<研究ノート>後征西将軍宮の研究

Abstract

The influence of the question of the legitimacy of the Southern versus the Northern Court and the paucity of historical sources can be mentioned as having been central issues in the study of the Southern Court during the post-war period However, now that access to documents of the Southern Court has become easier with the publication of Nanbokucho ibun (the written legacy of period of the Southern and Northern Court period), the study of the Southern Court in a new form based on the comprehensive collection of historical sources is now being pursued. In this article, I focus on the now-anonymous prince who was known as Nochi-no-Seisei-Shogun-no-Miya 後征西将軍宮 (hereafter abbreviated Nochi-no-Miya)who operated in Kyushu during the Nanbokucho period as an example of constructing a new image of the Southern Court, and I portray the process of the destruction of the institution of the Seiseifu using sources associated with the prince. First, I focus on the changes in ryoji kakitome (closing line of princely orders), and identify the year of Nochi-no-Miya's succession to the office of shogun following Kaneyoshi 懐良 as Bunchu 3 (1374). Based on this fact, I collected Southern Court documents from the period and arranged them in a chart, separating them into two periods: the first, prior to the death of Kaneyoshi in Kowa 3 (1384), and the second after his death. The edicts of Nochi-no-Miya during the first period were issued for only an extremely short period, and their contents were certifications of military fealty or concerned territorial administration. However, they did not fundamentally exceed the authority exercised by Kaneyoshi and ultimately functioned to implement the orders of Kaneyoshi. In contrast, Kaneyoshi retained as before the authority maintained by the Seiseifu, issuing certifications of military fealty and territory, recommendations to government posts, and appointments of shugo, and thus it can be seen that Kaneyoshi behaved as the representative of the Seiseifu toward the Southern Court and the Aso clan. Kaneyoshi of this period continued to be active using the title Ippon Shikibukyo Shinno (Prince of the First Rank and Minister of Civil Services), and after ceding the post of shogun and moving to Yabe, Kaneyoshi did not withdraw from all activities as is usually supposed, but having attained the new position of Ippon Shikibukyo Shinno continued his activities for the Southern Court thereafter in Kyushu. Then we can discern a related structure of a series of battles in various locations by Nochi-no-Miya as the official representative of the Ippon Shikibukyo Shinno in league with the Kikuchi clan. In other words, the Seiseifu in this period operated as a new system built around Ippon Shikibukyo Shinno (Kaneyoshi), Seisei Shogun (Nochi-no-Miya), and their delegates (the Otomo and Shoni clans). Nevertheless, in the period spanning the years from the end of the Tenju era through the Kowa era, the authority of Nochi-no-Miya expanded to the point that the Southern Court would have to mediate between Kaneyoshi and Nochi-no-Miya. During the second period, I have confirmed that in the span of a few years after Kaneyoshi's death, princely orders were issued as certificates of territory, new grants of office, military fealty, and appointments to government posts, and it is thus clear that Nochi-no-Miya was active carrying on the authority of Kaneyoshi Moreover, in regard to relations with the Southern Court, it took the form of completing the implementation of the orders (ryoji) of the Seisei Shogun by issuance of imperial edicts (rinji), and furthermore, because his activities can be understood as the revival of territorial certification by imperial edict, it is clear that Nochi-no-Miya employed the authority of imperial edicts of the Southern Court in an attempt to maintain the Seiseifu after Kaneyoshi's death. However, Nochi-nomichi's orders gradually became concentrated within the scope of territorial certifications and military fealty and new grants of office were no longer seen. This appears to represent the deterioration of the Southern Court's stronghold. Thereafter, discord between Nochi-no-Miya and the Aso clan became apparent, and then after the unification of the Northern and Southern Courts, cooperation with the Kikuchi and Aso clans ceased, and communications with the Southern Court were severed. At this point, the Seiseifu in Kyushu completely lost its authority as an organ of the Southern Court. This article has dealt with a special, limited period that saw the destruction of the Seiseifu. However, on the other hand, it is highly significant that I was able to assemble historical sources related to the Southern Court and demonstrate results through their analysis. Hereafter, I hope to continue this research using the same methodology and focusing on periods and regions other than those addressed in this article.