Japan's Warring States Period: The Rise of the Wakasa Tiger

Chapter 92 Promotion
"A suitable position..."

Hosokawa Harumoto then winked at Ashikaga Yoshiharu, who understood and quickly replied, "I summoned Your Highness to Kyoto this time to grant him the post of guardian of Wakasa and Tango."

"But, after all, the guardian of these two countries is a local post. I am afraid it is not right for me to persuade Iga no Kami with this identity..."

When Nobushige said this, Hosokawa Harumoto understood that he wanted to ask for a job for himself in the shogunate. However, at present, the Wakasa Takeda clan has already become the Kunimochishu, and the next level up will be the Subanshu.

Here is a brief summary of the duties within the Muromachi shogunate:

During the reign of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the three posts and seven heads of the samurai were established in imitation of the five regents and seven seika of the court nobility. They were the three regents of Shiba, Hosokawa and Hatakeyama, and the seven heads of Yamana, Isshiki, Toki, Akamatsu, Kyogoku, Uesugi and Ise. Among them, the four families of Yamana, Isshiki, Akamatsu and Kyogoku were also known as the four posts.

During the reign of Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the ranks of various forces were divided into six categories: the Saibanshu, Kunimochishu, Gaiyangshu, Gokyoushu, Heyashu, and Shinjishu.

The shoguns were usually from the three kanrei clans and powerful shugo daimyo. They were the shogun's companions when he traveled, and later became the shugo daimyo. In the middle of the Muromachi period, the shoguns included Yamana, Isshiki, Awa Hosokawa, Noto Hatakeyama, Akamatsu, Kyogoku, and the Seven Houses of Ouchi.

Kunijishu was usually held by daimyo who controlled one or more provinces. In addition to many branch families of the three positions, there were also the Toki clan, the Sasaki clan (Rokkaku), and the Wakasa Takeda clan.

Quasi-Kunimochi, who were Gai-Yo-shu but had a slightly higher family status, were between Kunimochi and Gai-Yo-shu, such as the Hosokawa clan (Mutsu no Kami) and the Kyogoku clan (Kaga no Kami).

The above three categories are commonly known as the "Twenty-one House Shapes" and can be called daimyo.

Others, such as the Gae-jo-shu, were commoners of the shugo daimyo families or famous families among powerful samurai; the Go-kyou-shu, were families selected from the shugo families and direct retainers of the shogunate, such as the Asakura family; the Bi-ya-shu and Shin-ji-shu, were families of lower status than the Go-baya-shu, and some of them overlapped with each other. The more famous ones included the Takashima clan (Kuchiki) and the Ise clan (Bitchu clan).

"Your Highness, please feel free to tell us what you think." Hosokawa Harumoto went straight to the point.

"During the time of my grandfather, Lord Motonobu, there was a chance for me to be promoted to the position of a shogun, but unfortunately it was not accomplished in the end. I am not talented, but I hope that the Shogun and the Kanrei can fulfill this long-cherished wish of the Takeda family. In this way, I will have the confidence to compete with Miyoshi Iga no Kami." After saying this, Nobushige bowed down sincerely to Ashikaga Yoshiharu and Hosokawa Harumoto.

Xinzhong said that the past events he was talking about dated back to forty years ago.

Unlike the late Muromachi period, before this, promotion from Kunimochi-shu to Soban-shu was very strict.

In 1499, Nobushige's grandfather, Takeda Motonobu, obtained Ashikaga Yoshizumi's consent to promote him to the rank of a saorenshu due to his outstanding contributions in protecting Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado and Ashikaga Yoshizumi during their visit to Kyoto. However, this move was strongly opposed by the then governor Hosokawa Masamoto.

In desperation, Ashikaga Yoshizumi and Takeda Motonobu compromised and no longer asked for promotion to the rank of associates. As compensation, the imperial court promoted Takeda Motonobu to the rank of Junior Fourth Rank, Lower.

Both Takeda Motonobu and later Takeda Motomitsu were bitter about this incident. Takeda Motomitsu, in particular, often mentioned it, along with the loss of Tango Shugo, as the "two major regrets" of the Wakasa Takeda family.

