ALPINE SAMURAI: THE ICHIKAWA AND WARRIOR FAMILY DYNAMICS IN EARLY MEDIEVAL JAPAN by KEVIN L. GOUGE A THESIS Presented to the Department of History and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts June 2009 ii “Alpine Samurai: The Ichikawa and Warrior Family Dynamics in Early Medieval Japan,” a thesis prepared by Kevin L. Gouge in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in the Department of History. This thesis has been approved and accepted by: ____________________________________________________________ Dr. Andrew Goble, Chair of the Examining Committee ________________________________________ Date Committee in Charge: Dr. Andrew Goble, Chair Dr. Jeffrey Hanes Dr. Peggy Pascoe Accepted by: ____________________________________________________________ Dean of the Graduate School iii © 2009 Kevin L. Gouge iv An Abstract of the Thesis of Kevin L. Gouge for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History to be taken June 2009 Title: ALPINE SAMURAI: THE ICHIKAWA AND WARRIOR FAMILY DYNAMICS IN EARLY MEDIEVAL JAPAN Approved: _______________________________________________ Dr. Andrew Goble This study traces the property lineage of the Ichikawa family of Japan’s Shinano province from the early 1200s through the mid-1300s. The property portfolio originated in complicated inheritance dynamics in the Nakano family, into which Ichikawa Morifusa was adopted around 1270. It is evident that Morifusa, family head for the next fifty years, was instrumental in establishing a solid foundation for the Ichikawa’s emergence as a powerful warrior clan by 1350. This study will begin with a broad interpretation of the concept of warrior “family” as reflected in a variety of primary sources, followed by an in-depth case study of six generations of the Nakano/Ichikawa lineage. Departing from previous studies, this work utilizes sources rarely addressed by scholarship in English. Analysis of the Ichikawa experience allows nuanced understanding of the significant changes in warrior society, landholding structures, and inheritance practices during the peaceful Kamakura and war-ravaged early Muromachi eras. v CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Kevin L. Gouge PLACE OF BIRTH: Forest Grove, Oregon DATE OF BIRTH: January 19, 1983 GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls DEGREES AWARDED: Master of Arts, History, 2009, University of Oregon Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies and Japanese, 2006, University of Oregon AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Medieval Japanese Social History Family History Classical Japanese and Kanbun Studies Medieval Japanese Warfare and Society PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Teaching Assistant, Department of History, University of Oregon, 2007-2009 GRANTS, AWARDS AND HONORS: Graduate teaching fellowship, University of Oregon, 2007-2009 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Professor Andrew Goble for his assistance in the various phases of the development of this project. His guidance as my academic advisor has been invaluable, and his knowledge of Japanese documents has been integral to the advancement of my capabilities as a translator and historian. Without his frequent advice and insight this project would not have been possible. Furthermore, Doctor Goble and Ph.D. student Xia Yun have each contributed a number of documents to this section of the project. These documents are their work and I am grateful for their permission in using them for my project. Dr. Jeffrey Hanes has often provided a fresh prospective on my work, and his comments on my first-year project helped to remedy some of my initial historiographical failings. Dr. Peggy Pascoe and my incoming cohort helped in making my work accessible to readers outside of the Japan field, and broadened my understanding history itself. Finally, I would like to thank my fellow graduate students Tristan Grunow, Brendan Morley, and Yusuke Okazaki, who have each contributed to this project through participation in multiple Kanbun seminars during my time in the graduate program. vii This project is dedicated to my parents, James and Joan Gouge, who have supported me throughout my academic career. I hope the islands are everything you dreamed of! viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 1 The Kamakura Bakufu: A Brief Survey ................................................................ 6 II. “FAMILY” IN KAMAKURA ................................................................................ 12 Family in Law........................................................................................................ 14 Family in Documents............................................................................................. 23 Defining the Warrior “Family”.............................................................................. 45 III. THE ORIGINS OF THE ICHIKAWA LEGACY................................................. 49 The Nakano and Ichikawa “Family”...................................................................... 50 Part 1: From Yoshinari to Morifusa....................................................................... 52 1265: Tameyasu vs. Ren’a and Shakua ........................................................... 57 Analysis: Tameyasu vs. Ren’a and Shakua ..................................................... 61 Shakua and the Nakano-Ichikawa Link ........................................................... 63 The “Morifusa Period”..................................................................................... 67 Part 2: Morifusa and Senkō’s Bequest Documents................................................ 72 Morifusa’s 1321 Bequest: Sōryō Inheritance................................................... 73 Morifusa’s 1321 Bequest: General Stipulations .............................................. 75 Morifusa’s 1321 Bequest: Taxation Outline.................................................... 77 ix Chapter Page Morifusa’s 1321 Bequest: Heirlooms and Personal Property.......................... 79 Analysis: Morifusa’s Bequest.......................................................................... 80 Senkō’s 1329 Bequest............................................................................................ 86 Analysis: Senkō’s Bequest............................................................................... 93 IV. THE ICHIKAWA IN WARTIME......................................................................... 97 The Re-Emergence of Warfare .............................................................................. 100 The Ichikawa and Regime Change: 1329-1341..................................................... 102 The Ichikawa Brothers in Arms....................................................................... 103 The Ichikawa at Kanegasaki ............................................................................ 115 The Ichikawa in the 1340s ..................................................................................... 121 Sukefusa’s 1343 Bequest ................................................................................. 122 Epilogue: The Ichikawa After Sukefusa.......................................................... 124 V. UNDERSTANDING THE ICHIKAWA & CONCLUSIONS ON FAMILY........ 128 APPENDICES: ............................................................................................................ 138 A. DOCUMENTS FOR CHAPTER II .................................................................. 140 B. DOCUMENTS FOR CHAPTERS III AND IV................................................ 172 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................ 216 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2.1 Conflict of Interest Code Diagram......................................................................... 25 2.2 Mutual Father In-Law............................................................................................ 26 3.1 The Nakano and Ichikawa Genealogies................................................................. 53 3.2 Comparative Lengths of Ichikawa/Nakano Family Headship............................... 72 3.3 Morifusa’s Tax Outline.......................................................................................... 78 3.4 Senkō’s Bequest Outline........................................................................................ 94 A.1The Nakano and Ichikawa Genealogies (Japanese Reference).............................. 139 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The social practices of the warrior class during the early medieval period were as varied as they are fascinating to the modern observer. Although situated within a pre- modern culture, and moreover one ultimately based on the application of force as an underlying, yet primary means of control and legitimacy, warriors of the 13th century founded a judicial society that was one of the most advanced the world had ever seen. Japanese warriors, known also as bushi or samurai, and defined in broader scope as professionals in the use of violence, legitimized themselves and curtailed their explicit militarism through a complex central judiciary that was developed in response to administrative necessity and a desire for regimental legitimacy. The existence of this judiciary, the authority of which came to encompass the bulk of Japan in