Ninagawa Chikanaga (蜷川親長)
Chikanaga NINAGAWA was a warlord from the time of the Sengoku period (Period of Warring States) to the Azuchi Momoyama period.
Brief Personal History
The Ninagawa clan had served the Ashikaga Shogun family for generations and held the post of proxy officer of the Mandokoro (Administrative Board) for the Muromachi bakufu.
His father was Chikayo NINAGAWA. His wife was the daughter of Toshikata SAITO and her mother was the daughter of Chikakazu NINAGAWA, making his wife Chikanaga's cousin.
Authority of an ancient practice of customs. Commonly called Shinemon. His go (pseudonym) was Dohyo.
Biography
He was born the first son of Chikayo NINAGAWA in 1533.
Chikanaga served the 13th Shogun Yoshiteru ASHIKAGA, ruling over Kirinokawachi, Funai County, Tanba Province, living in Bankonji Castle along with his father Chikayo; however, in 1565, Yoshiteru was defeated by Hisahide MATSUNAGA and Chikanaga lost his territory. Thereafter, he went to Tosa Province and served Motochika CHOSOKABE (Chikanaga and Motochika's wife are half-siblings with a different father).
He was treated well because of his knowledge of court rules, ceremony, decorum and records of the past, and customs in Kyoto, as well as being an outstanding renga poet
He is known to be the person creating Motochika Hyakukajo (100 articles of Motochika). He was the envoy seeking gago (Sekkei, Suishinriin) for Motochika and his wife from the priest Shuryo SAKUGEN of Kyoto Toji-ji Temple. In 1600, after the cession of the Battle of Sekigahara, he presented tact in handling financial affairs for the deprival of the Chosokabe family property, and he also showed great performance in the suppress uprising, for which Ieyasu TOKUGAWA awarded him 500 koku at Tsuzuki County, Yamashiro Province, as the Hatamoto (direct retainer of the shogun) and advisor to Ieyasu. He died on June 28, 1610 in Kyoto. Age of death: 78. His a posthumous Buddhist name was (如水軒峯室道標居士). He is buried at Shinnyo-do Temple in Kyoto.