Posted by Part 3
Baba Yorichika was a staunch Shoni loyalist and although the Baba clan and Ryuzoji clan had fought alongside each other for many years, made a surprise attack on the stronghold of Ryuzoji Iekane in 1545. No-one at Mizugae castle was prepared for any kind of attack, especially by a long-time ally and to put it bluntly, it was an extremely cowardly move which ended up in a bloody massacre. Just about every person in the castle including Iekane’s two sons, four grandsons, many retainers and townsfolk were slaughtered. 90 year old Iekane, however, survived. Some sources say he escaped others say he was banished. Yorichika probably did not see Iekane or the Mizugae Ryuzoji clan a further threat with just about every family member dead. Iekane found his way to a distant relative, the Kamachi clan of Yanagawa castle in neighbouring province of Chikugo.
The Kamachi clan were based in Yanagawa castle, and they were a vassal of the Otomo Sorin but had some independence as Yanagawa is quite far from Otomo homelands in Bungo (Oita). Over the following year with support of the Kamachi clan and many Ryuzoji retainers who had also escaped the Mizugae bloodbath, Iekane raised a formidable army and was ready for his revenge.
Now the tables turned against Baba Yorichika who was caught in an unguarded and unprepared castle. The castle had still not been fully repaired and the bulk his army were not ready or not willing to fight once they knew it was Iekane leading the attack. Many Baba clan allies resented Yorichika for his attack on Mizugae and lost faith in his leadership. In a short time Iekane successfully took back his family castle killing the treacherous Baba Yorichika and his son as they tried to flee. In retrospect, Yorichika’s actions could be seen in either of two ways. A loyal retainer of the Shoni clan who brought about revenge on a fellow retainer who he thought double crossed his lord. On the other hand, he could be seen as a vicious murderer selfishly turning on an ally for self-gain within the Shoni ranks. Either way, the actions of Baba Yorichika the previous year, virtually destroyed the Shoni, Baba and Ryuzoji, something Ouchi had been trying to do for years.
So, Iekane is victorious at getting back his home and avenging the murders of his family and he did all this at the age of 91. Amazing stuff! However, there was a major problem. Iekane’s heirs were all dead except for one, his last great grandson, Engetsu. During all this turmoil, Engetsu was kept away from any of the terrible news at home, he had become a Buddhist monk but eventually a messenger came to Engetsu sent by his great grandfather. You must return to Mizugae at once! Iekane had noted how well Engetsu had developed into a young man, honourable and noble and thus on his death bed, nominated him to become the heir of the Mizugae Ryuzoji clan. His rash decision did not sit well among the other Ryuzoji clan members. Engetsu hadn’t been seen or heard of for years, but he was the only living relative Iekane had still alive. Iekane was the head of the Mizugae branch of the Ryuzoji, but it was Iekane`s second nephew, Tanemitsu who was the head of the whole Ryuzoji clan. The rift was made worse when Iekane died in 1546 at 92 years old. His passing left the whole Ryuzoji clan in a precarious and vulnerable position, the Ouchi and Otomo both looking to expand into Hizen.
Ryuzoji Tanemitsu (1524-1548), the 18th head of the Ryuzoji clan was very much a Hizen loyalist, but he was also partial to Ouchi Yoshitaka which put him at odds with Iekane and they feuded regularly. Much like his father Tanehisa, 17th head of the clan and who died young in 1539, didn’t have the military power that Iekane had. Tanemitsu was still just a young man of 22 years and many of the Ryuzoji senior members believed he was being influenced too much by Ouchi Yoshitaka and was a puppet leader. However, there is no doubt that Tanemitsu fully supported the Ryuzoji clan as a whole, as he helped Iekane recover after the loss of Mizugae castle. In 1547, the year after Iekane’s passing Ouchi Yoshitaka granted Tanemitsu the position of Deputy Governor of Hizen. Yoshitaka was a clever politician, appointing Tanemitsu as governor of Hizen also solidified his own influence within Hizen province.
However, the following year, yet another blow to the Ryuzoji. Tanemitsu suddenly died with no heirs. Even though Takanobu was now the strongest Ryuzoji leader, there was still doubt amongst the clan to who will be head of the family. Takanobu was the only person left who could rightfully make a claim as the head of the whole Ryuzoji clan and he was voted in by senior clan members to become the 19th head of the Ryuzoji clan.
Takanobu’s posting to head of the Ryuzoji clan was not without drama. Takanobu was also friendly with Ouchi Yoshitaka, as they knew each other through their Buddhist studies. After Iekane’s death the Ouchi had consolidated power in northern Kyushu which did not sit well with many veteran Ryuzoji retainers who only a few years earlier had been at war with the Ouchi. To make matters worse, in 1550 Yoshitaka openly backed Takanobu and announced him as the lord of Saga castle. This close relationship with Yoshitaka left many of the Ryuzoji retainers unhappy, especially those old enough to remember their previous history, but while Takanobu had the support of Yoshitaka, they were in no position to do anything. But just as we think Takanobu was about to solidify his power throughout his homelands, the following year Yoshitaka dies, and thus all of the Ouchi support suddenly vanishes. Takanobu is left with to deal with Ryuzoji allies who are against his rule and who want to ally with the Otomo, not the Ouchi. Takanobu unfortunately had many enemies within the Ryuzoji clan who openly supported Otomo. In October of 1551, Ryuzoji clan retainers rebelled and marched on Saga castle forcing Takanobu into exile. Unlike the bloodbath of the Baba surprise attack, Takanobu quickly accepted his fate, called for calm, and left Saga castle. He travelled south to the Kamachi in Yanagawa, just as his great grandfather, Iekane did years earlier. The rebellion seems to have been hastily organised and I could not find any long-term plans from the rebels once Takanobu was ousted. It may have been a ploy by the Otomo to get Takanobu out of Saga as his relationship with Ouchi was well known. Some of the rebellious retainers then occupied Saga castle.
End of part 3. Stay tuned for part 4. I’ll try and finish part 4 before the end of the year. Depends if I find any new info or not.
Written and researched by Stuart Iles.
Kure, Mitsuo. 2014. Samurai: an illustrated history. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing.
Yamamura, K. 2008. The Cambridge history of Japan: Vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Japanese online sites.
Japanese History and Culture 
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