Tsugaru Tamenobu (津軽為信)
Tamenobu TSUGARU (January 28, 1550 - January 22, 1608) was a military commander in the period of warring states and a feudal lord in the early Edo period. He was the legitimate (adopted) son of Morinobu OURA and the first lord of the Hirosaki domain. His official court rank was Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade), Ukyo no daibu (Master of the Western Capital Offices).
His lawful wife was Ourahime (also known as Inuhime and Ofuku). His children included Nobutake TSUGARU (eldest son), Nobukata TSUGARU (second son), Nobuhira TSUGARU (third son), a daughter (the wife of Takehiro TSUGARU) and another daughter (the wife of Morihisa KANEKO).
Career
Tamenobu's origin
There are various theories and legends concerning the origin of the Oura clan, but the predominant theory is that they were a local ruling family of the Nanbu clan. Because of discrepancies in the descriptions in the materials remaining on the Tsugaru clan and Nanbu clan sides, there are many unknowns in the career of Tamenobu.
Materials on the Nanbu clan from old times suggest that Tamenobu was from a family of the Nanbu clan. There is an example in the documents of the Tsugaru family that supports this view. This document was sent from Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI, addressed to 'Nanbu ukyo no suke (Assistant Master of the Western Capital Offices),' and is presumed to have been intended for Tamenobu. Thus it is presumed that the Oura clan was a family of the Nanbu clan, as were the Mito clan, Hachinohe clan, etc. However, the origin of Tamenobu's family home the Kuji clan is unknown.
Independence and honryo-ando (acknowledgment for inherited estate)
In 1550, Tamenobu was born into the Kuji family of Iwateshu (people of Iwate). In 1567, he was adopted by Tamenori OURA and became a successor of the Oura clan. In June 1571 (1581, according to another theory), he suddenly carried out an attack against Takanobu ISHIKAWA, the biological father of Nobunao NANBU (it is said that he forced Takanobu to commit suicide, but some say Takanobu survived).
Later, Tamenobu captured the Namioka-jo Castle of Akimura KITABATAKE called 'Imperial Palace of Namioka', succeeded in taking control of the Tsugaru region and parts of Sotogahama and Mekanobu by around 1588, and in 1590 he took part in the conquest and siege of Odawara headed by Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI and had his territory approved by Hideyoshi. The Nanbu clan appealed to Hideyoshi, claiming that Tamenobu was a rebel in violation of the peace edict, but Tamenobu was approved his domain as he allowed to provide an explanation through Mitsunari ISHIDA. It is believed that Tamenobu, hearing that Hideyoshi, Hidetsugu HASHIBA and Nobukatsu ODA all enjoyed falconry, sent them some falconine (a specialty of Tsugaru) to gain their affection as an acquaintance, which supposedly contributed to the approval of his main domain. Tamenobu remained close to Mitsunari thereafter, and some say that he later protected Mitsunari's second son Shigenari after the Battle of Sekigahara, and took Mitsunari's third daughterTatsuhime, who had been an adopted daughter of Kodaiin, as the wife of his son Nobuhira TSUGARU, as a token of gratitude. Additionally, based on the legend that Masanobu OURA was an illegitimate child of Hisamichi KONOE, Tamenobu became an adopted child of Sakihisa KONOE, the former chief advisor to the Emperor, and changed his original family name to the Fujiwara clan.
Subsequently, he rendered distinguished services in the Rebellion of Masazane KUNOHE suppression, the Bunroku-Keicho War, the Fushimi-jo Castle construction project, and so force. In 1594, he moved his residence from Oura-jo Castle to Horikoshi-jo Castle.
Tamenobu in the period after the death of Hideyoshi
In the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he took part in the army along with his third son Nobuhira, because his territory was completely surrounded by the eastern army. However, his legitimate son Nobutake was in Osaka-jo Castle as a page to Hideyori TOYOTOMI, and when the western army was devastated, Nobutake returned to his province, bringing along Mitsunari's child Shigenari ISHIDA and others. Some believe that, according to these acts, Tamenobu aimed for survival by participating in both armies, like the Sanada clan. This may have been the reason he was given only an additional 2,000 koku in rice in Kozuke Province in the conferral of awards after the war.
(Please refer to the Matehime and Tatsuhime pages regarding the territory of Kozuke.)
During the Battle of Sekigahara, there was a rebellion by his vassals in his domain and his residential castle was occupied, but when the news of the western army's defeat arrived, the rebels lost the will to fight and were hunted down (refer to the history of Ozaki-jo Castle for details).
As the castle was occupied again later in a family feud, he began the construction of a new castle in Takaoka, located between the Iwaki-gawa and Tsuchibuchi-gawa rivers in 1603 (Takaoka later became Hirosaki City, and the castle is called Hirosaki-jo). However, as the construction of the castle didn't proceed very quickly, it was passed down to the next generation, Nobuhira TSUGARU.
He died in Kyoto in January, 1608. He was fifty-eight years old at the time of his death.
Tamenobu's legitimate son Nobutake, who served as his father's representative and considered to succeed his father, died before his father in November of 1607. As Tamenobu's second son had also passed away, third son Nobuhira succeeded Tamenobu, but the following year, the legitimate son of Nobutake, Kumachiyo TSUGARU (Okuma) backed by vassals on Nobutake's side such as Takehiro TSUGARU, claimed he was the legal successor to Tamenobu, which developed into a family feud over which arbitration was sought from the Edo shogunate governmenet (family feud of the Hirosaki domain). His grave, designated as a national important cultural property, is located at Kakushu-ji Temple in Fujishiro, Hirosaki City.
After death, anecdotes, etc.
His grave is located at Kakushu-ji Temple in Fujishiro, Hirosaki City, and is designated as a national important cultural property. Additionally, a wooden statue is enshrined at Chosho-ji Temple in Nishishigemori, Hirosaki City.
He was called 'Higedono' due to his long beard. It is said that this was due to his adoration for Guan Yu in the Sangokushi (Annals of the Three Kingdoms).
In front of the main entrance of the Hirosaki Culture Center, near the east gate of Hirosaki-jo Castle, there is a bronze statue of Tamenobu TSUGARU. Until World War II, it was kept at the keep of Hirosaki-jo Castle, but removed for the metal delivery during the war and was restored to its current location in 2004.
When his legitimate son Nobutake fell ill in Kyoto, Tamenobu, in spite of his own illness, visited Nobutake from Tsugaru to Kyoto accompanied by Nobuhiro, and died there. Some say he wanted to say farewell to his children gathered, but others say he wanted to be seen by the good doctor whom Nobutake was seeing. In any case, Nobutake died in November 1607 during his stay in Kyoto, and Tamenobu also died in Kyoto just two months later.
He made great efforts in civil affairs, including the development of new fields and the cultivation of lacquer.
He is popular in Hirosaki City but is less popular in the cities of Hachinohe and Aomori.
He created an alliance with Yoshiuji DAIHOJI of Dewa in order to collect information from the central government.
According to one theory, a place called Nagabashiri (literally, a long run) in Odate City, was named after the Oura troops who were defeated in the attack on Hinai and retreated in a line.
While in Nagoya-jo Castle
He was offended when he was blamed by Nagamasa ASANO and Toshiie MAEDA, who had switched their allegiance to Nobunao NANBU, for overthrowing the Nanbu families of his kin, and the relationships with both families became awkward.