Miyoshi clan
The Miyoshi of the Awa province of Shikoku entered the sengoku period as retainers of the Hosokawa. With various branches of the Hosokawa vying for control of the position of kanrei, the Miyoshi were called to serve and became increasingly relied upon. Miyoshi Yukinaga's troops participiated in the seesaw contest for Kyoto and although Yukinaga was forced to commit suicide in 1520, the fortunes of the Miyoshi reached their zenith under his grandson Nagayoshi (Chokei). Following Chokei's death in 1564, the Miyoshi were for a time directed by the so-called Miyoshi Triumvir (Miyoshi Sanninshu) while competing with their erstwhile retainer Matsunaga Hisahide. The Miyoshi and Matsunaga briefly joined forces to destroy Ashikaga Yoshiteru in 1565, placing the child Tokugawa Yoshihide in the position of shogun. Driven from Yamashiro province in 1568 by Oda Nobunaga, the Miyoshi were next forced from their strongholds in Settsu and retired to Awa. There the remaining Miyoshi were eventually overcome by Chosokabe Motochika.
References
- Initial text from Sengoku Biographical Dictionary (Samurai-Archives.com) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005