英語訳
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Toyohashi Historical Discussion (Death in Battle of Makino Nobushige and Others) 30
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Originally, the founding priest of this temple was the Reverend Kyūya Sōkan, who was the fourth-generation priest of Kōtokuji Temple in Kamidenmachi, Toyohashi City. Since then, Kōtokuji has
had no resident priest and was established to be managed concurrently with Ryūnenji. This Kōtokuji was called Imahashiyama. From this
fact, if we consider by inference, when Shigekazu recaptured the castle in the early years of Taiei, he renamed the place Yoshida, and soon after built
Ryūnenji near his father Kohaku's grave. Following the example of Kōtokuji being named Imahashiyama after the previous place name, he crowned Ryūnenji with the new place name, calling it Yoshida-
yama. We must believe this to be so. Then one might question why documents remain that record the place name Imahashi, starting with Sōchō's memoir and continuing through the Tenbun period as mentioned before, but regarding this matter, even when place names are changed,
it is common in society to continue using the more familiar old names for some years out of custom. Indeed, regarding Edo place names, people of old customs continued to use those names indefinitely, so naturally in the warring states period of that time, even after the name change,
it would not be surprising that the old name Imahashi was used for about ten or fifteen years. Therefore,
considering the history of Ryūnenji mentioned before, I deeply believe that the place name was changed during Shigekazu's era.
Furthermore, regarding whether any good documents remain at Ryūnenji, I conducted a thorough investigation, but all the death registers of this temple date from after Genroku, and the oldest records are those written up when Matsudaira Izu no Kami Nobutoki first came to this area in Shōtoku 2, which seem to rely on something like the "Records of Yoshida Castle Lords," so there are few points that could serve as evidence.
Only the testament of the Reverend Kyūya Sōkan is valuable, but since this is not related to this chapter, I will explain it later.
○Death in Battle of Makino Nobushige and Others
As described in the previous chapter, Makino Shigekazu retired and his younger brother Nobushige took his place as lord of Yoshida Castle, which is estimated to have occurred around Taiei 5 or 6.
《Marginal note: The Makino clan's power》 After Nobushige's succession, the Makino clan's power gradually grew stronger, and all the various heroes of eastern Mikawa came to stand in their shadow.
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□Mayor of Toyohashi, Mr. Ōguchi Kiroku, has devoted his extensive knowledge and inexhaustible energy to compiling the history of Toyohashi City for over a year, and now as his manuscript is nearly complete
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At that time, what was the situation in western Mikawa? Matsudaira Nagachika, who had been there during Kohaku's time,
was the person who most commanded public respect, yet he had long harbored thoughts of withdrawal from the world, so he shaved his head and took the name Dōetsu. His son Nobutada
succeeded him, but this person was sickly and could not endure military duties. As popular support gradually scattered, he too retired to Shōmyōji temple in Ōhama, Hekikai District,
shaved his head, and took the name Shunmu. Then his son Kiyoyasu inherited his position, which happened exactly on April
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu 4th of Taiei 3, when Kiyoyasu was only thirteen years old. This person was none other than the grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and though young, he possessed great courage and military prowess
unequaled by others. The following year, at age fourteen, he recaptured Okazaki and Yamanaka Castle, which had previously rebelled, and remaining himself at Anshō, he nearly pacified all of western Mikawa, thus facing off east and west with Makino Nobushige, and collision became inevitable. So Kiyoyasu's side
attacked Yoshida Castle and war ensued. This war is famous from ancient times and is
《Marginal note: The year and month of the Yoshida battle》 an important event in Toyohashi city history, but it also has variant theories, making it a difficult research topic. Namely, regarding when this war took place, it is generally divided into three theories:
1. Kyōroku 2 theory
2. Tenbun 1 theory
3. Two wars theory
Additionally, there are Meiō 2 and Tenbun 10 theories, but these are undoubtedly mistakes arising from copying errors in original texts.
Both theories 1 and 2 place the date as the 28th day of the 5th month, but the third theory of two wars
cannot clearly determine the dates. However, "Ushikubo Secret Discussions" records the Kyōroku 2 campaign as occurring on the 4th day of the 11th month.
Given these circumstances, it is questionable which should be considered correct, but authoritative works including "Kansei Chōshū Shokafu," "Chōya Kyūbun Hōkō," "Tōdaiki," and "Makino Kafu"
mostly adopt this first theory. There is also a work called "Ietada Nikki Zōho," but this was written by Ietada's grandson Tadafuyu
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Toyohashi Historical Discussion (Death in Battle of Makino Nobushige and Others) 31