Nobunaga, Yoshiaki, and Noh

 

In 1568, Nobunaga and the newly installed Ashikaga shogun Yoshiaki held a Noh performance in Kyoto.  There were supposed to be thirteen plays of noh performance, but Nobunaga ordered to be shorten to five.  The Noh performance was held at the mansion of Hosokawa Fujikata.  During the performance, Yoshiaki proposed that Nobunaga should be ranked as vice-shogun, but Nobunaga rightly refused.  I will explain shortly.

The Introductory Noh play participants:

Takasago Kanze Sakon no Tayu, Konparu Odayu, Kanze Kojiro.

Large drum Okura Jisuke

Small drum Kanze Hikoemon

Flute Choai

Stick drum Kanze Matasaburo

Now back to Nobunaga's refusal of Yoshiaki's request.  One must remember that Nobunaga was an independent self-made man.  If Nobunaga accepted the shogun's request, he would be a subordinate to the shogun.  That was the last thing Nobunaga wanted.  Nobunaga respected the position of the shogun, but was he never going to be a subordinate to anybody.  Yoshiaki should have known this from the start, but he was not smart enough to recognize it.  In a way, this started the friction between the two and Nobunaga eventually banished the shogun in 1573.

Tenka no tame!