The Izu Sea Forces (1)

The Izu Peninsula almost solely composed Izu Province, along with other tiny islands. It had many headlands and coves, and seemed like a smaller version of Kii Province, which lay along the southern coast of the Kii Peninsula. As Kii Province had sea people, so did Izu Province. During the Warring States Period, those sea people were organized as sea forces by the Hojo Clan. So, the Izu Sea Forces were sometimes called Hojo Sea Forces. After the collapse of the clan, those sea forces all returned to fishing or farming. Here, let me introduce two of the several families which belonged to the Izu Sea Forces. The Shimizu Family’s ancestry is not clear. Ise Shinkuro (1432-1519), who would be called Hojo Soun after his death, moved from Kyoto to Suruga Province in 1469, established himself as the lord of Kosokuji Castle in 1487, and formed a small but independent domain around the castle. In 1491, he unified Izu Province. The Shimizu Family was presumed to be composed of Shinkuro’s vassal and a local powerful family through marriage or something.