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　The Mogami Chronicles -

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最上義光歴史館
〒990-0046
山形県山形市大手町1-53
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（山形市文化振興事業団）

メモ

関東に於ける最上義光の足跡を求め【7】

関東に於ける最上義光の足跡を求め ―特に関ヶ原戦以後に限定して―

【七　最晩年期を迎えて】

　最晩年期の慶長十七・八年頃の義光は、江戸での公儀へ「誓書」提出の正月五日に始まる。義光に残されたこの二年余の年月は、病躯を押しての領国経営の仕上げの時期であった。それはそれは庄内での開拓事業の根幹となる灌漑用水路の開削事業は、三月に始まる北館大堰の工事を以て、一応の幕を降ろしたといえよう。
　十七年正月、公儀に「誓書」を提出した義光が、帰国の途に就いたのはいつ頃であったか。それは三月に始まる大堰開削に併せての帰国だったのか。義光の北館大学宛の書状[注1]を見てみよう。

（イ）
おって京都ニて存もよらぬ我等くらいの事、御所様よりおほせ出され、くわふん忝なき事、かたかたにまんそくの事、尤ニ候、
　　以上
藤十郎さうさうしやうし出候へは、よき事とまんそく候、殊にゆわ井のよしにて、たるさかな内て・中たてめんめんにさし上候、則五月一日をゆわい候へハ、そさうニ候へ共、かたひらとらせ候、端午ニちやしく候へく候、何事もめてたく、かしく
　　五月一日　　　出
　　　北館大覚（学）とのへ

（ロ）
こゝもとかはる事なく候ゆかしくあるましく候、江戸するか(駿河）御しつかに候へく候、　　以上
つるおか（鶴岡）のしよたうく（諸道具）風すかし候ハんためニ此もの共相下し候、さて又そこもとふしんなにほと出候や、心もとなく候へハ、かれらもとりの時分くハしく可承候、めてたくかしく
　　五月九日　　　出
　　　北館大覚とのへ

　また、次の十八日付の書状[注2]には、「此時分気相も能候ハゝ罷下見候ハゝ、皆々も悦我々のなくさみに成候ハン物をと呉々残多候」と、気分も良いのでそちらに赴いたならば、皆も喜ぶだろうが、それも出来ない残念さを述べており、暗に体調の悪さを伝えているようだ。次の七月二日付の書状[注3]は、義光が大石田から清川に下ることを伝えている。そして、七月の末には開削工事の完工を見たのであるが、八月五日の書状には、その功を賞すると同時にこの月の十八日には参府することを伝えている。
　この今年初めての参府は、体調も思わしくなかったのか在府期間は短く、大学宛の十月廿七日付の書状[注4]から察すると、もうその頃には帰国していたようにも思われる。義光は今年は雪も多く大変だろうから、来春三月の中頃には山形に来て、積もる話しを聞かせてくれと、書き伝えている。
　この年、義光は国元の個人や寺院に対し、六月四日付の「寄進状[注5]」を多く発給している。そこには少将出羽守の署名が見られる。暮の十二月に始まる禁中仙洞普請の助役に、最上家も招集されている。上杉家の記録には、禄高に応じて銀の拠出が為されたとあり、労力の他にそれなりの負担を強いられたのだろう。
　翌十八年の正月を国元で迎えた義光は、四月に入って参府した。新年の江戸表は大名達による恒例の参賀、そして駿府へと華やかな年の初めとなる。しかし、この年の初めには義光の姿を見ることはできない。義光の江戸入りは四月に入ってからである。一月三日には、多くの国持ち大名の使者が駿府を訪れている[注6]。そこには最上家の使者の姿もあった。

三日、於御座処三献之御祝、宰相殿、中条将殿、少将殿、御装束、国持衆名代、献御太刀御馬、羽柴肥前守利家、米沢中納言景勝………最上出羽守義光……（後略）

　この時、義光は未だ山形に在った。これが義光も新年には駿府に入り、駿府築城の祝辞を述べ、太刀と馬を献上して帰国したというが[注7]、それは誤りである。また駿府城の新築はもう五年前のことであり、改めて祝辞を述べる必要もないであろう。
　この時、伊達政宗、上杉景勝などは新年を江戸屋敷で迎えている。最上家の使者は誰が勤めたであろうか。坂紀伊守であったろうか。
二月十三日付の秀忠よりの書状[注8]がある。内容からすると、新年の献上品に対しての謝辞かと思われる。

