introduction
The Sengoku period was an era of great fame and change, and after the rule of several shogunates, the mountains and rivers changed from generation to generation. Many heroes emerged, the shogunate fell, the Warring States scrolls slowly opened, the daimyo rode the deer, and began a star-studded, dazzling journey, among them, several more well-known daimyōs, such as the Oda clan and the Imakawa clan, abandoned the shogunate's general consulship system and adopted the system of sending relatives and sending children, what kind of system is this, and how did it defeat the general consular system adopted by the traditional shogunate? And how to lay the foundation for the conquest of the warring states? What role has it played in this chaotic and wonderful era?
Japan's Sengoku period
The system of sending relatives and sending children – from birth to maturity
1. During the Kamakura shogunate period, its budding began
The system of sending relatives and children is easily understood from the literal understanding as a system of transferring relatives/children to other people's homes. In fact, this is not the case, and the word in the sending of relatives and children does not mean "foster" in this context, but the meaning of "recognized (relatives)". Then the meaning of sending relatives and sending children is well understood, which can be roughly translated as "recognized relatives/children", but in ancient times, when great importance was paid to inheritance and the purity of the bloodline, why did a trend that seemed to have great drawbacks to inheritance prevailed? To unravel this problem, we need to first set our sights on an era earlier than the Sengoku period, the Kamakura shogunate.
Through the search of historical materials, it can be seen that the first generation of the Kamakura shogunate was the Genrai Dynasty, who set up the Okura Imperial Palace as a residence in 1180, that is, the fourth year of the reign, in Kamakura Okura Township, and historically, the Kamakura samurai regime also began at this time. The "parlor" he set up in this residence also became the prototype of other shogunates in the future.
Kamakura shogunate
As the power of the Yuanlai Dynasty itself increased, the territory it acquired became larger and larger, and it was obviously unrealistic to rely solely on the Yuanlai Dynasty to govern; at the same time, from a political point of view, promoting authority and promoting merit were also indispensable for consolidating the dominant position. In this context, the Genrai Dynasty established a system of lordship based on the general consular system to rule the territory by assigning land and guarding the daimyo.
This is very similar to the feudal system of the Western Zhou Dynasty in ancient China, but in contrast, the feudal system adopts a political system linked by blood. However, the chief consular system included the samurai who had no blood relations under his command, and established a virtual parent-child relationship linked by virtual blood, thus clarifying the relationship between superiors and subordinates. This is also the earliest traceable source of the sending system.
Ji Fa, King Wu of Western Zhou
2. Ignorance and stumbling - During the Muromachi shogunate
The Muromachi shogunate period, also known as the Ashikaga shogunate period, began with the establishment of the shogunate in 1336 by the Ashikaga clan during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Similar to the Kamakura shogunate period, the Muromachi shogunate also adopted a lordship management system based on the general consul system. With the continuous development and promotion of this system, the problems it exposed gradually became apparent: like the sub-feudal system, the domain where the guardian daimyo of the local samurai who was sealed by the chief consular system had a large number of rich families with private domains, who were the guarantee of the power to protect the daimyo and the confidants who affected the authority of the daimyō.
They also held political, diplomatic, and military powers within their domains, and only obeyed the orders of the guardian daimyo in name only. This is very similar to the later development of the Western Zhou sub-feudal system. Each of the daimyo's territories was in a delicate balance, like a fortress built on quicksand, falling apart with a slight shake. The subsequent development is also very similar to the fate of the sub-feudal system: on January 17, 1467, the "Yingren Rebellion" broke out, and the prominent nobles, the guardian daimyo gradually disappeared in this rebellion, and the chief consul system also came to its end.
The Rebellion of Ying Ren
Time has washed away, and this solution to the problem of territorial governance has not been tested. The prelude to the Warring States gradually opened, and the Warring States Daimyo system began to replace the general consul system. During the war-torn Warring States period, the daimyo desperately needed more trusted subordinates to manage their armies, distribute newly acquired land, and pacify the populace. It was also during this period and historical background that the system of sending relatives and children, which could cultivate more loyal vassals, gradually took shape, and developed and progressed with the continuous use of daimyō.
3. After the war, the sending of relatives and children has undergone practical tests
War and smoke are the themes of this era. After experiencing the lessons of the Muromachi shogunate period, the Sengoku daimyōs obviously realized the importance of absolute control over the territory, and they began to coerce and lure the samurai, peasants, etc. in the territory through political, economic, and even military means, so that they firmly grasped the absolute control over the territory. During the Warring States period, even though the Warring States daimyo focused a part of their attention on consolidating power and ensuring the rear, it was all about having more territory, people, and resources.
"Analects of ji shi" Yun: "I am afraid of Ji Sun's worries, not in the xiao, but also within the Xiao wall." ”
Daimyo, on the other hand
It means that the calamity occurs in the house, to metaphorically the internal calamity that occurs. The division of the magnates during the Muromachi shogunate period was a lesson in the past, and the Sengoku daimyōs needed better means of imperial succession. With the deepening of the war, how to digest the newly acquired land and people became a headache for the warring states daimyo. It was from this historical period that the system of sending relatives and sending children began to appear on the historical stage.
The sending system is a system that builds a virtual parent-child relationship based on virtual blood, thus forming a substantive master-slave relationship. In order to prevent the betrayal of the senders, most daimyo stipulate that only the superior and subordinate relations of the military organization are allowed between the senders and the sons, and not the existence of private master-subordinate relations, and the purpose of this is to prevent the establishment of independent armed forces by private individuals. Through such a strict military hierarchy, the daimyōs held the power and real power firmly in their hands; at the same time, because of the establishment of such a virtual blood bond, their loyalty was also enhanced, and the absolute authority of the daimyo was guaranteed. It was also from this time that the system of sending relatives and sending children completely entered the stage of history.
