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1474 (Bunmei 6) – 1580 (Tenshō 8)
Kaga Province (present-day southern Ishikawa) and surrounding Hokuriku region
About 18 min read
The Kaga Ikko Uprising (Kaga Ikko Ikki) was a large-scale armed rebellion and self-governing system led by Pure Land Buddhism (Jōdo Shinshū / Ikko sect) adherents that unfolded over approximately 100 years from 1474 (Bunmei 6) to 1580 (Tenshō 8), centered in Kaga Province (present-day southern Ishikawa). As the phrase 'a nation held by commoners' demonstrates, peasants, townspeople, and monks who had overthrown the provincial governors and their deputies took control of national governance—realizing an exceptionally rare form of politics in Japanese medieval history.
Pure Land Buddhism (Jōdo Shinshū / Ikko sect) was a Buddhist sect founded by Saint Shinran during the Kamakura period. The doctrine that anyone could achieve rebirth in the Pure Land by chanting the Nembutsu ('Namu Amida Butsu') attracted wide belief across peasants, merchants, and warriors alike. The Hongan-ji Temple (revived by Rennyo) established strong religious networks throughout Hokuriku, Tōkai, and Kinki regions, and numerous lay follower organizations (kō) were formed in Kaga Province as well.
While the Togashi clan served as provincial governors of Kaga, frequent internal conflicts with their deputies kept the province politically unstable. In 1474 (Bunmei 6), Ikko sect adherents rose up and overthrew Provincial Governor Togashi Kōchiyō (the Bunmei Uprising). In the following year, 1475 (Bunmei 7), Provincial Governor Togashi Masachika cooperated with the adherents to stabilize the province, but in 1488 (Chōkyō 2), adherent forces surrounded and destroyed Masachika at Takao Castle (the Chōkyō Uprising), and Kaga Province came under de facto self-governance by the Ikko adherents.
After the Chōkyō Uprising, Kaga Province adopted a unique system in which lay representative leaders, Buddhist monks, and local strongmen (dōgyō) operated national governance through collective deliberation under the influence of Hongan-ji Temple. This was the origin of the phrase 'a nation held by commoners.' In reality, influential wealthy farmers, local strongmen, and merchants often held primary authority, so it could not be called complete commoner self-governance; however, it was clearly a distinct form of politics fundamentally different from feudal control by daimyō provincial governors.
The Ikko adherents organized military forces and established religious-military bases called 'dōjō' throughout the region. Lay soldiers took up swords and spears between farm work to prepare for the uprising's defense. The combat power of the Ikko adherents, who fought under the banner of 'Namu Amida Butsu,' should not be underestimated, and they caused suffering to numerous military commanders. The fact that Nobunaga fought against Hongan-ji Temple for ten years in the Ishiyama Campaign (1570-1580) stands as the greatest example of the Ikko adherents' military capability.
The Kaga Ikko Uprising holds special significance in the history of Japanese swords. Generally, Japanese swords are considered the property of the warrior class, but in the Ikko Uprising, peasants and lay adherents actually took swords, spears, and naginata in hand and fought. At the time of the uprising, crude swords and blades are said to have been used alongside farming tools, but particularly influential local strongmen and Buddhist monks possessed high-quality swords and blades.
The relationship between Kaga's swordsmith industry and the Ikko Uprising should not be overlooked. Kaga Province became known in the early modern period for swordsmiths like Kashū Kiyomitsu, but the foundation for this was established during the Sengoku period. The 100-year state of military readiness during the Ikko Uprising sustained sword and blade demand in Kaga and supported the activities of regional swordsmiths. While records of the practical swords and blades used by the Ikko adherents survive only fragmentarily, the existence of peasant soldiers bearing blades is confirmed through combat records.
From 1573 (Tenshō 1) onward, Oda Nobunaga intensified his confrontation with Hongan-ji Temple (the Ishiyama Campaign) and advanced the conquest of Kaga, Echū, and Noto under Shibata Katsuie as the primary force in the Hokuriku region. In 1580 (Tenshō 8), after peace was established between Nobunaga and Hongan-ji Temple (Abbot Kennyo), the Kaga Ikko Uprising came to a de facto end. Once Nobunaga's control of Kaga was firmly established, the Ikko adherents' armed self-governing system was dismantled, and Kaga came to be ruled by figures such as Shibata Katsuie and Maeda Toshiie.
