Azai Sukemasa
Encyclopedia
built Odani Castle
for the Azai clan, including his son Azai Hisamasa
, to rule.
Sukemasa was a former Samurai
under the Kyōgoku clan
, but he gradually increased his power under an internal struggle within the clan. He managed to become daimyo
, a powerful feudal ruler, but became engaged in a perpetual struggle against Rokkaku Sadayori. Sukemasa was completely overrun and forced to retreat into Echizen
, but he managed to maintain his independence with the help of the Asakura clan
. While this alliance would prove to be a curse to the Azai clan, it was essential to the clan's survival.
Odani Castle
was a Sengoku period mountain-top castle located in the present day town of Kohoku in Higashiazai District, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Only the ruins remain today. It was the home castle of the Azai clan and the mountain it was built upon was considered to be impregnable...
for the Azai clan, including his son Azai Hisamasa
Azai Hisamasa
was a son of Azai Sukemasa and the second head of the Azai clan.Hisamasa became the head of the clan in 1542 after his father died, but unlike his father, he was never a strong leader. Losing domains against Rokkaku clan, he instead became a Rokkaku retainer...
, to rule.
Sukemasa was a former Samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
under the Kyōgoku clan
Kyōgoku clan
The were a Japanese samurai kin group which rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. The clan claimed descent from the Uda Genji. The name derives from the Kyōgoku quarter of Kyoto during the Heian period....
, but he gradually increased his power under an internal struggle within the clan. He managed to become daimyo
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...
, a powerful feudal ruler, but became engaged in a perpetual struggle against Rokkaku Sadayori. Sukemasa was completely overrun and forced to retreat into Echizen
Echizen Province
was an old province of Japan, which is today the northern part of Fukui Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Etchū and Echigo Provinces.Echizen is famous for washi . A text dated AD 774 mentions the washi made in this area. Echizen-produced Washi is still the most commonly sold traditional...
, but he managed to maintain his independence with the help of the Asakura clan
Asakura clan
The ' are descendants of Prince Kusakabe , son of Emperor Temmu .The family was a line of daimyō which, along with the Azai clan, opposed Oda Nobunaga in the late 16th century...
. While this alliance would prove to be a curse to the Azai clan, it was essential to the clan's survival.