為音信蝋燭弐百挺、銀子五十枚、并黒之馬壱疋到来、入念候段歓思候、将又所労無油断養生肝要候、猶本多佐渡守可申候也、　恐々謹言
　　二月十三日　　秀忠（御判）
　　　最上少将殿

　このように、慶長十八年（1613）の正月を病床で迎えたであろう義光が、病躯を押して参府したのは四月に入ってからだ。それは林光宛の書状[注9]からはっきりする。

（長文のため前文は省略）…江戸へ十八日ニ上着候、即刻従御城預御使者、色々過分之御諚共にて、翌日御前へ被召出、仕合無残所候而、早々令下国、気相養可致之由、御意共ニ候へ共、これ迄参、駿府へ御見廻不申候者、如何と存、今日江戸を相立、加の川迄着候義ニ候、於駿府にも弥以仕合能、頓而加致帰国候、気相も少々験気に候、御祈念故と存事候、猶以無油断御祈祷頼入候、尚帰国之上直々可申理候、恐々謹言
　　卯月廿六日　　義光（小黒印）
林　光様

　義光は四月十八日に江戸に入り、翌日には早々に登城し秀忠に会う。秀忠は義光の体調を安じたのであろう、早々に帰国せよとの事。しかし、義光はここまで来て駿府を尋ねないことにはと、今日（廿六日）江戸を出て加の川（神奈川宿）まで来たことを告げている。しかしこの時、義光は駿府入りを果たしたであろうか。文面から察るに少しは元気になったとはいっているが、病躯を押しての長旅である。果たして駿府へ入ったのか。それには大変な気力を必要としたであろう。こゝに五月二十日付の家康からの書状がある。

　　出羽守就病気、使者差上候刻、被成下御書候、
　　　御書之写
銀子弐百枚・蝋燭三百挺并鶴到来、入念候歓思召候、所労養生肝要也、猶本多佐渡守可申也、
　　五月廿五日　　家康（御黒印）
最上少将殿

　また、佐竹義宣へ宛てた四月晦日付の書状[注10]には、「気相之事少々験気之分ニ候、此儘早々好御座候可と存申候」と、少しは元気になったことを告げている。また義光の甥の松根備前光広が、熊野権現に義光の病平癒を祈る「祈願野[注11]」がある。

　　以上
最上出羽守義光就煩、神馬壱疋并鳥目百疋奉納候、於御神前、御祈念頼入迄候、猶彼使者可申述候、　恐々謹言
　　八月廿日　　白岩備前守
　　　　　　　　　　　　　光広　（花押）
熊野那智
　御別当　御宿所

　この「祈願書」は、帰国した義光の病状を察した光広が、その平癒を願ってのものではなかったか。そして、義光の江戸・駿府への旅はこの年が最後となったのである。天正以来、常に家康の庇護のもと羽州の大守としての地位を勝ち取った義光である。気力を振り絞っての江戸、駿府への道を歩んだのであろう。『古今武家盛衰記』は次のようにいっている。

義光の曰く、我死遠からじ、我家康公の厚恩を得ること年久し、之に依って最期の御目見せん、各用意せよと、家人等之を諌む、義光聴かず、俄に内立ち同年九月駿府へ赴く、此事先立ちて家康公聞き給ひ、本多上野介正純を上使とし、途中迄遣され、労らひ給ひ、本丸式台迄、乗物似て参るべき旨仰越さる、義光関悦し、上野介同道にて登城するに、御居間迄召寄せられ、種々御懇志の詞、且病体を問ひ給ひ、御手づから御茶を賜はり、急ぎ帰国し心の儘に補養すべし、帰国の道なれば、江戸へも立寄り、将軍へも対面すべしとて、自筆の御書を添え遣さる、其文に日く、