Thereafter, Maeda Toshiie rose to prominence as a great daimyō governing Kaga, Noto, and Echū, establishing the culturally rich foundation known as 'Maeda's Million Koku.' The Maeda house collected and protected numerous renowned swords, transmitting celebrated masterpieces including Daiten'tā Kiyomitsu. The martial soil of Kaga that had been cultivated over the 100 years of the Ikko Uprising ironically became one of the foundations for the Maeda family's promotion of sword culture. The Kaga Ikko Uprising—a century of self-rule defended by the peasant's blade—remains as one of the most dramatic chapters in the history of Japanese swords, its memory inscribed to this day.
In Japan during the Sengoku period, the fixed notion that 'peasants could not possess swords' did not necessarily align with the actual circumstances of the time. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued the 'Sword Hunt Edict' (Katanagari Rei) in 1588 (Tenshō 16), it was precisely in response to the fact that peasants and religious institutions were holding massive quantities of weapons. The Kaga Ikko Uprising stands out as a case in which peasants and adherents were systematically armed more than 100 years before this.
The weapons of the Ikko adherents were not limited to swords and blades alone; spears, naginata, bows, and crossbows were also employed. However, in close-quarters combat, the sword was the most important weapon, and the Ikko adherents' fighters practiced swordplay between agricultural work. It is said that among Kaga's Buddhist monks (the leadership layer of the adherents), some were skilled in martial arts, and historical records exist of their reputation as 'the monks' sword.' The swords and blades they used were not the works of renowned swordsmiths but were likely mostly functional, utilitarian weapons; nevertheless, they played an important role as front-line arms supporting the extended uprising.
Throughout the 100 years of the Kaga Ikko Uprising, Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo repeatedly intervened militarily in the Kaga, Echū, and Noto regions. Kenshin was a pious warrior known as the 'incarnation of Bishamonten' and held a religious position fundamentally incompatible with the Ikko sect. While fighting the Ikko Uprisings of Echū and Noto, Kenshin sought to establish dominance over the Hokuriku region, but he did not succeed in completely suppressing them. Kenshin's beloved swords, such as 'Yamatorige' (unsigned Ichimonji), shone on the Hokuriku battlefields of this era. The Hokuriku battlefields where Ikko adherent peasant soldiers faced off against Kenshin's elite samurai warriors were a temporal-spatial realm rich with context in the history of Japanese swords.
After the conclusion of the Kaga Ikko Uprising, Kaga's swordsmith industry developed significantly under the patronage of the Maeda clan. Especially from the mid-Edo period onward, swordsmiths known by the name 'Kashū Kiyomitsu' (Kaga Province Kiyomitsu) came into prominence, and Kaga blades established a unique position. Kashū Kiyomitsu swords are known for their vivid hamon (temper line) and refined jihada (steel grain pattern), and were favored by the Bakumatsu (late Tokugawa) loyalists. The Kashū Kiyomitsu sword favored by Okita Sōji during his Shinsengumi years was highly valued by swordsmen for its cutting ability. This lineage of Kaga swordsmiths is the crystallization of the martial tradition of Hokuriku that the Ikko Uprising maintained over 100 years and the cultural richness nurtured by Maeda's Million Koku. As a rare historical stage where the practical aspects of Japanese swords intersect with religion, peasantry, and culture, the Kaga Ikko Uprising occupies an important position in contemporary sword research.
The fighters of the Kaga Ikko Uprising were driven by Pure Land Buddhist belief that 'upon death, one achieves rebirth in the Pure Land.' This concept of 'rebirth' motivated people to the battlefield with different impetus than the samurai's 'way of the warrior.' While samurai gave their lives for honor, loyalty, and feudal relationships, the Ikko adherent disciples feared not death for their faith and certainty of the Pure Land. This spiritual background was in part why the Ikko adherents' combat power was feared by military commanders as a 'fanatical strength' transcending mere martial force.
While the Japanese sword is traditionally considered the 'soul of the samurai,' the Kaga Ikko Uprising brings to light another aspect of swords and blades as the 'peasant and adherent's blade.' The sword became a tool to protect people across class boundaries, to protect faith, and to defend the land. Throughout the 100 years of this uprising, the swords and blades borne by Kaga's peasants hold special significance as 'the people's sword' in the history of Japanese swords. Even today, the Kaga Ikko Uprising shines as an important historical testament demonstrating that swords and blades are not mere possessions of the samurai but are rooted deeply in Japan's folk culture and religion.