The Ouchi Clan and their Smuggling (6)

     Ouchi Norihiro (1420-1465) died of disease, and his son, Masahiro (1446-1495) succeeded Norihiro.  The father and son tried to revitalize foreign commerce, and came into antagonism against the Hosokawa Clan, who were one of the three clans that were producing vice shoguns by turns, and, unlike the other 2 clans, who were interested in foreign commerce.

     In the meantime, the Onin War (1467-1477) broke out.  The shogunate power was divided into 2; the East Force and the West Force.  The East Force was commanded by Hosokawa Katsumoto (1467-1477), and that naturally led the Ouchi Clan to joining the West Force Warally.  Ironically enough, the Ouchi army turned out to be the strongest among the West, and Masahiro, whether he liked it or not, stayed and fought in Kyoto for a decade.

    As the Onin War progressed, the East conspired against Masahiro, who was fighting in Kyoto about 500 kilometers away from his home country, and appointed Noriyuki, then a priest, as a clan patriarch.  Noriyuki returned to secular life in a sense, and turned traitor to Masahiro.  As the East had Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1436-1490), the 8th shogun, with them, most of Ouchi’s vassals at home swore loyalty to Noriyuki.

   However, Sue Hiromori (1455-1482), the deputy guardian samurai of the Suo Province, alone rebelled against Noriyuki, defeated him in Suo first, then in the Nagato Province, and finally ousted him into the Buzen Province in Northern Kyushu.

   After the Onin War ceased in 1477, Masahiro returned, and concentrated himself on ruling and managing his provinces, boosting foreign commerce included.

   Sue Hiromori?  He was assassinated at the celebration party of the victory in Yamaguchi, Suo, in 1482.