Now, Takeda Motomitsu, who was sitting nearby, heard Nobushige mention the old story, and his eyes suddenly lit up. He looked at Ashikaga Yoshiharu and Hosokawa Harumoto excitedly, eager for them to give a positive answer. At this time, Hosokawa Harumoto was also very embarrassed. Although the Muromachi shogunate was now on the decline, the company represented more of an honor, but it was not something that could be given casually. Moreover, if this loophole was opened for Nobushige, I am afraid that other daimyo would give him an excuse to accuse him.

However, it was not easy for Hosokawa Harumoto to refuse at this moment. After all, three generations of Nobushige's family had been dedicated to their work. All three generations had led troops to Kyoto to guard the imperial court and the shogunate. Takeda Motonobu, in particular, had his path to promotion interrupted once by his grandfather Hosokawa Masato. Under such circumstances, how could he have the nerve to refuse Nobushige's sincere request?

"I cannot make the decision on this matter. I still have to ask the shogun to decide." After thinking it over, he decided to throw this difficult problem to Ashikaga Yoshiharu. After all, he was the nominal ruler of the shogunate.

Although Ashikaga Yoshiharu was timid and cautious by nature, he was not a foolish person. He knew what Hosokawa Harumoto was up to. But unlike the latter, Ashikaga Yoshiharu was open-minded: he was just a puppet supported by the Hosokawa family. What was the point of holding such an empty title in his hands? Rather than offending Nobuyuki, it would be better to do him a favor and let the Takeda family be grateful to him, so that he could have an extra hand when the shogunate encountered difficulties in the future.

Thinking of this, Ashikaga Yoshiharu cleared his throat and said solemnly: "The status of the companions in the shogunate is very high and cannot be changed at will. But considering that your successive masters have been loyal and meritorious ministers, and now you are willing to take the risk of going deep into the enemy camp to relieve the crisis in Kyoto, I have decided to grant you the position of companion of the Wakasa Takeda clan to show your loyalty!"

As soon as these words came out, Takeda Motomitsu was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes. Before Nobushige could react, he kowtowed to express his gratitude: "I am deeply grateful. From now on, my Takeda family will do its best and serve the public wholeheartedly, even if it means death!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you all from now on." Ashikaga Yoshiharu was very satisfied with Takeda Motomitsu's reaction. He hadn't felt this kind of sense of existence and satisfaction for a long time. He happily signaled Takeda Motomitsu to skip the formality.

"I thank you for your grace!" Only then did Nobushige react and quickly kowtowed to Ashikaga Yoshiharu to express his gratitude. To be honest, he himself did not expect that this request would be granted so quickly. It can be seen that Ashikaga Yoshiharu still has a clear understanding of the current situation. Using a false name in exchange for the loyalty of the Takeda family is also a sure-win business.

Seeing that Ashikaga Yoshiharu agreed directly, Hosokawa Harumoto breathed a sigh of relief, and then said to Nobushige and Takeda Motomitsu with a smile: "The shogun appreciates the Takeda family so much, you two must work harder in the future."

"Ha!" Nobushige and Takeda Motomitsu bowed again.

"In my opinion, we should hold the ceremony in the next two days, and appoint the companions and the guardians of Wakasa and Tango countries at the same time." Ashikaga Yoshiharu was straightforward.

Hosokawa Harumoto nodded slightly to show his approval, but still reminded Nobushige: "The guardian of the two countries can be given to you by the shogun, but the guardian of the sub-county of Tsuruga County may not be given to you for the time being."

"The Asakura clan has always been very respectful to the imperial court and the Kubo. The Kubo must consider their feelings. I understand this." Nobushige responded respectfully, "However, can I also be appointed as the governor of the four counties of Aki?"

"County guardian?" Ashikaga Yoshiharu looked at Hosokawa Harumoto in confusion.

Seeing that Ashikaga Yoshiharu was confused, Hosokawa Harumoto briefly introduced: "The ancestor of the Wakasa Takeda clan, Lord Nobuyoshi, once served as the guardian of Aki and Wakasa. Later, he lost the position of guardian of Aki for some reason. However, the successive heads of the Takeda clan were still recognized by the shogunate and retained the positions of guardian of the four counties of Annan, Sadō, Yamagata, and Anboku in Aki."

"I see." Ashikaga Yoshiharu stroked his beard and responded casually, "If that's the case, let's take up the position together."

(End of this chapter)