A Mobile Base

Manabe Clan in Izumi, a local pirate who was organized into Nobunaga’s Navy, gives us a good example to understand how pirate society in Inland Sea changed. Their surname has its origin in Manabe Island in Oda County, Bichu (in today’s Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture). They gained a certain social status in Inland Sea as a vassal of Hosokawa Clan, a guardian of Bichu in Muromachi period. Eventually, they gained ground even in Izumi, and Nii and Uma Counties in Iyo, where there used to be Hosokawa Clan’s branch possessions. Manabe Sadaharu, who was later called Sin’nyu-sai, was the head of the clan during Shokuho Era and a founder of Manabe Clan in Wakayama, one of chief vassals of the Wakayama Clan. He was included in the entries of Meishin-Den (Biographies of Excellent Vassals) of “The History of Nanki Tokugawa”, a collection of the Wakayama Clan’s historical sources. Manabe Sadaharu was recognized as a descendant of Manabe Shiro and Goro brothers, who had shot Kahara Taro and Jiro brothers, popular characters in The Tale of Heike, in The Lord of Manabe Shin’nyu’s Thumbnail Biography. It is also recorded that Sadanari’s 6th ancestor moved from Manabe Island to Tan’nowa in Izumi (to today’s Misaki Town in Osaka Prefecture). Manabe-yama, a place name around a round tumulus with a moat around it, is all that is left to tell where once the clan lived. The document continues, “They established Manabe Checkpoint in Sen-shu, and those ships sailing from Kyushu or Shikoku toward the Capital had to pay sail taxes.” They might have imposed sail taxes at Manabe Checkpoint in Tan’nowa on those ships leaving from Kyushu or Shikoku, probably sailing off the Tosa coast, and passing Kitan Straits. In other words, Manabe Clan was conducting piracy in Kitan Straits. Meanwhile, Hosokawa Clan in Izumi fell and Miyoshi Clan rose, and Manabe Clan followed Miyoshi Clan instead. Manabe Sadayuki, Sadanari’s grandfather, fought for Miyoshi Clan in Shariji Battle in Settsu in July, the 16th year of Tensho, or in 1547, and made the very first thrust among 800 samurais into the enemy lines. In the 11th year of Eiroku, or in 1568, Nobunaga entered Kyoto, and Izumi samurais including Matsuura Clan, an active guardian there, capitulated to him. Nobunaga antagonized Hongan-ji Temple in Osaka, and paid attention to Manabe Clan needing to impose a blockade across Osaka Bay. According to The Biographies of Excellent Vassals, Manabe Sadatomo, Sadanari’s father, was stationed at Otsu Castle in Izumi (in today’s Izumi-Otsu City, Osaka), and guarding mouths of rivers in Osaka. He was given lands about half as much as those of daimyo, salaries for 1,000 men, and 600 kg of monthly gunpowder. According to Biography of Lord Nobunaga, which was written by Ota Gyuichi, one of Nobunaga’s arrow shooters, and is believed to be one of the reliable biographies of Nobunaga, Manabe Sadatomo was deployed along with other Izumi samurais such as Numa Clan at a strategic point in Sumiyoshi in Settsu in May, in the 4th year of Tensho. He was in charge of maritime defense. Manabe Clan was deployed as defense against Hongan-ji Temple, Osaka. According to a document dated June 18 issued by Nobunaga, Sadatomo, together with Numa Den’nai and etc., was ordered to guard in Osaka Bay to cut off supply routes to Hongan-ji Temple, Osaka. Other documents such as Hineno Document at the time, shows Sadatomo was carrying out naval blockades. Sadatomo was killed in the battle at the mouth of Kidu River in July together with Numa Clan and etc. As we have seen above, Manabe Clan moved their base from Manabe Island, Bichu, to Tan’nowa, Izumi, and to Otsu, Izumi. They carried out military actions such as naval blockades under the orders of supreme powers such as guardians, war lords, or national leaders. They also established sea checkpoints and imposed sail taxes. Obviously, they were acting as a typical pirate people in the pirate society in Inland Sea. The point worthy of attention is that they are based on naval transfers, and that they moved their bases according to the changes of the political surroundings in land. That is quite different from the behaviors of land samurais who tended to fight for their lands at the risk of their own lives. Murakami Clans, a champion in Inland Sea, for another example, might not have minded to change their residences because they originally had had plural strongholds in plural states.