Online Museum of History Hyogo History Station

Official Letter of Oda Nobunaga with a Scarlet Seal

Explanation

This official letter was with oda nobunaga's scarlet colored seal which engraved "tenkafubu" and was sent from Nobunaga to a local lord named Yano Yasaburo who lived in Tango. This official letter says "Akai Goro and Ogino Akuemonnojo in Tamba will be pardoned.But Yano Yasaburo’s fief will be guaranteed just as it before. You should have good consultations with Akechi Mitsuhide and should be more loyal to him."

The Akai family was a local lord family based at Goya Castele(Hikami-cho Tamba City)in the Hikami District and extended power from the Hikami District to around the Amata and Ikaruga Districts after the early 16th century. Oginoakuemonnojo’s real name was Naomasa. Naomasa was adopted from the Akai family by the Ogino family. But it is said that Naomasa killed Ogino Akikiyo at Kuroi Castle (Kasuga-cho, Tamba City) in around the mid-16th century and became the lord of the castle.

Akai Goro was Tadaie, a nephew of Naomasa. At that time, Naomasa Effectively establishd his influence over both Akai and Ogino’s domain as a conservator.

Because this document does not mention the year in which it was written, I would like to examine it. In the document, Nobunaga calls Akechi Mitsuhide “Koreto.” It was in July 1575 that Mitsuhide was given the name of Koreto. In the autumn of this year, Mitsuhide started to capture Tamba in response to an order from Nobunaga. In addition, Naomasa died in March 1578. Thus, this document should be dated April 13, 1576 or 1577.

In addition, it is noteworthy that the document includes the phrase “people who began to side with Oda last year.” It would be natural to regard the word last year as meaning 1575, when Mitsuhide started to capture Tamba.

Furthermore, an accompanying letter from Mitsuhide to Yano Yasaburo, which can be considered to have been introduced to the Yano family as a set with this document, also remains (Material Volume 2 and Document No. 108 of the Lord Volume of the New Edition of Kameoka City History).

This accompanying letter does not mention the year when it was written. However, it conveys Mitsuhide's messages dated April 14, the following day of the letter, saying "Because Nobunaga's official letter was issued, I will send it" and saying "I was ordered to go into battle although I have yet to know where I will be."

If you check Shinchokoki, the biography of Nobunaga, with a focus on this date of April 14, you will find a description about Nobunaga ordering Mitsuhide and his men to mount an offensive against Ishiyama Honganji Temple, Osaka, on April 14, 1576. It would be acceptable to interpret the description, "I was ordered to go into battle" in Mitsuhide's accompanying letter as meaning this battle. This set of information means that this document can be considered to have been written in 1576.

The Akai and Ogino families are known as families that continued to resist Mitsuhide's attempt to capture Tamba to the last. In August 1579 after the death of Naomasa, Kuroi Castle was attacked by Mitsuhide and fell.

Handwriting suggests that the secretary who wrote this document was Kusunoki Choan.

In addition, in relation to this document, please also refer to the history station seminar "Reading Old Documents: Oda Nobunaga's letter with seal of scarlet color ".

<Original text: Chinese style classic Japanese>
赤井五郎・荻野／悪右衛門尉、種々令侘／言候状、赦免候、然而、／去年以来此方令／一味之輩身上事、／猶以無異儀申付之／上者、当知行等聊不／可有相違候、惟任相／談弥忠節専一候也、／四月十三日（織田信長朱印）／矢野弥三郎殿

<Transcription of Chinese style classic Japanese into classic Japanese>
赤井五郎（あかいごろう）・荻野／悪右衛門尉（おぎのあくえもんのじょう）、種々（しゅしゅ）佗事（わびごと）／せしめ候条（そうろうじょう）、赦免（しゃめん）し候（そうろう）、しかして、／去年（きょねん）以来（いらい）此方（こなた）／一味（いちみ）せしむるの輩（ともがら）の身上（しんじょう）の事（こと）、／なおもって異儀（いぎ）なく申（もう）し付（つ）くるの／上は、当知行等（とうちぎょうとう）、いささかも／相違（そうい）あるべからず候（そうろう）、惟任（これとう）相／談（そうだん）、いよいよ忠節（ちゅうせつ）専一（せんいつ）に候也（そうろうなり）、／四月十三日（しがつじゅうさんにち）（織田信長朱印（おだのぶながしゅいん））／矢野弥三郎殿（やのやさぶろうどの）
Akai Goro Ogino／Akuemonnojo shushu wabigoto／seshime sorojyo shamenshi soro, shikashite,／kyonenirai konata／ichimi seshimuru no tomogarano shinjonokoto,／ naommotte iginaku moshitsukuruno／uewa, touchigyoto, isasakamo／soiarubekarazusoro, Koreto so／dan, iyoiyochusetsu senitsuni soronari,／shigatsu jyusannichi (Oda Nobunaga shuin)／Yano Yasaburo dono

<Modern Japanese>
Because of many pleas, I will pardon Akai Goro and Oginoakuemonnojo. But regarding the fiefs of the people who began to side with Oda from last year, I will ensure that they will not be changed. I will guarantee their current fiefs just as they are now. You should have good consultations with Akechi Mitsuhide and should be more loyal to him.
April 13 (seal of scarlet color "Tenkafubu")
To Mr. Yano Yasaburo

Note: “／” shows positions of line breaks.