今度出羽守不厭老病、今生之為暇乞令参府候条、諸事御懇意専一候、　以上
　　九月廿一目　　家康
　　　秀忠公へ

斯く認め義光に預け給ふ、義光感涙を催し退出すれば、押付け上使を以て、御夜着呉服并御菓子等を賜ふ、夫より義光江戸へ赴き、先立ちて家康公の御書を上る、此時も途中迄上使あり、御玄関迄乗輿にて登城、又御懇意の仰数々あり、偖御小袖金銀等腸はり、早々帰国し補養すべしと、御直に暇賜けりれば、翌日江戸を立ちて十月上旬山形へ到着し、今は思ひ置く事なしと、大いに喜ばる、終に慶長十九甲寅年正月十八日逝去、六十九歳、

　義光の駿府入りは九月に入ってからであろうか。先の林光宛ての書状には四月廿六日に駿府への道を取り、加の川（神奈川宿）まで来たといっている。しかし、このまゝ駿府へと歩を進めて行ったのか。家康はこの月の十七日には関東へ放鷹の旅に出かけ、二十七日には江戸城に入っている[注12]。義光の駿府入りはいつ頃であったのか。
　師走の十七日、将軍からの書状は、家親の江戸での役儀三分之一免除を知らせるものであった。それは義光への暖かき配慮を示すものであった。

所労験気之由弥養生尤ニ候、然者駿河守参在江戸の条、年来之役儀三ケ一免除候間、可得其意、猶本多佐渡守可申也、
　　十二月十七日　　秀忠（御判）
　　　最上出羽守とのへ

　この年の義光にとっては、念願の羽州の大半を掌中に収め、更に将軍家との深き繋がりを築き挙げたという満ち溢れた歳月であったろう。そして、明けて十九年正月十八日、波乱に満ちたその生涯を閉じる。六十九歳。
「梅津政景日記」　
正月廿九日、出羽守様御死去之様子、館岡（楯岡）宿にて承届候、十八日に御死去被成候と、在々まてふれまハリ候由、
「最上家伝覚書」　
慶長十九寅歳正月廿五日、権現様相州小田原御働座被遊候刻、去十八日出羽守少将義光死去仕候由、同名駿河守家親飛脚差上候、本多佐渡守殿則言上之、駿河守儀急致下着、仕置等可申付旨被仰出、則帰国仕候、
■執筆:小野末三

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[注]　
1、「北館文書」（『山形市史・史料編1』昭四十八年）
2、「狩川八幡文書」（1と同じ）
3、「本間美術館所蔵文書」（『最上川土地改良区史』昭五十三年）
4、「最上川土地改良区文書」（3と同じ）
5、『山形市史・史料編1』昭四十八年
6、「駿府記」（『大日本史料』12編之10）
7、『山形の歴史』（昭三十九年　川崎浩良）
8、この書状の発給年月については、『山形市史・史料編1』所収の「家譜」は三月とするが、『大日本史料』や『徳川実紀』などは二月とする。
9、「慈光明院所蔵文書」（1と同じ）
この年の正月に江戸入りを果たせなかった義光にとっては、寒気の去った時期を待ってのことであったろう。将軍は義光の身体に気を使い、早々の帰国を進めた。義光は駿府を訪れるべく、神奈川宿まで歩を進めた。そして、この書状を認めたのだ。　文中の「加の川」とは「神奈川」のことである。先の舟橋秀賢の日記にも、「十三日、晴、早朝出大磯到着藤沢、過富塚（戸塚）、狩野川（神奈川）、到品川投宿」とあり、中世から近世初頭の頃は、加の川ともいっていた。
10、「佐竹氏記録」（『大日本史料』12編之10）
この書状には、佐竹義宣が三月の晦日に駿府に至り、家康に会い金子・時服などを献上、四月九日に江戸へ下り、七月十一日に帰国の途に就いたとあるから、この書状は江戸にて交わしたものであろう。
11、「熊野夫須美神社文書」（『大日本史料』12編之13）
12、『史料綜覧』慶長十八年九月条
十七日、家康関東ニ放鷹セントシ駿府ヲ発ス、廿七日、家康江戸ニ著シ、江戸城西丸ニ入ル、諸大名、之ニ謁ス、

