Mori Takamoto
Encyclopedia
was a daimyo
(feudal lord) of Aki Province
during Japan's Sengoku period
. He was the eldest legitimate son of Mōri Motonari
.
, Takamoto was sent at the age of 14 to Suo province
as a hostage of Ōuchi Yoshitaka
. This was done to ensure his father's loyalties to Ōuchi. He was allowed to return home in 1540, three years later, to the Mōri castle of Yoshida Kōriyama.
In 1555, Sue Harukata
, one of Ōuchi's vassals, staged a coup and forced Ōuchi Yoshitaka to commit suicide
. He was then attacked by Mōri Takamoto and his father, and was defeated in the battle of Miyajima
. The Mōri, defeating the Sue/Ōuchi forces, thus rose to power in the Chūgoku region
(the western area of Honshū
), and would remain a powerful and influential faction for much of the rest of the 16th century. Upon his father's retirement two years later, Takamoto inherited formal leadership of the family, but his father Motonari continued to wield actual control over the clan's affairs.
When Ōuchi Yoshinaga
died that same year (1557), the Mōri saw an opportunity to seize the Ōuchi clan lands; they had to consider, however, the Ōtomo clan
to the west and the Amago clan
to the north who entertained similar ideas. Takamoto gained a considerable boost to his power, however, in 1560-1563, when he was appointed by Shogun
Ashikaga Yoshiteru
as Governor (shugo
) of Aki, Nagato
, Suo and Bitchū province
s. Amago Haruhisa
died suddenly in 1560, and Ōtomo Sōrin
began to devote significant resources to attacking the Amago territory.
At the advice or orders of his father, Takamoto seized the opportunity to attack the Ōuchi territory. He was leading the Mōri armies through Bingo province
when, on the 18th day of the 9th month of 1563, he suddenly died of food poisoning at the age of 41. Historians have since identified Wachi Saneharu, a local Bingo samurai, of committing the deed.
Mōri Motonari accused a number of samurai of conspiring in the assassination, and forced them to commit seppuku. Takamoto's son Mōri Terumoto
was selected as his heir, but Motonari continued to wield the true power.
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
(feudal lord) of Aki Province
Aki Province
or Geishū was a province in the Chūgoku Region of western Honshū, comprising the western part of what is today Hiroshima Prefecture.When Emperor Shōmu ordered two official temples for each province , two temples were founded in Aki Province...
during Japan's Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
. He was the eldest legitimate son of Mōri Motonari
Mori Motonari
was a prominent daimyō in the west Chūgoku region of Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century.-Early years:Mōri Motonari was born under the name Shojumaru in a small domain of Aki province in 1497. He is said to have been born at Suzuo Castle, his mother's homeland...
.
Life
Born in Tajihi, Aki provinceAki Province
or Geishū was a province in the Chūgoku Region of western Honshū, comprising the western part of what is today Hiroshima Prefecture.When Emperor Shōmu ordered two official temples for each province , two temples were founded in Aki Province...
, Takamoto was sent at the age of 14 to Suo province
Suo Province
was a province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suō bordered on Aki, Iwami, and Nagato Provinces....
as a hostage of Ōuchi Yoshitaka
Ouchi Yoshitaka
was a daimyo of Suo province and a son of Ōuchi Yoshioki.In 1522, he fought the Amago clan along with his father, Yoshioki, to win the control of Aki province. Upon Yoshioki's death in 1528, Yoshitaka became the head of Ōuchi clan. In the 1530s, he led a military actions in the northern Kyūshū,...
. This was done to ensure his father's loyalties to Ōuchi. He was allowed to return home in 1540, three years later, to the Mōri castle of Yoshida Kōriyama.
In 1555, Sue Harukata
Sue Harukata
was a retainer of the Ōuchi clan in the Sengoku period in Japan. Harukata would later become a daimyo. He was the second son of Sue Okifusa, senior retainer of the Ōuchi clan. His childhood name was Goro. Before Harukata he had the name of Takafusa...
