Chapter 22: Oda Nobutada’s Rule and Administration
Chapter 22: Oda Nobutada’s Rule and Administration
The 8 year transition of power away from the aging Nobunaga to Nobutada had finally concluded, and the latter finally took sole control over the realm at the hearty age of 44. Nobutada, on top of this 8 year experience, had governed Owari and Mino provinces as Nobunaga’s deputy for 17 years, participated in government as a member of the Sangi-shu for 9, and led multiple military campaigns, including the one that ultimately annihilated the Takeda clan. As such, he was a capable administrator who successfully sought to maintain political balance and minimize corruption in his appointments and decisions. Lacking any overriding political agenda or vision, however, Nobutada would focus on strengthening and building upon the gains and strides made by his father.
The immediate aftermath of Nobunaga’s death coincided with a turnover of many key figures and their replacement with rising stars. Just months after Nobunaga’s passing, Kuki Yoshitaka, the progenitor of Japanese naval prowess as the first magistrate of the Azuchi navy, died, with Horiuchi Ujiyoshi succeeding him. Ujiyoshi would subsequently be appointed to the Sangi-shu the following year after the passing of Maeda Geni who by that point had become the most influential member of the government aside from Nobutada himself. In the same year, Shimazu Yoshihisa retired from the government, although he would continue to play an important role in Shimazu clan affairs until his death in 1611 at the age of 78. Succeeding him was Nagahisa, whose political ambition and existing influence was immediately felt as he would in time become a major proponent of a pro-Dutch, anti-Jesuit expansionist foreign policy.
The immediate aftermath of Nobunaga’s death coincided with a turnover of many key figures and their replacement with rising stars. Just months after Nobunaga’s passing, Kuki Yoshitaka, the progenitor of Japanese naval prowess as the first magistrate of the Azuchi navy, died, with Horiuchi Ujiyoshi succeeding him. Ujiyoshi would subsequently be appointed to the Sangi-shu the following year after the passing of Maeda Geni who by that point had become the most influential member of the government aside from Nobutada himself. In the same year, Shimazu Yoshihisa retired from the government, although he would continue to play an important role in Shimazu clan affairs until his death in 1611 at the age of 78. Succeeding him was Nagahisa, whose political ambition and existing influence was immediately felt as he would in time become a major proponent of a pro-Dutch, anti-Jesuit expansionist foreign policy.
Portrait of Shimazu Nagahisa
Finally, Oda Nobutaka in Bireitou died of malaria at just 27 in 1603. This time, Nobutada would send his second son to Bireitou as Nobutaka’s successor, having him change his name from Tadanaga (織田忠長) to Tadataka (織田忠高). This 22 year old, unlike his two predecessors, would live much longer and leave his own mark on Bireitou and Japanese history itself over the next few decades.
The first thing Nobutada did was demand personal tribute and homage from every single daimyo in the realm, including important samurai figures governing Oda territories on Bireitou. Among the nobility, only the reigning imperial regent, Konoe Nobutada (近衛信尹), did not also have to swear fealty to the daijo-daijin. He also led a grand funeral procession for his father in Azuchi. Through these actions, Nobutada firmly established his authority nationwide.
In the domestic sphere, Nobutada consolidated the administration and bureaucratic structure of the government, creating the gaikou-bugyo, or foreign affairs magistrate (外交奉行) and the oometsuke-shoku, or inspector-general (大目付職) along the various urban (町奉行), finance (勘定奉行), and naval (水軍奉行) magistracies. The latter reported directly to Nobutada and was responsible for supervising the activities of the various daimyo, castle lords, and direct Oda vassals, and similar positions would overtime be replicated not just in the Kamakura regional governments but in most daimyo domains. Nobutada also worked on completing the Nakasendo (中山道) from Gifu to Kozuke province, an infrastructural counterpart to the Tokaido that was initiated in the 1590s partially in response to the latter with fears of the Tokugawa holding a perpetual monopoly on trade between the Kanto and Kinki regions. Inland trade and connectivity was also a major motivator for Nobutada and many of his vassals who were disproportionately from Mino province. In 1604, plans for paving a permanent Hokurikudo (北陸道) through Echizen and Kaga (越前国, 加賀国) all the way to Echigo province also began to take shape with the urging of councilor Sakuma Morimasa.
The first thing Nobutada did was demand personal tribute and homage from every single daimyo in the realm, including important samurai figures governing Oda territories on Bireitou. Among the nobility, only the reigning imperial regent, Konoe Nobutada (近衛信尹), did not also have to swear fealty to the daijo-daijin. He also led a grand funeral procession for his father in Azuchi. Through these actions, Nobutada firmly established his authority nationwide.
