Japan's Sengoku Period: The Sanada Clan's Ambition

Chapter 77: The Ueno people turned against each other!

Hojo Takahiro acted quickly; he has always been a man of action and vision.

Over several decades, he voluntarily changed lords eight times. Throughout the entire Sengoku period of Japan, only a handful of people possessed such formidable drive.

The first person Hojo Takahiro sought out was his son-in-law, Naba Akimune, the lord of Imamura Castle.

Next is Kanai Hidekage of Kuragano Castle.

When Takigawa Kazumasu controlled Ueno, Kanai Hidekage was a staunch supporter. During the Battle of Kannagawa, Kanai Hidekage's two sons also died alongside Takigawa Kazumasu.

When Takigawa Kazumasu retreated, Kanai Hidekage personally escorted him to Usui Pass and watched him leave Ueno safely before returning to his castle.

Upon hearing that Hojo Takahiro wanted him to leave the Hojo clan, Kanai Hidekage rebelled at Kuragano Castle without hesitation.

With Kanai Hidekage and Naba Akimune announcing their separation from the Hojo clan, Wada Nobunari, located near Masahashi Castle and Kurakano Castle, fearing an attack, hurriedly sent people to negotiate with Sanada Nobuyuki.

By this time, the Hojo clan's army had already retreated, and Hojo Ujikuni was holed up in Minowa Castle. Wada Nobuyoshi dared not expect the Hojo clan to provide any more support.

Most importantly, Wada Narishige's biological father was Atobe Katsuyuki, a favorite retainer of Takeda Katsuyori, and he also had an older sister who married Ashida Nobuhan, a retainer of the current Sanada family.

Immediately afterwards, Obata Nobusada of Kunimine Castle also declared independence from the Hojo clan and quickly dispatched troops to advance towards the nearby Anchu Castle.

At the same time, Sanada Nobuyuki also led his army out of Iwato Castle and into Numata Castle, making it appear as if he was about to attack Minowa Castle.

The lord of Anchu Castle, Anchu Kageshige, was so frightened that he surrendered immediately and fled to Masahashi Castle overnight to seek the protection of Hojo Takahiro.

In an instant, the Sanada family in northern Ueno, the Obata family in the west, the Hojo Takahiro in the central region, and the Kanai Hidekage in the south all stood on the opposite side of the Hojo family.

While Hojo Ujikuni of Minowa Castle had not yet reacted, Nagao Terukage, located between Minowa Castle and Numata Castle, could no longer sit still.

"How to do?"

"Now that the other members of the Kokujō clan in Ueno are opposing Hojo, should our main clan join them?"

Inside the Shirai Castle appraisal room, Nagao Terukage, the head of the Shirai Nagao family, spoke anxiously.

At this moment, the 73-year-old Nagao Norikage said with a serious expression, "But Torifamaru is still in the Hojo family. If we oppose the Hojo now, what will happen to Torifamaru?"

Nagao Norikage was the former head of the family. After retiring, he passed the position to Nagao Terukage. Torifusa-maru was the youngest son, who was sent to the Hojo family as a hostage.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing the name Torifa Maru, Nagao Terukage's expression immediately changed.

During this period, rumors have been circulating within the Hojo clan that they intend to have Torifamaru come of age and succeed Nagao Terukage as head of the clan, and many retainers of the Shirai Nagao clan have already begun to contact Torifamaru.

Nagao Terukage couldn't be happier that Torifusa Maru didn't come back; it would be even better if he died at the hands of the Hojo family.

"I have made my decision. My main family will also abandon the Hojo clan and return to the Uesugi clan!"

Nagao Norikage struggled to his feet, pointing angrily at Nagao Terukage, his beard bristling with rage. "How could you disregard Torifa Maru's safety?"

"I am the head of the family!"

“Since Torifa Maru is a hostage, he must be prepared to die for the family at any time.”

"No need for further words. Immediately send men to Numata Castle and Masahashi Castle. The Nagao family has rebelled!"

"Inverted!"

"They've all rebelled!"

Inside Minowa Castle, Hojo Ujikuni was utterly overwhelmed by the reports coming from all directions.

This has really stirred up a hornet's nest; how come almost half of Ueno has rebelled overnight?

"What should we do?" Hojo Ujikuni stared at the map for a while, his heart sinking.

The area surrounding Minowa Castle is now filled with anti-Hōjō vassals. At this moment, Hōjō Ujikuni has only one thought in his mind: to escape this place of trouble as soon as possible.

He's going back to Musashi. Anyone who wants to come to Ueno can come; I'm not going to serve them anymore.

Just as Hojo Ujikuni announced his intention to retreat, his general Inomata Kuninori quickly stopped him, saying, "My lord, retreating without authorization will be met with reprimand from Lord Hermit."

