Wakiya Yoshiharu (脇屋義治)
Yoshiharu WAKIYA was a warlord during the period of the Northern and Southern Courts (Japan). He was the eldest son of Yoshisuke WAKIYA and a nephew of Yoshisada NITTA. His wife is said to have been a daughter of Takanori KOJIMA and had children including Yoshinori and Yoshitaka. He also has children born out of wedlock, Kaneharu and Yoshihisa SADA.
Career
When Yoshisada raised an army, Yoshiharu's father Yoshisuke participated in the army and performed greatly during 1333. Yoshiharu, who was still very young at that time, seems to have stayed within his father's territory, Wakiya-go village in Nitta no sho (manor). In later years he seems to have gone to the capital, Kyoto, and in 1335 he participated with his father Yoshisuke in the army of his uncle Yoshisada NITTA, who had been ordered to search for and kill Takauji ASHIKAGA, a rebel against the Kenmu government. In the Battle of Hakone and Takenoshita, he belonged to the Ote army led by his father Yoshisuke and headed for the Ashigara-toge mountain path. In the battle, the standing army for the imperial court was defeated after betrayals by Sadanori (also known as Sadatoshi) OTOMO and Takasada ENYA, and he then ran away to Kyoto. In later years he, along with his father and uncle, fought in battles over Kyoto, an attack of Norimura AKAMATSU in Harima Province, and the Battle of the Minato-gawa River.
In 1336, Emperor Godaigo agreed on a compromise with Takauji ASHIKAGA, and Yoshisada NITTA was sent to Hokuriku region, in obedience to Imperial Prince Tsuneyoshi and Imperial Prince Takanaga. He and his father Yoshisuke entered the Kanegasaki-jo Castle in Echizen Province. Yoshiharu entered Soyama-jo Castle of the Uryu clan and worked on local magnates to make an ally. Before long, KO no Moroyasu and Takatsune SHIBA surrounded Kanegasaki-jo Castle. Tamotsu URYU and Yoshiharu organized reinforcements for relief, but in vain. The brothers Yoshisada and Yoshiharu were successful in getting out of the Kanegasaki-jo Castle to organize reinforcements, and put under protection of the Uryu clan. Yoshiharu organized reinforcements and attacked the surrounding army, but he was not successful in relief, the Kanegasaki-jo Castle fell in April 15, 1337. Yoshisada regained his strength around summer in the same year and cornered Takatsune SHIBA to the north of Echizen region. On August 25, the following year 1338, his uncle Yoshisada NITTA died an accidental death and Yoshiharu WAKIYA gained control of the force standing for the imperial court in Hokuriku region. Though Yoshiharu managed Hokuriku region jointly with Yoshisuke, Takatsune SHIBA gradually regained his strength and conquered Soyama-jo Castle in the summer of 1341, ousting the party standing for the imperial court out of Echizen. The father and son of the Wakiya family ran away to Mino Province and Owari Province, and finally entered Yoshino.
In 1342, he and his father Yoshisuke left the capital for Iyo Province to organize and control the party standing for the imperial court in Chugoku and Shikoku regions. However, Yoshisuke WAKIYA died of a sudden disease on June 22, upon leaving the capital.
Yoshiharu headed for Hataki no sho (manor), Echigo Province and Tsumari no sho (manor), where the Satomi clan had their territories, and he joined Yoshisada's second and third sons, Yoshioki NITTA and Yoshimune NITTA to be active in Togoku (the eastern part of Japan, particularly Kanto region).
The Southern Court (Japan) rose up in arms against the Muromachi bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), which had been thrown into confusion after Kanno Disturbance and Shohei no itto (temporal unification of the Northern and Southern Courts) in 1352. In Kinai region (the five capital provinces surrounding the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto), Akinobu KITABATAKE, Akitsune CHIKUSA, Masanori KUSUNOKI and the remnant army of Naoyoshi faction combined their forces to defeat Yoshiakira ASHIKAGA and took back Kyoto. In response to this, Yoshimune NITTA, Yoshioki, and Yoshiharu WAKIYA raised their armies in Kozuke Province, and so did Imperial Prince Muneyoshi, Seii taishogun (literally, "great general who subdues the barbarians") at the same time in Shinano Province then they advanced to Kamakura together. Tokiyuki HOJO and Noriaki UESUGI of remnant army of Naoyoshi faction joined the army standing for the imperial court and were once successful in occupying Kamakura, but finally were defeated; Imperial Prince Muneyoshi ran away to Shinano, while Yoshimune, Yoshioki, and Yoshiharu to Echigo. Tokiyuki HOJO was captured and executed (the Battle of Musashino).
After Yoshiakira ASHIKAGA and Motouji ASHIKAGA died one after the other in 1368, Yoshimune NITTA and Yoshiharu WAKIYA once again raised their armies around the border of Kozuke and Echigo Provinces, but was defeated at Kozuke Numata no sho (manor); Yoshimune was dead in battle and Yoshiharu ran away to Dewa Province.
What happened to him after this battle was not known; there is a folk story that he lived in secret in Tanba Province during 1390 and 1394, or he is said to have supported Yoshiharu WAKIYA to attack gosho (the palace) of Mitsusada ASHIKAGA and Mitsunao ASHIKAGA in 1431. However, he may have died upon running away to Dewa, because Yoshiharu's eldest son Yoshinori WAKIYA acted independently in and after the 1370's.