The Road to a Sakai Shogunate --- The Awakening and Rise of the Miyoshi Family (3) ---

     Hosokawa Masamoto (1466-1507) brought the height of the Keicho-Hosokawa Family, but, absorbed in Shugen-do, Japanese mountain asceticism, neither married nor had his biological child.  He adopted 2 sons, and that brought about infighting within the Keicho-Hosokawa Family and their vassals, and, geopolitically speaking, the war around Kyoto.  In the meanwhile, Yukinaga grew up to be broad-minded and appealed even to local samurai not only around Kyoto in Yamashiro Province and Sakai in Izumi Province, but also in surrounding provinces, such as Settsu, Kawachi, and Omi Provinces.

     Masamoto first adopted Sumiyuki (1489-1507) on February 13th, 1491, the second son of Kujo Masamoto (1445-1516), the Prime Minister of the Imperial Court.  As Sumiyuki reached his puberty, the relationship between the two became strained, and Masamoto adopted Sumimoto (1489-1520) in May, 1503.  Sumimoto's father, Yoshiharu (1468-1495), was the head of the Awa-Hosokawa Family and the Guardian Samurai of Awa Province.

     The adoption of 2 boys caused distraction among the vassals of Masamoto.  His old vassals, such as Kozai Motonaga (?-1507) and Yakushiji Nagatada (?-1507), had believed Sumiyuki would become the next head of the Keicho-Hosokawa Family.  Yukinaga, on the other hand, supported Sumimoto as a matter of course.  On May 29th, 1507, Motonaga and Nagatada tempted Masamoto's secretary to assassinate him.  Sumimoto and Yukinaga were staying in Budha-ji Temple in Kyoto.  On 24th, Motonaga and Nagatada attacked the temple.  Yukinaga guarded Sumimoto, and fled to Aochi Castle in Omi Province.  Aochi Nagatsuna sent them further east, counting on Yamanaka Tametoshi in Koga County, Omi Province.

     Motonaga and Nagatada put Sumiyuki forward as the new head of the Keicho-Hosokawa Family.  Sumiyuki blatantly and unashamedly held the funeral of the late Masamoto, and was accepted as the head of Keicho-Hosokawa Family by Ashikaga Yoshizumi (1481-1511), the 11th Shogun.  However, other branch-Hosokawa Families were discontented with the situation.  Hosokawa Takakuni (1484-1531) from the Yashu-Hosokawa Family, who were based in Bicchu Province, successfully put those families together, and killed Motonaga and Nagatada on August 1st.  The following day, Yukinaga and Sumimoto returned to Kyoto.  Sumimoto met with Yoshizumi, and was approved of his inauguration to the head of the Keicho-Hosokawa Family.