in 1400,
his influence was sufficiently potent to make the rival Shimadzu lords vie with each other to court
his favor as a faithful ally. For it should be noted that, so long as the house of Shimadzu was
divided against itself, the new tie of theoretical vassalage with which Shigeyori was bound in 1397
was naturally tenuous; he was, in practice, an ally rather than a vassal. By the following document
A, Motohisa invested him temporarily with a mura next to Kagoshima and another close to the
harbor of Yamakawa in the south; the latter had been held by the Ibusuki till a few years before,6
and in 1411 was granted by Motohisa's successor to a Nezhime.7 It is here implied that Shigeyori
desired to restore his original domains about Iriki in, and that Motoshisa had, probably with a view
to undermining Korehisa's power, secretly consented to such restoration. When Korehisa's son Mori-
hisa gave Shigeyori lands in west and northwest Satsuma (B), Motohisa sought to outdo his rival
in favor by at once pledging his support of Shigeyori's claim to the grant, if Morihisa should prove
unfaithful to his own word (C), and offering a solemn oath of mutual faith (D). Motohisa gave
similar oaths to others at different times, all proving the difficulty of position. It is presumed
that in each an identical oath was given by the other party.(On oaths, further see the intro-
duction to No. 136.)




[IMAGE]  [JP-#37]

#127-A A "THE mura of Take, in Kagoshima kori, and Narukawa mura in Ibusuki, Sat- suma kuni, are presented [for the present] (susume oku), since you entertain a [loyal] feeling [toward us]. However, when you possess the domains north of the [Iriki] mountains, on which we have consulted, you will be pleased to return [the aforesaid grants]. Therefore, stated thus. P287 "O-ei 10 y. 11 m. 29 d. [11 January 1404]. Motohisa, monogram. "Shibuya Dan-zho sho-hitsu dono." [IMAGE]  [JP-#34]
#127-B B "The west part of Yamato in, and Ara-kawa and Ha-shima,8 in Satsuma kori, Satsuma kuni, are presented [for the present9] (susume oku), since I hear that you would render loyal service [to us]. You shall hold them in accordance with precedents. "O-ei 10 y. 12 m. 7 d. [19 January 1404]. Morihisa, (monogram). "Shibuya Dan-zho sho-hitsu dono." [IMAGE]  [JP-#36]
#127-C C "I have heard that at this time, since you have a [loyal] will10 [toward him], Harima no kami [Morihisa] has presented [to you](susumu) the west part of Ya- mato, as well as Ara-kawa and Ha-shima. Should Harima no kami [cause] unex- pected circumstances [to arise], if you desired my judgment, I would consult with you about the said places. With high respect. "12 m. 13 d. [25 January]. Mutsuno kami, Motohisa, (monogram). "Respectfully addressed o Shibuya Dan-zho sho-hitsu dono." [IMAGE]  [JP-#27]
#127-D D* "That, if there should occur a revolution [involving] the whole country, I would, concerning great events as well as small, entertain toward you a feeling of perfect amity; "That, if Togo dono and Kashiwa-bara dono should express their adherence to me, I would assign(sashi-oku) Ono-buchi as well as Kuroki and Minari-gawa, to Togo, and Yu-ta, to Kashiwa-bara, in addition to their present holdings; "That, no matter what unexpected circumstances might arise in the three kuni, we should mutually support and be supported; "That, though a slanderer should appear and speak [to me] whatever [false charges against you], I would not believe them; and "That, the various matters which we have discussed [and decided upon] at this time shall not henceforth be altered. "If the foregoing articles be stated in falsehood, the punishments of The Great Bodhisattva Sho-Hachiman. the Great Myo-zhin of Inari, and the Great Myo-zhin of Upper and Lower Suwa,11 would be visited upon me. "O-ei 10 y. 12 m. 13 d. [25 January 1404]. Motohisa, (monogram). "Shibuya Dan-zho sho-hitsu dono."
*A facsimile of this document will be found opposite p. 148. 1Shimadzu koku-shi, viii, 12-13. 2Yamada Sho-Yei zhi-ki. 3Shimadzu koku-shi, viii, 13, relying upon the O-eiki and records about Korehisa. 4Yamada S. -Y. z. k. 5see also Sei-han ya-shi, v, 75. 6Ryo-Shun's letter dated Mei-toku 4 y. 10 m. II d. (1393), in the Ibusuki documents. 7SK, XXIV. 8In Kushiki-no. 9In 1411, Morihisa lived in Yamato in, as did his grandfather Morihisa; Ara-kawa and Ha- P288 shima, together with Naga-toshi, were held by his brother Tadatomo. (Shimadzu k. s., viii, 21.) This does not necessarily imply that the Iriki-in were dispossessed of the grants, since the same pieces of land might till yield incomes to different holders. 10 Kokoro-zashi, volition. 11 These are all Shinto deities. Inari and Suwa (in Shinano) were deities to whom the Shimadzu were specially devoted, for whom many temples were built in Satsuma; Sho Hachiman was es- tablished at Kokubu, Osumi. The use of the words Bodhisattva (Bo-satsu, Buddhist deities next in rank to the Buddhas) and Myo-zhin (a Buddhist-Shinto term) shows how closely Buddhism and Shinto were bound together in popular beliefs.