Saionji Kintaka (西園寺金高, 1538 – 3 April, 1561) was the eldest son of Saionji Sanemitsu and a samurai of near legendary reputation during Sengoku Period Japan. He commanded armies against the Ichijo, Chosokabe and Miyoshi clans, winning many victories against what were considered overwhelming odds. Increasingly distanced from his father, who was considered a gluttonous fool, Kintaka essentially usurped power from Sanemitsu by confining him to Matsuba Castle, to the relief of many of his retainers.
In his father’s stead, Kintaka expanded Saionji control over most of Shikoku, finally forcing the Miyoshi clan off the eastern side of the island in 1559. Despite his young age, Kintaka displayed an apt knowledge of warfare and politics, managing both with ease and earning himself the nickname of “the Young Tiger”. He would eventually be defeated by Urakami Munekage at the battle of Yusuhara in 1561, dying a few days later during a skirmish in central Kochi.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Saionji Kintaka was born in 1538 in Matsuba Castle, Ehime Prefecture. His father, Saionji Sanemitsu, was the head of the prominent Iyo-Saionji Clan that controlled most of Iyo Province. From a young age, Kintaka trained in the many Ko-ryū arts, especially Kenjutsu and Kyūjutsu and was noted for his ability. His primary tutor, Nakajima Masahiro, also insisted upon touring Iyo Province, to familiarise himself with the various landmarks and villages, especially in the northern regions of Iyo.
By age fourteen, Kintaka had taken to accompanying his father's retainers on skirmishes against the Kōno Clan to the north. Although it is unlikely he played any major roles in these bouts of combat, he is credited with killing a number of ashigaru, and was thusly praised for his archery skill. Back in Matsuba, he would repeatedly compete in the numerous tournaments held by his father. He emerged victorious in two, the listing for these tournaments show that previous champions Kuroki Yoshiyori and Adashi Toshinobu were not present during these competitions. Despite his great martial prowess, Sanemitsu seemed to take no interest in the boy's preparation for succeeding him as daimyō. Sanemitsu himself had earned a reputation for impoliteness and gluttony, much to the disdain of his loyal retainers.
Kintaka attempted to relay advise from his retainers to his father, hoping that Sanemitsu would listen to his son, yet still Sanemitsu refused to believe that the Ichijō to the south were growing hostile. As such, those samurai that were previously loyal to Sanemitsu began instead to back the young and hot-blooded Kintaka. In 1553, Ichijō Fusamichi invaded central Iyo, supported by the Chosokabe and Motoyama Clans. However, he was ambushed by Kintaka near Mt. Sasayama and slain in battle.
Having earned his first major victory, Kintaka rallied more troops from southern Iyo and pushed hard against the Ichijō, besieging Nakamura Castle and seizing it by the autumn.
Division from Sanemitsu[]
Upon return to his father, however, Kintaka received no reward, instead Sanemitsu reprimanded him for taking action without his permission. Sanemitsu himself took the field, but by this time campaigning season was almost over and barely a few weeks into his march, he was forced to return home. The growing estrangement between father and son was leading towards a state of hostility, with many of those retainers loyal to Kintaka admonishing those loyal to Sanemitsu as cowards. Kajiwara Kazunaga, one of Kintaka's loyalest followers, stated "You are wolves, following a shrew"[1]. Sanemitsu still had retainers loyal to him, but his prestige was dwindling. Most famously, in reference to Kintaka the phrase "A pig has given birth to a tiger"[2] became popular in western Shikoku.
Sanemitsu eventually relented in his aggression towards Kintaka and allowed him to actively engage threats to the Saionji clan without authorisation. Kintaka spent most of 1554 securing western Tosa and skirmishing with Chosokabe forces. In early 1555, Chōsokabe Kunichika lead a force west and attempted to reinstall Ichijō Uchimoto, Fusamichi's son as daimyō of western Tosa. However, he was beaten back at the battle of Shimanto by Kintaka's forces. Kunichika soon after sued for peace with the Saionji, as he now sought to extend his influence over his previous allies the Motoyama instead. Sanemitsu granted this peace, and attributed the success of the negotiations to his "fearsome" reputation. He had seemingly become convinced that he was feared across Shikoku, when in fact it was his son who held this honour.
War with the Kōno[]
In 1556, Kintaka struck north against the Kōno, rapidly overwhelming their forts near Matsuyama. Yadano Yukiuji, a Kōno retainer, fled east from Iyo hoping to reach Niihama but Kintaka managed to catch up with a small, elite force and harrass his rearguard. Realising that he outnumbered the Saionji forces, Yukuiji turned around and engaged Kintaka's men near Kurose lake. After some initial skirmishes, Saionji forces retreated through the valley towards Mount Izisuchi.
Hoping to eliminate the Saionji piecemeal Yukiuji pursued. However, as his forces pushed through the valley, the tight confines of the terrain forced them to advance in a thin column. Upon reaching a small area near Omoto Shrine, they found that more Saionji troops had arrived and were forced to engage in the confined conditions. Yukiuji ordered a group of infantry to scale the hills to the north and try and find a way around the Saionji. However, these troops were then ambushed by Saionji forces hidden in the hills. Having garrisoned Yokomineji Temple, Kintaka had lead his elite troops across the top of the hills and launched a devastating downhill charge, taking the Kōno completely by surprise. Of the near four-thousand Kōno troops lead by Yukiuji, only five-hundred are said to have survived the battle of Saijō. In comparison, of Kintaka's one-thousand he lost only around a hundred.
Kintaka would continue to skirmish with the now greatly weakened Kōno forces across north-western Shikoku, continually pushing them back towards their seat at Matsuyama. Yet once again, Sanemitsu proved to be Kintaka's greatest obstacle, insisting that Kintaka withdraw from Iyo Province and instead focus on administrative duties. At this point it became clear that Sanemitsu was not acting out of pure naivety, but rather out of a genuine attempt to restrict the abilities of his son. It is very likely that Sanemitsu feared the rapidly growing prestige of Kintaka and sort to limit it. However, his actions were counter-productive as, if anything, it only proved the mounting disparity between father and son, and further encouraged Kintaka to rebel.
This would eventually come to a head in 1557 when Kintaka, Kazunaga, Yoshida Motohiko, Emura Hideshige and Hisatake Tadamasa banded together and confronted Sanemitsu within Matsuba Castle. They issued a list of grievances from Sanemitsu's various vassals and pleaded with him to hold a court and discuss matters of state, with Kintaka present. Sanemitsu refused outright, a surprising act of self-destruction even to his loyal followers. In response, those few that still remained loyal seemingly abandoned him as Kintaka's loyalists entered the castle and essentially placed Sanemitsu under house arrest. Whilst he was allowed to leave the Tenshu and enter the castle grounds, it was only under supervision of Kintaka's guards and he was forbidden to send letters to anyone but his direct family (which was only Kintaka at this point).
With his father out of the picture, Kintaka immediately set about diverting funds previously intended for his father's various personal endeavours towards the construction of fortifications and infrastructure, with particular emphasis on deforestation projects in western Tosa. Whilst a great deal of the lumber was either used for fortifications or simply sold to other clans, a large portion was stored in warehouses along the western coast of Iyo, potentially hinting at Kintaka's naval ambitions. Meanwhile, Kintaka and his allies moved north, pushing their advantage against the Kōno. In their time away, Kōno Michinobu had allied himself with the Motoyama Clan and with reinforcements had garrisoned Niihama.