Age: Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568-1603)
Provenance: The Kozu Collection
The Shogun Art Collection
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Remarks: This important historical item is attributed to the famous Samurai Akechi Mitsuhide. Having been a part of the Kozu Collection this piece comes with a written provenance.
As an important Kawari style Kabuto this piece exhibits some remarkable craftsmanship. Made of iron with the original wakidate.
Akechi Mitsuhide (1528-1582) was a Samurai who lived during the Sengoku Period of Feudal Japan. Mitsuhide was a general under Daimyo Oda Nobunaga, although he later betrayed Nobunaga and caused him to commit seppuku.
Born in Mino province as a descendant of the Toki clan, Mitsuhide began serving Nobunaga after Nobunaga's conquest of Mino province in 1566. Although Nobunaga rarely put too much trust in his retainers, he particularly trusted Mitsuhide. After Mitsuhide received Sakamoto he moved to pacify the Tamba region by defeating several clans such as the Isshiki of Tango.
In 1579, he captured Yakami castle from Hatano Hideharu by promising Hideharu peace terms. This accomplished Mitsuhide's goal, although Nobunaga betrayed the peace agreement and had Hideharu executed. This displeased the Hatano family, and a short while later several of Hideharu's retainers murdered Akechi Mitsuhide's mother. The situation was fueled through several public insults Nobunaga had directed at Mitsuhide, that even drew the attention of some Western observers. Mitsuhide blamed Nobunaga for his mother's death and the attack at Honnoji on June 21, 1582 exacted his revenge.
He has been credited with killing Oda Nobunaga; while Mitsuhide did not execute Nobunaga personally, he did force him to commit seppuku for his betrayal and subsequent murder of Mitsuhide's mother. When they found out about the assassination, both Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu rushed to be the first to avenge Nobunaga and take his place. Hideyoshi got to Mitsuhide first, and Mitsuhide's allies such as Hosokawa Fujitaka, who was related to Mitsuhide through a marriage, betrayed him. Mitsuhide survived for 14 days, until he was defeated by Hideyoshi at the Battle of Yamazaki. Mitsuhide is rumored to have been killed by a peasant warrior with a bamboo spear by the name of Nakamura (some say such an ignominious death was but karmic reward for killing his lord) However, there were also rumors that he was not killed, but rather started a new life as a priest called Tenkai.
More details and photos available upon request.
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