最上義光歴史館：[メモ/歴史館からのお知らせ]

＜Part1-1＞ Saijoki - The Mogami Chronicles -

Foreword　　

　　My family had been in the service of the Mogami clan for some seven generations when it came to pass that the senior retainers became embroiled in a dispute precipitated by the extreme youth of Yoshitoshi, the new lord of the Mogami domain. Matsune Bizen no Kami lodged a petition with the Edo shogunate alleging an attempted coup by Yamanobe Uemon no Daibu and Sakenobe Echizen no Kami, but when his accusations were judged to be without merit, Matsune was given to the custody of Tachibana Hida no Kami. In the time which followed, Shimada Danjō and Yonekitsu Kanbei, emissaries of the shogunate, repeatedly impressed upon the senior councilors their duty to unite in support of the young Gengorō(1), but Yamanobe Uemon no Daibu had other intentions, and, allying himself with Sakenobe Echizen no Kami, he resisted these orders until the very end. In response to this, the shogunate ordered that the Mogami domain be forfeited, granting Yoshitoshi a small fiefdom of a combined 10,000 koku(2) in Gōshū(3) and Sanshū(4) in its place.
　　Finding myself cast adrift in the world, I retired with my family to the rural district of Kasai in the Musashi province, and the years passed by. There was a masterless rōnin from Aizu who also lived in the area, and having both been through similar circumstances, we fell naturally into conversation when we met day or night, commiserating at length over the decline of the families we had served. It was this rōnin who said the following to me:
　　“As you suffer increasingly from the maladies brought on by old age, I worry how much time is left for you upon this earth, and it also concerns me that you will be leaving behind many descendants who know nothing of the faithful service rendered by Lord Yoshiaki and Lord Iechika to the noble Tokugawa family. Would it not be wise to commit the memories of all you have seen and heard to paper, leaving this record as an enduring gift for your children and their children after them?”
　　I realized the justice of his words, and resolved to do that which had been suggested to me. During the autumn nights when I had a tendency to be wakeful, I reached back into my memory, recording all I could remember of the old tales, which I leave in this manuscript for my descendants.
　　I am afraid that I can offer but poorly written accounts lacking in coherence or clarity, and I hope that the reader will forgive this work for its shortcomings.

――――――――――――――――――――
(1) Yoshitoshi
(2) A traditional unit of rice that was used to denominate the size of landholdings and the income of samurai
(3) Ōmi province, present-day Shiga prefecture
(4) Mikawa province, present-day Aichi prefecture

>>CONTENTS

最上義光歴史館：[メモ/歴史館からのお知らせ]

＜Part1＞ Saijoki - The Mogami Chronicles -

Saijōki - The Mogami Chronicles,Part1

1.Foreword

2.The Passing of Lord Yoshimori

3.The Slaying of Shirotori Juro

4.The Conquest of Sagae

5.The Surrender of Yatsunuma Castle

6.The Fall of Tendo Castle

7.The Battle of Mount Kashiwagi

8.The Death of Mitsukane

9.The Extraordinary Strength of Nobesawa Noto no Kami

10.The Fall of Kaneyama Castle

11.The Downfall of the Ignoble Lord

12.The Battle of Jugorigahara

>>CONTENTS

最上義光歴史館：[メモ/歴史館からのお知らせ]

Map of Mogami domain and surrounding areas in 1600

Map of Mogami domain and surrounding areas in 1600

最上義光歴史館：[メモ/歴史館からのお知らせ]

＜List of persons appearing in Saijoki＞ Saijoki - The Mogami Chronicles -

LIST OF PERSONS APPEARING IN SAIJOKI

Mogami Clan members
(Given below are any and all names by which Mogami clan members [and, in the following section, Mogami clan retainers] are identified in the Saijōki text. Following these are names in bold type, which indicate the most commonly used designations for these same personages. The names of Mogami clan members are also accompanied by a brief explanation of the person’s relationship to Mogami Yoshiaki or the Mogami family.)

Mogami Yoshiaki (1546-1614): Central protagonist. 11th Lord of the Mogami clan and 1st Lord of the Yamagata domain.

