Personnalité historique

Bessho Nagaharu

Lord of Miki Castle

Bessho Nagaharu (1558-1580) was the last lord of Miki Castle, a stronghold of the Bessho clan that dominated the east of Harima Province. His name is closely tied to the Miki War (1578-1580): after breaking with Oda Nobunaga, he sustained for almost two years the siege by famine imposed by Hashiba Hideyoshi, who encircled the castle with forts and earthworks to starve the garrison. In January 1580 he took his own life in exchange for the lives of his men, an act that made him a very prominent figure in Miki's local memory, where the castle ruins and the besiegers' works have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2013.

Portrait de Bessho Nagaharu
Naissance1558
Décès1580 (janvier, calendrier lunaire Tenshō 8)
FonctionLord of Miki Castle
MaisonClan Bessho
ÉpoqueSengoku period
Histoire & patrimoine

The Miki War

The Miki War lasted from March 1578 to January 1580. Rather than storm the castle, Oda's troops led by Hashiba Hideyoshi encircled Miki Castle with a network of interconnected satellite forts and earthworks, cutting off its supplies. This arrangement, largely preserved, has been protected together with the castle since 2013, a rare case in Japan, and excavations by the city of Miki now clarify its layout.

Château de MikiChâteau de Miki
Frise chronologique

Repères dans sa vie

1558

Birth; eldest son of Bessho Yasuharu.

Mars 1578

Breaks with Oda Nobunaga while Hashiba Hideyoshi leads the campaign against the Mōri; beginning of the Miki War.

1578-1580

Sustains at Miki Castle the siege by famine organised by Hideyoshi, who raises forts (tsukejiro) and earthworks around the stronghold.

Janvier 1580

Takes his own life in exchange for the lives of the garrison; end of the Miki War.

Patrimoine associé

Les châteaux liés à cette personnalité

1 lieu
Réseau historique

Personnalités liées

Portrait de Hashiba Hideyoshi
Hashiba HideyoshiAdversary, commander of the besiegersCommands the siege of Miki Castle on behalf of Oda Nobunaga.→
Portrait de Bessho Yasuharu
Bessho YasuharuFather→
Portrait de Araki Murashige
Araki MurashigeContemporary who rebelled against NobunagaHis defection in 1578 during the siege of Miki complicated Oda's campaign.→
Portrait de Bessho Norisuke
Bessho NorisukeChâteau en commun→
Approfondir

Bessho Nagaharu dans l’histoire

A Sacrifice for the Garrison

Deprived of hope for relief from the Mōri, Nagaharu agreed to die so that his men would be spared. This choice, which ended the siege in early 1580, explains the place he occupies in Miki's memory, where Uenomaru Park, on the site of the former main enclosure, keeps his memory alive.

Documentation

Sources de la fiche

Cette synthèse croise plusieurs sources pour documenter les lieux, événements et relations historiques.