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The Iga ikki (伊賀惣国一揆) was a military[1] confederation of shinobi based in Sengoku era Iga province, Japan. This independent league did not recognize any daimyō's hegemony and expelled Iga's military governor that had been appointed by the Ashikaga shogunate. Unlike other ikki of the era, the Iga ikki was particularly long-lived. Part of their longevity was associated with the province's mountainous terrain, which was predisposed for keeping outsiders out.[2]
Other factors included their long experience with guerrilla warfare and their seamless integration of the commoner population into the organization, which allowed them to conscript community members from all levels, give them military training, and utilize them against threats, essentially mobilizing the entire community.[2] Despite these tactical advantages, the Oda clan attacked the ikki in 1579 and 1581, and though they managed to repel the first invasion, the second overwhelmed their forces and Oda Nobunaga destroyed the group, though some individual shinobi were spared.[2]
History[]
Born out of the fragmentation of central power in the wake of the Ōnin War, the community in Iga decided to create their own code for living in the unstable period that followed. As a way to limit internal conflict, two documents were produced in 1494 that formed rules for life within Iga. The first document was an agreement to abide by specific rules that limited conflict over territory and a general code of conduct that was signed by 350 commoners. The second document was signed by 46 people representing Iga's families of note, who vowed not to fight over taxes or the collection thereof and to work together to prevent insubordination of the peasants underneath them, as well as to defend the territory. These two groups formed a united front to maintain local order and peace from both internal and external sources, such as bandits and neighboring daimyō.[2]
In 1578, Oda Nobukatsu decided to invade Iga, taking the Iga ikki's expulsion of their military governor as an excuse. He dispatched Takigawa Kazumasu to build a castle for them to use as a staging point for the invasion, though Takigawa and his forces were forced to retreat by November of that year. In October 1579, he tried another invasion, but the ikki's guerrilla tactics inflicted heavy losses against his army, who had to retreat again. On 30 September 1581, furious over Nobukatsu's ineptitude, his father Nobunaga invaded Iga with a large army that outnumbered the defendants about 4 to 1. The superior numbers allowed him to attack from six different directions, impeding the ikki from concentrating their forces to prevent any single incursion. Overrun, they retreated to two castles, one in the north and one in the south, but had to surrender on 8 October, marking their defeat.[2]
Appearances[]
- Echoes of History – Shadows (first mentioned)
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows – Iga no Monogatari
References[]
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