, one of Ōuchi's vassals, staged a coup and forced Ōuchi Yoshitaka to commit suicide
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
. He was then attacked by Mōri Takamoto and his father, and was defeated in the battle of Miyajima
Battle of Miyajima
The 1555 ' was the only battle to be fought on the sacred island of Miyajima; the entire island is considered to be a Shinto shrine, and no birth or death is allowed on the island. Extensive purification rituals took place after the battle, to cleanse the shrine and the island of the pollution of...
. The Mōri, defeating the Sue/Ōuchi forces, thus rose to power in the Chūgoku region
Chugoku region
The , also known as the , is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. It has a population of about 7.8 million.- History :...
(the western area of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
), and would remain a powerful and influential faction for much of the rest of the 16th century. Upon his father's retirement two years later, Takamoto inherited formal leadership of the family, but his father Motonari continued to wield actual control over the clan's affairs.
When Ōuchi Yoshinaga
Ouchi Yoshinaga
was a 16th century Kyushu warrior who was invited by Sue Harukata, who had just taken control of the Ōuchi clan, to serve as the official head of the Ōuchi while Sue pulled the strings from behind. Yoshinaga was the younger brother of Ōtomo Yoshishige. Following Mōri Motonari's victory over Sue in...
died that same year (1557), the Mōri saw an opportunity to seize the Ōuchi clan lands; they had to consider, however, the Ōtomo clan
Otomo clan
The Ōtomo clan was a Japanese clan whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū....
to the west and the Amago clan
Amago clan
The , descended from the Emperor Uda by the Sasaki clan .Sasaki Takahisa in the 14th century, having lost his parents at the age of three years, he was brought up by a nun...
to the north who entertained similar ideas. Takamoto gained a considerable boost to his power, however, in 1560-1563, when he was appointed by Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Ashikaga Yoshiteru
Ashikaga Yoshiteru
, also known as Yoshifushi or Yoshifuji, was the 13th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1546 to 1565 during the late Muromachi period of Japan. He was the eldest son of the 12th shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiharu; and his mother was a daughter of Konoe Taneie...
as Governor (shugo
Shugo
was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan...
) of Aki, Nagato
Nagato Province
, often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces....
, Suo and Bitchū province
Bitchu Province
was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, in what is today western Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bizen and Bingo Provinces. Bitchu bordered Hōki, Mimasaka, Bizen, and Bingo Provinces....
s. Amago Haruhisa
Amago Haruhisa
was a powerful warlord in Chūgoku region, Japan. He is the second son of Amago Masahisa. Initially named Akihisa , he changed his name to Haruhisa in 1541 after Ashikaga Yoshiharu offered to let him use a kanji from his name....
died suddenly in 1560, and Ōtomo Sōrin
Otomo Sorin
, also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige and Ōtomo Yoshishige , was a Japanese feudal lord of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Christianity. The eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, he inherited the domain of Funai, on Kyūshū, Japan's southernmost main island, from his father...
began to devote significant resources to attacking the Amago territory.
At the advice or orders of his father, Takamoto seized the opportunity to attack the Ōuchi territory. He was leading the Mōri armies through Bingo province
Bingo Province
was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, comprising what is today the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bizen and Bitchu Provinces. Bingo bordered Bitchū, Hōki, Izumo, Iwami, and Aki Provinces....
when, on the 18th day of the 9th month of 1563, he suddenly died of food poisoning at the age of 41. Historians have since identified Wachi Saneharu, a local Bingo samurai, of committing the deed.
Mōri Motonari accused a number of samurai of conspiring in the assassination, and forced them to commit seppuku. Takamoto's son Mōri Terumoto
Mori Terumoto
Mōri Terumoto , son of Mōri Takamoto and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mōri Motonari, fought against Toyotomi Hideyoshi but was eventually overcome, participated in the Kyūshū campaign on Hideyoshi's side and built Hiroshima Castle, thus essentially founding Hiroshima.Terumoto was a...
was selected as his heir, but Motonari continued to wield the true power.