In the domestic sphere, Nobutada consolidated the administration and bureaucratic structure of the government, creating the gaikou-bugyo, or foreign affairs magistrate (外交奉行) and the oometsuke-shoku, or inspector-general (大目付職) along the various urban (町奉行), finance (勘定奉行), and naval (水軍奉行) magistracies. The latter reported directly to Nobutada and was responsible for supervising the activities of the various daimyo, castle lords, and direct Oda vassals, and similar positions would overtime be replicated not just in the Kamakura regional governments but in most daimyo domains. Nobutada also worked on completing the Nakasendo (中山道) from Gifu to Kozuke province, an infrastructural counterpart to the Tokaido that was initiated in the 1590s partially in response to the latter with fears of the Tokugawa holding a perpetual monopoly on trade between the Kanto and Kinki regions. Inland trade and connectivity was also a major motivator for Nobutada and many of his vassals who were disproportionately from Mino province. In 1604, plans for paving a permanent Hokurikudo (北陸道) through Echizen and Kaga (越前国, 加賀国) all the way to Echigo province also began to take shape with the urging of councilor Sakuma Morimasa.
Early structure of the Azuchi Daijo-fu
In the early 1600s, despite enormous trade expansion and steady naval buildup from the previous decade, Portuguese merchants still maintained a significant monopoly on Ming goods through their outpost on Macau even with an onslaught of warfare in Southeast Asia with the Dutch due to the Ming ban on direct trade between itself and Japan. Moreover, Ming officials in Beijing started to become concerned over Japanese territorial expansion in Bireitou and rumors of Japanese designs on the Ryukyu Kingdom, part of the Chinese tributary sphere along with Joseon. To resolve these issues, in 1606 Nobutada sent Mori Naritoshi, who had become the inaugural foreign affairs magistrate, and Seki Narimasa (関成政) to Beijing and formally recognize Chinese regional hegemony as a tributary for the first time since 1404, with Emperor Wanli recognizing Nobutada as the “King of Japan” (日本国王) and the two Japanese emissaries promising not to subjugate the Ryukyu Kingdom. Unlike his father, Nobutada was not overly concerned about becoming a subordinate for practical purposes, as in practice outside of occasional diplomatic missions with gifts the realm unilaterally controlled and directed its own trade affairs and commercial interests.
This move proved to be a significant economic benefit for Japan as its merchants could trade directly with China again at the expense of Portuguese mercantile interests. Macau would lose its iron grip over Sino-Japanese good exchanges and overtime Portuguese trade power would decline considerably with this loss of revenue combined with pressure from the Dutch in Southeast Asia.
Nobutada’s third significant achievement during his role was the firm establishment of a national coinage. His father had previously ordered the minting of the Ooban (大判) ovoid gold plate as a standard gold coin for the realm back in 1588. However, Japan’s trade expansionism and burgeoning economic growth, uninhibited due to peacetime, demanded a multilayered currency that could sufficiently support increasing economic activity abroad and at home. Therefore, in 1605, two further coins were introduced: the koban (小判) [1], a mostly gold plate with some silver, and the Keicho Tsuho (慶長通宝) [2], a newly minted copper version of the longstanding mon (文) coin. To support the new currency system, new gold and silver mines were opened and operations of existing ones were increased. Nobutada’s currency additions would form the basis of Japan’s monetary system for the rest of the 17th century and helped facilitate the country’s mercantilization and economic growth.
As successful as Nobutada’s sole rulership was, unlike his father’s it would prove to be short-lived. In 1609, Nobutada succumbed to a case of pneumonia at the age of 52. His legacy, from his early days in Gifu to his years as the unquestioned chancellor of the realm, was of positive, if more incremental and moderate compared to Nobunaga’s, changes to Japan. The 29 year old Nobunori would now take over the helm as the next head of the Azuchi Daijo-fu.
This move proved to be a significant economic benefit for Japan as its merchants could trade directly with China again at the expense of Portuguese mercantile interests. Macau would lose its iron grip over Sino-Japanese good exchanges and overtime Portuguese trade power would decline considerably with this loss of revenue combined with pressure from the Dutch in Southeast Asia.
Nobutada’s third significant achievement during his role was the firm establishment of a national coinage. His father had previously ordered the minting of the Ooban (大判) ovoid gold plate as a standard gold coin for the realm back in 1588. However, Japan’s trade expansionism and burgeoning economic growth, uninhibited due to peacetime, demanded a multilayered currency that could sufficiently support increasing economic activity abroad and at home. Therefore, in 1605, two further coins were introduced: the koban (小判) [1], a mostly gold plate with some silver, and the Keicho Tsuho (慶長通宝) [2], a newly minted copper version of the longstanding mon (文) coin. To support the new currency system, new gold and silver mines were opened and operations of existing ones were increased. Nobutada’s currency additions would form the basis of Japan’s monetary system for the rest of the 17th century and helped facilitate the country’s mercantilization and economic growth.
As successful as Nobutada’s sole rulership was, unlike his father’s it would prove to be short-lived. In 1609, Nobutada succumbed to a case of pneumonia at the age of 52. His legacy, from his early days in Gifu to his years as the unquestioned chancellor of the realm, was of positive, if more incremental and moderate compared to Nobunaga’s, changes to Japan. The 29 year old Nobunori would now take over the helm as the next head of the Azuchi Daijo-fu.
Statue of Oda Nobutada in Azuchi
[2]: The Keicho Tsuho is the Kanei Tsuho (寛永通宝) of TTL, just established much earlier
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