Shuri no Daibu Yoshiyasu → Mogami Yoshiyasu (1575-1603): Eldest son of Yoshiaki.

Iechika, Samanosuke, Suruga no Kami, Yoshichika → Mogami Iechika (1582-1617): Second son of Yoshiaki. 12th Lord of the Mogami clan.

Shimizu Ōkura Daifu → Shimizu Akiuji, Yoshichika (1582-1614): Third son of Yoshiaki.

Yamanobe Uemon no Daibu (Daifu) → Yamanobe Akishige, Yoshitada (1588-1664): Fourth son of Yoshiaki.

Kaminoyama Hyōbu Daifu → Kaminoyama Akihiro (1594-1627): Fifth son of Yoshiaki.

Princess Matsuo* (1578-1606): Eldest daughter of Yoshiaki. Wife of Nobesawa Tōtōmi no Kami. (*did not appear in Saijōki)

Princess Koma (1581-1595): Also called Oima no Kata. Second daughter of Yoshiaki. Concubine of Toyotomi Hidetsugu.

Yoshimori, Eirin → Mogami Yoshimori (1519-1590): 10th Lord of the Mogami clan. Father of Yoshiaki.

Tateoka Kai no Kami → Tateoka Akinao, Yoshihisa (?-1629): Younger brother of Yoshiaki. Third son of Yoshimori.

Matsune Bizen no Kami, Shiraiwa Bizen no Kami → Matsune Akihiro (1589-1672): Son of Nagatoro Yoshiyasu (?-1591), a younger brother of Yoshiaki.

Yoshitoshi, Gengorō → Mogami Ienobu, Yoshitoshi (1606-1631): 13th Lord of the Mogami clan. Eldest son of Iechika.

Shuri no Daibu Kaneyori → Shiba Kaneyori (1316-1379): 1st Lord of the Mogami clan.

Honjō Buzen no Kami → Honjō Mitsushige (1556-1639): Member of a branch family of the Mogami clan. May also be a member of the Tateoka clan.

Mogami Clan retainers
(Retainers noted in Saijōki as having stipends of 10000 koku or more, in decreasing order)
Shimura Kurobei, Shimura Izu no Kami → Shimura Akiyasu
Sakanoue Kii no Kami (also known as Saka Kii no Kami) → Saka Akihide
Satomi Minbu
Nobesawa Noto no Kami → Nobesawa Mitsunobu
Matagorō, Nobesawa Izu no Kami, Nobesawa Tōtōmi no Kami → Nobesawa Akimasa
Ujiie Owari no Kami → Ujiie Morimune
Shimo Jiemon (Shimo Tsushima no Kami) → Shimo Yoshitada, Yasuhisa
Sagae Hizen no Kami → Sagae Hirotoshi
Sakenobe Echizen no Kami, Sasaki Tenzen → Sakenobe Hidetsuna

(Other Mogami clan retainers, in Japanese syllabary order)
Ajiki Yamato no Kami
Ariji Tajima
Iida Harima no Kami
Inoue Ushinosuke
Irago Sōgyū
Urano Magoemon
Urayama Chikugo
Urushiyama Kurobei
Eguchi Gohei
Ōkaze Uemon’nosuke
Ōnuma Hachibei
Oguni Settsu no Kami
Oguni Daizen
Obata Harima no Kami
Katō Gen’emon
Katō Tarōemon
Kanehara Shichizō
Kawakuma Sanuki no Kami
Kishi Mimasaka no Kami
Kusaoka Toranosuke
Kusakari Shima no Kami
Kusakari Bizen no Kami
Kumazawa Chikaranosuke
Koizumi Kamon
Koizumi Sanuki
(Eguchi) Kokichi
Koseki Kazaemon
(Satomi) Gonbei
Saka Yahei
Sagae Jūbei
Sasahara Iwami
Satake Heinai
Satomi Echigo (no Kami)
Shimura Kunai no Shō
Shimura Tōemon
Shimo Kanshichirō
Shimo Mimasaka no Kami
Zushonosuke
Suda Kojūrō
Takahashi Sezaemon
Takahashi Kazue
Takeda Hyōgo
Tanno Yosōemon
Rikimaru Shozaemon
(Eguchi/Matsuda) Chūsaku
Toi Hanzaemon
Tōzenji Umanokami
Tominami Chūemon
Nagaoka Tajima no Kami
Nakatsukasa
Nakayama Genba
Narisawa Dōchū
Niizeki Inaba no Kami
Hara Hachizaemon
Harada Daizen
Hino Iga no Kami
Hosoya Takuminosuke
Hosoya Gon’emon
Hori Kiunsai
Honma Samanosuke
Honma Shichirō
Yagashiwa Sagami no Kami
Yachimori Hōki no Kami
Yanbe Kawachi no Kami
Yoko’o Kageyu
Wada Etchū no Kami

