Imagawa Yoshimoto
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Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川義元? 1519-June 12, 1560) was one of the leading daimyo (feudal lords) in early Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was one of the three daimyo that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He was one of the dominant daimyo for a time until his death in 1560
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[edit] Early Life
He was a third son of Imagawa Ujichika. He was sent to a temple as a young boy where his name was changed to Baigaku Shōhō. Unrest broke out when his older brother Ujiteru died suddenly (some say he was poisoned) in 1536. His elder half-brother, Genkō Etan, tried to seize the heirship but the clan split into two factions. Yoshimoto's faction demanded that since Yoshimoto's mother was the consort of Ujichika, he was the rightful heir. Genkō Etan's faction demanded that since he was older, he was the rightful heir. Genkō Etan's mother was a concubine and a member of the Kushima family, but they were defeated and killed in the Hanakura-no-ran (Hanagura-no-ran). He changed his name to Yoshimoto at this point and succeeded the clan. Relations with the Hōjō clan worsened when he married Takeda Nobutora’s daughter (Ujizane's mother). He repelled the Hōjō, and wrested control of a wide area including Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa provinces.
[edit] Battle of Okehazama
In May or June 1560, after forming a three-way alliance with the Takeda and the Hojo, Yoshimoto headed out to the capital with Matsudaira Motoyasu of Mikawa. Despite having a strong force of 25,000, Yoshimoto deliberately announced that he had 40,000 troops. While this statement put fear in a lot of factions, Oda Nobunaga of Owari Province saw through it.
With many victories, Yoshimoto's army was letting its guard down, celebrating with wine, song and sake. A surprise attack by the Oda army following a downpour left Yoshimoto's army in complete disorder, and Yoshimoto himself was killed.
Imagawa Ujizane succeeded to family headship after Yoshimoto's death, but the Imagawa clan fell from power, and eventually became retainers of the Tokugawa clan.
[edit] Yoshimoto’s officers
| Matsudaira Motoyasu | Okabe Motonobu | Matsui Munenobu | Udono Nagateru | Asahina Yasutomo | Ii Naomori |
The following table denotes officers who do not have their own wikipedia article
| Abe Motozane | Ichinomiya Munekore | Ii Naochika | Iio Tsuratatsu | Iio Noritsura | Itami Yasunao | Katsurayama Ujimoto | Yamaguchi Noritsugu | Yamaguchi Noriyoshi | Yokoe Magohachi | Taigen Sessai | Miura Yoshinari |
[edit] Appearances in popular fiction
For information on Imagawa Yoshimoto in popular culture, see Japanese historical people in popular culture.
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