Sanada Nobushige (Yukimura), who was imprisoned by Tokugawa Ieyasu in Kutoyama (Kutoyama-cho, Itsu-gun, Wakayama Prefecture) after the Battle of Sekigahara, had a certain pastime. What was this hobby, which he took up at the suggestion of Kimura Tsunashige, an important vassal of the Sanada family?
Q.Which of the following was the passion of Sanada Nobushige (Yukimura), who was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara and resided at his estate in Kutoyama?
- Renga (linked verse)
- Waka poetry
- Nogaku
- Kabuki
It may be hard to imagine from his military fame that he fought in many battles. Sanada Nobushige (Yukimura), a well-known general, was obsessed with one thing during the time he spent at his estate.
After the battle of Sekigahara in September 1600, Sanada Nobushige and his father Masayuki were imprisoned in Kutoyama (Kutoyama Town, Wakayama Prefecture). For the rest of his life, Nobushige’s solace came in the form of renga (linked verse).
In a letter from Nobushige dated September 20 (year unknown), he tells the unknown addressee of his poverty-stricken life and asks adressee to convey that to Nobuyuki, his elder brother (Document in the possession of Mr. Hikosuke Nagai). Nobuyuki relied on his elder brother because he was also the head of the Sanada family and could be expected to provide him with financial support.
The second half of the letter asked for the addressee to predict how poor his life was. However, in the postscript, Nobushige wrote about learning renga at Kutoyama, and that he wanted to perform it if he had a chance. It seems like renga was Nobushige’s small daily pleasure.
Nobushige, despite being in dire financial straits, probably never thought of “overthrowing Ieyasu,” as did his father Masayuki. All the other letters preserved wrote about the same thing.
In Nobushige’s letter (addressed to Kimura Tsunashige, an important vassal of the Sanada family) dated on December New Year’s Eve, believed to be around Keicho 18 (“Documents owned by Miyazawa Tsuneo”), he states that Tsunashige should be rest assured that his(Nobushige’s) life is unchanged, but also mentions that he is inconvenienced by the winter life. He also asks for an insight into his impoverished life and concludes by expressing his wish to meet Tsunashige. Although a little indirect, it is clear that he is earnestly appealing for help in his predicament.
The main purpose of the letter was to express gratitude for the salmon sent as a New Year’s gift, but at the same time, it revealed his difficult situation. The letter states that his life would not change, but since it hints at the difficult economic situation he was in, it is likely that his life not changing was not the case in reality. The euphemism for the situation seems to be that there was a small amount of pride left in him.
In a postscript to the letter, he states that he learned that Tsunashige was enthusiastic about renga, and that Nobushige also recommended renga as a daily consolation. However, he regrets that he has not been able to improve his performance of renga since he took up the art in his old age. If Nobushige had studied renga in earnest, he might have improved considerably.