Uesugi Clan members and retainers
(In order of appearance in Saijōki)
Uesugi Kōmon Kagekatsu/ Uesugi Chūnagon Kagekatsu
Honjō Shigenaga
Naoe Yamashiro no Kami
Kasuga Uemon
Kamiizumi Mondo
Suibara Hitachinosuke (Hitachi no Kami)
Irobe Shurinosuke
Homura Mikinojō Chikamori
Shiino Yashichirō
Hiraiwa Iwami no Kami
Matsushita Moku
Iwai Bitchū no Kami
Mizoguchi Samanosuke
Kawamura Heizō
Shida Shurinosuke

Date Clan members and retainers
(In order of appearance in Saijōki)
(Date) Terumune
Date Masamune
Date Iki no Kami (also known as Rusu Masakage)
Endō Yahei

Other persons
(In order of appearance in Saijōki)
Tachibana Hida no Kami
Shimada Danjō
Yonekitsu Kanbei
Shirotori Jūrō
Oda Nobunaga
Yamamoto Hikosaburō
Hashiba Kanjūrō
Sakusami Toneri
Tendō clan leader (Tendō Yorihisa)
(Kaminoyama) Mitsukane
Satomi Kuranosuke
Takeda Shingen
Satomi Kanshirō
(Ignoble Lord) Mutō Mitsuyasu
Toyotomi Taikō Hideyoshi
Ishida Jibu no Shō Mitsunari
Toyotomi Hideyori
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Toyotomi Hidetsugu
Fukuhara (Naotaka)
Torii Hikozaemon
Naitō Yajiemon
Matsudaira Tonomo no Kami
Matsudaira Gozaemon
Satake Ukyō no Daibu Yoshinobu
Shimada Jihei
Yūki Hideyasu, General of Echizen
Tokugawa Hidetada
Nanbu Shinano no Kami
Akita Tōtarō
Tozawa Kurōgorō
Hondō Magoshichirō
Rokugō Hyōgo
Akōzu Magojirō
Nikaho Hyōgo
Takizawa Gyōbu
Uchikoshi Magotarō
Iwaya Uhyōe
Maeda Toshinaga, Lord of Kaga
Honda Kōzukenosuke

>>CONTENTS

最上義光歴史館：[メモ/歴史館からのお知らせ]

