Everything about Sait D San totally explained
was the
epitome of the
daimyo that dramatically rose and also fell from power in
Sengoku period Japan. He was also known as the for his ruthless tactics.
Life
Originally a wealthy merchant from
Yamashiro Province (modern-day
Kyoto Prefecture), he used his power and influence to become a retainer of the daimyo
Toki Yorinari of
Mino Province (modern-day
Gifu Prefecture). Dōsan contributed to general instability within Mino Province, so Yorinari gave him his concubine in the hopes that this would appease him in 1526. He eventually succeeded in becoming the magistrate of Mino Province and settled in
Inabayama Castle. Using his power and wealth, he drove Toki Yorinari out of Mino Province in a
coup d'état in
1542, and claimed the region as his own, becoming a daimyo in his own right. Afterwards, Toki Yorinari allied with
Oda Nobuhide of
Owari Province, which was on the southern border of Mino Province, but their defeat at the
Battle of Kanōguchi, in
1547, solidified Dōsan's domination of Mino and also made him known throughout
Japan. Oda Nobuhide made peace and arranged a political marriage in
1549, between his son,
Oda Nobunaga, and Dōsan's daughter,
Nōhime, to end all hostilities.
Downfall
Around
1555, rumors began to circulate that
Saitō Yoshitatsu wasn't in fact Dōsan's son; it was said that he was Yorinari's. It doesn't appear that Yoshitatsu had been aware of that possibility himself until he heard the rumors. The circumstances surrounding this are unclear, however. One belief is that Dōsan, having had a number of sons after Yoshitatsu, had decided to name one of them heir (despite having officially retired by this point in favor of Yoshitatsu). Another theory holds that Yoshitatsu simply assumed that he'd be disinherited, and decided to move first. A further idea is that Saitō Yoshitatsu just elected to usurp his father's power. Relations at any rate quickly soured between Yoshitatsu and Dōsan.
Ironically, Saitō Dōsan fell in his own son Saitō Yoshitatsu's coup d'etat in
1556. Heavily outnumbered, he was defeated at the
Battle of Nagaragawa. His remains were originally interred in
Sōfuku-ji, but they were later moved to
Jōzai-ji because the
Nagara River kept overflowing and covering his burial mound. Both temples are located in
Gifu.
Pseudonyms
Saitō Dōsan is known for having a large number of
pseudonyms and for frequently changing his name. Some believe that this is because there were two Saitō Dōsan, father and son, and the son adopted his father's name after his death. Other names of Saitō Dōsan are Minemaru (峰丸), Hōrenbō (法蓮坊), Matsunami Shogorō (松浪庄五郎), Nishimura Kankurō Masatoshi (西村勘九郎正利), Shinkurō (新九郎), Nagai Norihide (長井規秀), and Saitō Sakondayu Toshimasa (斎藤左近大夫利政).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sait D San'.
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