"The most urgent task now is to report the situation in Ueno to Lord Hermit as soon as possible. Whether to fight or retreat, we can only act with Lord Hermit's order."

Hojo Ujikuni wanted to curse, but Inomata Kuninori's words made sense, so Hojo Ujikuni could only continue to secure the castle while sending people to report to Odawara Castle. After arranging everything, Hojo Ujikuni felt as if all his strength had been drained, and sat listlessly in the palace of Minowa Castle.

Suddenly, Hojo Ujikuni seemed to remember something and hurriedly asked Inomata Kuninori, "Are there any remnants of the Takeda clan in Minowa territory?"

Minowa Castle was built by the Nagano clan. It is a large hilltop castle with a stepped layout. The Haruna Shirakawa River runs to the left of the castle, and the Haruna Marshland runs to the south, forming a natural moat.

During the reign of Nagano Narimasa, Takeda Shingen suffered repeated defeats at Minowa Castle, and only after Nagano Narimasa's death did he finally capture the castle.

It's difficult to breach Jilin Castle from the outside, but it's not so easy if there's someone inside acting as an accomplice.

After a moment's thought, Kuninori Inomata gave an affirmative answer.

"Have!"

"Who?"

"Naito repairs Ryo!"

Naito Masayuki was the adopted son of Naito Masatoyo, a senior retainer of the Takeda clan. He served as the lord of Minowa Castle in Ueno during the Takeda clan's existence.

However, with the Oda and Hojo clans successively capturing Minowa Castle, Naito Masayuki's situation became very awkward.

"Borrowing a city? That sounds nice, but who borrows a city?"

The thought of Hojo Ujikuni "occupying" Minowa Castle made Naito Masayuki so angry that he almost ground his back teeth to powder.

"The Hojo clan acts tyrannically. Once Minowa Castle falls into their hands, there's no reason for it to be returned."

“We are, after all, former retainers of the Takeda clan. This castle was bestowed upon Naito Shusuke by Lord Shingen. There is absolutely no reason for us to hand it over to the Hojo clan.”

The person who spoke to Masatsuki Naito was Tadashi Hoshina, the father of Masamitsu Hoshina.

Masatoshi Naito and Masatoshi Hosuka are both sons of Masatoshi Hosuka, and Masatoshi Naito was adopted by Masatoshi Naito.

With the support of the Sanada family, Hoshina Masamitsu recaptured Takato Castle, while Hoshina Masanao and his son Hoshina Masatoshi remained in Iwato Castle as hostages.

In order to persuade Naito Masayuki to side with the Sanada family, Sanada Nobuyuki specifically asked Hoshina Masanao to act as a middleman (diplomatic agent).

After much internal struggle, Masayuki Naito finally made his decision.

"What does Lord Sanada intend for me to do?"

Two days later, Hojo Ujikuni did not receive any orders from Hojo Ujimasa in Minowa Castle. Instead, he received rumors that Naito Masazuki and others were planning to communicate with the Sanada family in Minowa Castle.

Hojo Ujikuni immediately sent men to search for Naito Masayuki, but to no avail.

At this time, the anti-Hōjō uprising in Ueno was intensifying. Apart from the Yokose Yura clan of Nitta District and the Ashikaga Nagao clan of Eiraku District, who had not yet openly rebelled against the Hōjō family's rule, all the other Ueno residents had rebelled.

With Naito Masayuki lurking in the shadows within the Minowa territory, plotting something sinister, Hojo Ujikuni is now truly panicked.

On November 25th of the tenth year of Tensho, Hojo Ujikuni disregarded the objections of his retainers and led his army directly back to Hachigata Castle in Musashi.

No sooner had Hojo Ujikuni left than Naito Masayuki seized the opportunity to occupy Minowa Castle.

At this point, most of Ueno's territory had fallen out of the Hojo clan's control.

The Hojo family worked hard for months, only to end up losing both their wife and their army.

Then, a heated discussion about what should be done about the people of Ueno Province took place at Minowa Castle.

　The Nagano clan: Nagano Narimasa and his son held Minowa Castle for many years, using the castle to resist Takeda Shingen and earning the reputation of "Yellow Spots of Koshu".

　　After Nagano Narimasa's death, Minowa Castle fell. The entire Nagano clan, except for a few who became monks, committed suicide.

　　After Tokugawa Ieyasu was transferred to the Kanto region, Ii Naomasa became the lord of Minowa Castle.

　　Later, Nagano Narimasa's sons, who had become monks, followed Ii Naomasa to Hikone-han (Omi Province), where they built Daiun-ji Temple.

　　Along with the Nagano clan of Minowa Castle, another clan, the Nagano clan of Takadome Castle, also traveled to Omi.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)