＜Translator’s Foreword＞ Saijoki - The Mogami Chronicles -

TRANSLATOR’S FOREWORD

　　Saijōki (The Mogami Chronicles) is the tale that revolves around the life of Mogami Yoshiaki (1546-1614), a damiyo of the Dewa province (present-day Yamagata prefecture) during the turbulent Sengoku, or ‘Warring States’, period that is defined by some historians as lasting from the mid-15th century to the early 17th century. A beloved figure in the history of the Yamagata region, Yoshiaki is credited for many accomplishments, including contributions to the economic development of the province, the importation of culture from the capital region, the reconstruction of Yamagata Castle, and the creation of a castle town upon which the modern city of Yamagata is based.
　　Yoshiaki is also known as an able warrior and skilled general, and it is this aspect of his legacy that Saijōki concerns itself with. Made up of tales of his successes – and the occasional failure – in battle, this work comprises an at times loosely-connected string of the military conquests that allowed Yoshiaki to achieve his dominance over the Dewa province.
　　Saijōki was written by a self-described former vassal of the Mogami clan in the early years of the Edo period (1603-1868), after infighting between senior Mogami clan retainers resulted in the forfeiture of the domain under the control of the Mogami family – the fifth largest domain in Japan during Yoshiaki’s lifetime – in 1622. This vassal left the Yamagata region, drifting southwards to the district of Kasai (located within the present-day Tokyo area), and it was there that he set down on paper this history of the Mogami clan.
　　These tales should not be seen as accounts that are entirely true to history, but rather as an observer’s recollection of Yoshiaki’s life and times that is indeed based on actual events and true facts, but is also freely punctuated with the embellishments of legend and memory. Since this account does present itself as an actual history of Yoshiaki, however, it is of significant historical value in that it may serve as a valuable illustration of the status the legendary general acquired in the minds of his followers, and may also accurately reflect the stories that were told of Yoshiaki during his lifetime and the period following his death.
　　The date given for the writing of Saijōki is 1634, and the original manuscript was written in an older style of Japanese not easily intelligible to the modern reader. To make this document accessible to a wider audience, the Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum commissioned the translation of the original manuscript into modern Japanese in 2009. This translation was undertaken by Shigeo Katagiri, a prominent Mogami Yoshiaki researcher as well as the Director of the Kaminoyama Municipal Library and the former Director of the Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum. This English version of Saijōki is a full translation of the modern Japanese version that was made while consulting the original manuscript, and I am very grateful to Mr. Katagiri and the Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum for their valuable help and advice.
　　I would now like to offer a few comments and observations regarding the English translation. Firstly, I would like to note that the title – Saijōki – is a phonetic rendering of the Japanese title, which is the on-yomi (Chinese reading) of the characters “最上記”. The kun-yomi (Japanese reading) of the same three characters would be “Mogami (最上) – ki (記)”, referring to a “Mogami record” or “Mogami chronicle”, as expressed in the English title “The Mogami Chronicles”.
　　The names of the persons who appear in Saijōki are given as they appear in the Japanese text. Often a mixture of name and title, these names, especially those of the higher-ranking personages, can be long and cumbersome. A complete list of all the persons appearing in Saijōki can be found at the end of the book, and the simpler and more commonly used designations for some of these personages are noted there. The phonetic readings of these names differ somewhat from age to age: for example, while the name “五兵衛” would have been pronounced Gohyōei in the pre-Edo period, the Edo-period reading for this name was simplified to Gohei. In this English text, the simpler Edo-period readings of names have been used.
　　While measurements in the Japanese text appear in the form of traditional units such as ken (1.818 meters), chō (109.09 meters), and shaku (30.3 cm), I have converted these to metric amounts in the English version to allow for easier reading. On the other hand, dates are given in the era name/year number combination used in the Japanese text (for example, Enbun 1 refers to the first year of the Enbun era), while the corresponding year of the western calendar is given as a footnote. Months and days are given in a “1st day of the second month” format that may seem clumsy; however, the old Japanese calendar does not exactly correspond to the modern calendar, and the “4th day of the eighth month” would not fall on August 4 of the Gregorian calendar. It is hoped that this manner of notation will help the reader to keep this discrepancy in mind.
　　Returning to the subject matter, it is interesting to note that while there was no single family that exerted a greater influence over the history of the Yamagata region than the Mogami clan, and no other Mogami lord who achieved the legendary status of Yoshiaki, the history contained within Saijōki (and a few differently named but almost identical versions that are clearly based on the Saijōki manuscript) remains the only definitive record of Yoshiaki’s life and achievements. The accounts of Yoshiaki’s military campaigns illustrate the tumultuous nature of the Sengoku period, and the tales are imbued with the strong warrior ethos that characterizes the samurai of this period. The time of Yoshiaki represents the zenith of the Mogami dominion over the Yamagata area, for the Edo period, which began shortly before Yoshiaki’s death, ushered in a time of peace that saw a lessening of the military role of the samurai as well as the precipitous decline of the Mogami clan. However, it is thanks to the anonymous author of Saijōki that we are still able to enjoy a vivid and personal view of the intersection between the “golden age” of the samurai and the illustrious career of the celebrated Mogami Yoshiaki.

March, 2012
Lisa Somers

>>CONTENTS

最上義光歴史館：[メモ/歴史館からのお知らせ]

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