The Warring States army under the system of sending relatives
Why is there almost no more rebellion on the battlefield?
1. Enhance combat effectiveness and improve integrity
Due to the clear hierarchy, the respective commanders' armies were clearly divided, which greatly improved the efficiency of the daimyo's command of the army. Before the lack of a modern military system that was scientifically effective, the army structure had been relatively chaotic, but through the system of sending relatives and sending children, it was more effective to delegate the orders of the daimyo to their respective armies and subordinate armies in an orderly manner.
In every war, the daimyo only needed to convey the order to the subordinate's relatives, who in turn conveyed the order to the sender, so that the daimyo's order could be quickly transmitted to an entire army in a relatively short period of time, which was extremely important for the fleeting war of the warplane.
2. Eliminate hidden dangers within the army and reduce rebellion
Unlike the sub-sealing system, the system of sending relatives and sending children is extremely strict in the distribution of superior and subordinate relationships. Although the hierarchical distribution of the sub-feudal system is also extremely strict, once the power of the princes distributed exceeds that of the Heavenly Son, such as the King of Chu in the autumn, it is an open challenge to the sub-feudal system by the princely states. Such hidden dangers seriously threaten the position and authority of the supreme ruler. In the late Warring States period of ancient China, Zhou Tianzi completely lost the power to divide the fiefs. This is also an inevitable consequence of the drawbacks of the sub-sealing system itself.
The King of Chu asked
The system of sending relatives and sending children strictly controls the hierarchical relationship between the daimyo, the sender and the sender, and through the strict system, the strength of the sender and the sender is stipulated, and the strong control of the daimyo over the sender is realized.
Similarly, the Western European feudal hierarchy, through which the whole territory was notified through a pyramid hierarchy of kings, great feudal lords, small feudal lords, and peasants. But the disadvantage is that the structure is too loose, that is, there is a situation where "the vassals of my vassals are not my vassals", so later, this system slowly withered away.
The rear of the battlefield is the domain of politicians
1. Give honor to the family and activate the vitality
According to the system of the Warring States period, the family subjects are generally divided into three types: "the same name", "genealogy generation" and "foreign sample". Among them, the "same name" can occupy a place in the ruling institutions of the daimyo. When there are few clans with the same lineage as the daimyo, in order to maintain the "same name", it is usually possible to maintain a virtual blood relationship with the same clan through marriage, surname change, etc., to continue the vitality of the "same name". Similarly, daimyo can cite fresh blood to the "same name" to maintain a group check between the "same name".
Courtiers
"Living Water Pavilion Guan Shu Has Feeling Two Songs · One" Yun: "Ask the canal that is as clear as promised?" For there is a source of living water to come. ”
It is through the continuous introduction of fresh blood that the strength of the daimyo can be continuously improved, and in the ever-changing Warring States period, it will bring a ray of hope to the generals who are struggling to search for the future.
2. Improve the loyalty of the family and courtiers
Obviously, by incorporating unrelated samurai into the household as a hermitage, the status was greatly enhanced, which was a gift for most people. Not only can the status of daimyo be promoted through the recruitment of virtuousness, but also provide a good place for the majority of talented people to realize their self-worth, and the loyalty of the family and courtiers can be continuously enhanced by giving reuse, granting identity, and realizing value.
3. Limit and balance the power of the courtiers and improve cohesion
Absolute freedom is bound to lead to absolute chaos, a phrase that was used for thousands of years in antiquity. And even brothers who are related by blood will kill each other for power, not to mention the senders who are not related by blood? In the final analysis, the relationship between the relatives is ultimately maintained by virtual blood, and while improving their self-strength through the system of sending relatives and sending children, they also need certain restrictions to balance.
In the system of sending relatives and sending children, it is clear that a sender can only belong to one sender, which is equivalent to the courtier's vassal; at the same time, the number of senders under the command of the sender is also clearly stipulated. The purpose of this is to stabilize the relationship between the daimyo, the sender, and the sender, which can prevent the sender from entangled with multiple senders to rebel against the daimyo, and also prevent the sender from belonging to multiple senders, causing confusion in the relationship, or betraying a certain sender because of certain interests.
Such restrictions reflect the principle of checks and balances, which can not only maximize the advantages of sending relatives and sending children, but also can well prevent the betrayal of relatives and senders, so that the risk of "disaster against the wall" is minimized. Moreover, because of such regulations, the hierarchical relationship between the relatives and the children is extremely strict, the relationship between the superior and the subordinate is more distinct, and the dependency relationship is further strengthened, which greatly enhances the cohesion in the family group.
The rebellion of the courtiers
summary
As a very important system in the Warring States period, the system of sending relatives and sending children succeeded in replacing the prevailing general consul system at that time, and it showed its own light in subsequent historical scrolls. It was popularized and used by many Warring States daimyōs, and was constantly revised and improved in the years that followed, successfully completing its historical mission. Politically, it succeeded in limiting the power of its subordinates while also strengthening the consolidation of power and attracting more talents and generals; militarily, it increased the combat effectiveness of the army while ensuring that the sharp spear would not be turned against itself. Politically and militarily, it has provided practical and effective assistance and promoted the development of the historical process.
bibliography:
1. History of Japan
2. A Preliminary Study on the System of Sending Relatives and Sending Children in the Warring States Period of Japan
3. History of the Warring States of Japan