英語訳
[Header] Toyohashi City Historical Discussions - (The Decline of the Imagawa Clan and the Invasion of the Takeda Clan) - 102
[Main Text]
With few concerns about the rear and sufficient preparations, he entered Owari with the determination to finally achieve his goal of advancing westward, but in the fifth month of Eiroku 3, he met his tragic end at the hands of Oda Nobunaga at Okehazama.
This is the general outline of the story, but needless to say, those times were an assembly of Sengoku strategists, an era when many schemes were traditionally employed. Therefore, when Imagawa Ujizane's national administration became disordered, the alliance of the three clans could not possibly continue as it was, so the Takeda clan gradually sought to seize the opportunity to extend their influence into the territories of Suruga and Tōtōmi. At that time, Nobutora was still in Suruga, constantly reporting on the internal affairs of the Imagawa clan to Shingen, and also mediating the collaboration of generals and retainers to first drive out Ujizane. However, there was a man named Ihara Awa-no-kami who, with his strategic skills, instead expelled Nobutora, so Nobutora once fled to Kyoto, but continuously communicated schemes to Shingen to make him invade Suruga.
Prior to this, Shingen had sent envoys to the Hōjō clan proposing to divide and take Suruga, but the Hōjō clan not only did not respond to this but also, since the Imagawa clan could be called the vanguard of their own defense, rather chose the strategy of keeping their previous agreement, helping Ujizane, and confronting the Takeda clan. However, this was quite skillful - on one hand, taking advantage of the Imagawa clan's weakness, they bestowed favors and formed bonds of duty, striving to employ appeasement strategies, while on the other hand, they secretly employed schemes to plan to obtain their territory.
Moreover, regarding the Tokugawa clan, Shingen had already sent Shimojō Danjō Nobuuji as an envoy in the eleventh month of Eiroku 7 to deliver a letter to Sakai Tadatsugu seeking friendship, but in the second month of the 11th year, he further made a pact with the Tokugawa side regarding the division of Suruga and Tōtōmi with the Ōi River as the boundary, and they exchanged written oaths. The document Shingen sent to Ieyasu at that time is as follows:
"Although I harbor not the slightest doubt, regarding the matter of the oath document you requested, you have promptly prepared it, which I find most gratifying. As for Shingen's part, I have copied it according to the draft and affixed my blood seal before the envoy's eyes and present it to you. I earnestly hope for your continued goodwill. Respectfully and humbly stated."
Second month, 16th day Shingen (seal)
To Lord Tokugawa
[Left Page]
So Shingen departed from Kōfu on the sixth day of that twelfth month and invaded Suruga, and Ieyasu also on the eleventh day of the twelfth month stationed his generals at Yoshida Castle and advanced his troops into Tōtōmi, conquering its northwestern part and occupying territories such as Iinoya, Uzuyama, Osakabe, and Shirasuka. The mediation of Suganuma Sadamitsu was most meritorious on this occasion. At this point, the Hōjō clan could not remain idle, so Ujiyasu, together with his son Ujimasa, sent troops to Suruga to oppose Shingen, but Ujizane was finally defeated by the Takeda forces and fled to Kakegawa Castle in Tōtōmi, where he was further besieged by Ieyasu.
Given these circumstances, both the Imagawa and Hōjō clans had no choice but to seek aid from the Uesugi clan in Echigo, so they continuously sent envoys to Kenshin. Now, regarding Kenshin, much earlier, in the first month of Tenbun 21, Uesugi Norimasa had come to him for refuge, so he assisted him, sent troops to Kōzuke, maintained a stronghold at Umayabashi, and frequently fought with the Hōjō clan. Not only that, but he formed a father-son bond with Norimasa, took the Uesugi name, and while confronting Shingen in Shinano on one side, in the fourth month of Eiroku 2 he entered Kyoto, had audiences with the Emperor and Shogun, received the appointment as Kantō Kanrei, and in the third month of Eiroku 4 led 110,000 troops and finally made a long march to approach Odawara, the stronghold of the Hōjō clan. However, at that time the alliance between the Takeda and Hōjō clans had been formed, so even the formidable Kenshin could not achieve his objectives, but now conversely the Hōjō clan was frequently proposing alliance. However, at that time the snow happened to be deep, and Kenshin could not easily respond to this.
Meanwhile, although the relationship between Shingen and Ieyasu was as described above, there was a tendency for Shingen to break agreements and make incursions even into Tōtōmi, so Ieyasu finally became angry and broke relations with him. At the same time, he advised Ujizane and made an agreement to receive all of Tōtōmi province, making peace with him, and also sent envoys to Kenshin proposing an alliance, and moreover attacked Takeda general Yamagata Saburōbei Masakage at Fuchū and drove him out, further allying with the Hōjō clan as well. Thus Shingen was completely surrounded by four
[Header] Toyohashi City Historical Discussions - (The Decline of the Imagawa Clan and the Invasion of the Takeda Clan) - 103