Hosokawa Yoriari (細川頼有)
Yoriari HOSOKAWA (May 26, 1332 - September 7, 1391) was busho (Japanese military commander) during the period of the Northern and Southern Courts and the Muromachi Period.
Juro SANUKI
His official title was Kamon no suke (Assistant Director of the House Repair and Cleaning Office), Kunai shoyu (Junior Assistant Minister of the Imperial Household) and Uma no kami (Captain of the Right Division of Bureau of Horses).
Governor of Bingo Province, Governor of Awa Province
He belonged to Hosokawa clan, a powerful clan affiliated with Ashikaga clan. His father was Yoriharu HOSOKAWA. Yoriyuki HOSOKAWA and Yorimoto HOSOKAWA, prominent Kanrei (shogunal deputy) during the era of the third shogun Yoshimitsu ASHIKAGA, were his brothers. Yorinaga HOSOKAWA was his son.
Yoriashi's descendants were Yusai HOSOKAWA and Tadaoki Hosokawa (Sansai), father and son, and ancestors of the early modern time Hosokawa family, as well as Morihiro HOSOKAWA, who was former Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture and the Prime Minister.
Carrer
During the Kanno Disturbance that was caused by an internal conflict within the Muromachi bakufu, he followed his father Yoriharu and fought in Kyoto on shogun Takauji ASHIKAGA's side. After Yoriharu was killed in battle in 1352, he participated in the battle of Otokoyama by commanding Sanuki troops along with his elder brother Yoriyuki who commanded Awa troops. In march 1356, he assisted Yoriyuki who departed from Awa in order to conquer Iyo Province.
When Yoriyuki became Kanrei and was engaged in national politics, Yoriari was entrusted with domain management as Shugodai (deputy provincial governor) and fought with Kono clan, which sided with the Sourthern Court (Japan), while striving to vassalize local lords and samurai. In 1379 when the edict to search and kill Yoriyuki was issued after he had fallen from power as a result of Koryaku Coup, Masauji HOSOKAWA, a son of Kiyouji HOSOKAWA who had belonged to the same clan but had been killed by Yoriyuki, rose in revolt in Awa and Kono clan also regained power in Iyo. In the face of this situation, Yoriari gathered his vassals whom he had nurtured, received Yoriyuki who had come down from Kyoto and proceeded carry out the revolt. He transferred the headship of the family in 1387. After Yoriyuki was pardoned, he participated in 1390, along with Yoriyuki, in the battle for hunting down Tokihiro YAMANA in Sanin at the behest of shogun Yoshimitsu and died the following year at the age of 60.
His posthumous Buddhist title was Tsusho and he is believed to have had faiyh in Zen Sect with Ninko MUGAI, the head priest of Kyoto Kennin-ji Temple, being a mentor
He protected Kennin-ji Temple after Mugai's death and Eigen-an Temple, its sub-temple, was the family temple of Izumikami Shugo family, which originated from Yoriari, for eight generations. The oldest Kinki (Imperial Flag) which is believed to have been conferred on him by the Emperor Gokomatsu still exists and is held at Eisei-Bunko Museum.