Kojima Motoshige
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese samurai
of the Sengoku period who served the Uesugi clan
. Prior to joining the Uesugi, Kojima had been a vassal to the Jinbo clan
, however was exiled under suspicion of collusion with an enemy clan. Kojima attempted to take refuge in a temple in Hida Province
, but when the temple was burned in 1560, he was forced to move again. He eventually joined the Uesugi, and it is believed that he assassinated Shiina Yasutane
on Uesugi Kenshin
's order in 1576, as a condition of his employment.
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
of the Sengoku period who served the Uesugi clan
Uesugi clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan and particularly notable for their power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods ....
. Prior to joining the Uesugi, Kojima had been a vassal to the Jinbo clan
Jinbo clan
The ' was a Japanese clan that was active in Echigo Province during the Sengoku period, as retainers of the Uesugi clan. During the Edo period, one branch of the Jinbo would enter the service of the Matsudaira clan of Aizu; another would become hatamoto in the service of the Tokugawa shogunate....
, however was exiled under suspicion of collusion with an enemy clan. Kojima attempted to take refuge in a temple in Hida Province
Hida Province
is an old province located in the area of Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province was in the Tōsandō area of central Honshu.-History:...
, but when the temple was burned in 1560, he was forced to move again. He eventually joined the Uesugi, and it is believed that he assassinated Shiina Yasutane
Shiina Yasutane
Shiina Yasutane was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period, who was lord of the Shiina clan of Etchu Province. Throughout the 1550's and 60's he led numerous attacks on the Jinbo clan, and in one of the few documented cases of two generals engaging personally in combat on the field, Yasutane...
on Uesugi Kenshin
Uesugi Kenshin
was a daimyo who ruled Echigo province in the Sengoku period of Japan.He was one of the most powerful lords of the Sengoku period. While chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries...
's order in 1576, as a condition of his employment.