* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Ankokuji Ekei
安国寺恵瓊
The Diplomat-Monk of the Mōri Clan Who Foresaw Nobunaga's Fall and Hideyoshi's Rise — Executed After Sekigahara
Description
Life
Ankokuji Ekei is said to have been born around 1537 or 1539 into the Takeda clan of Aki Province. When Satō Ginzan Castle, the stronghold of the Aki Takeda clan, his family's main house, fell to Mōri Motonari and the clan was destroyed, Ekei entered the priesthood and is said to have trained at Tōfuku-ji Temple in Kyoto.
Activities as a Diplomat-Monk
He later served the Mōri clan as a diplomat-monk, acting as the point of contact in negotiations with Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In particular, immediately after the Honnō-ji Incident, he brokered a peace settlement with Hideyoshi, who was then besieging Bitchū Takamatsu Castle, and is said to have contributed greatly to the survival of the Mōri clan. Under the Toyotomi regime he was granted his own fief and also took part in the conquest of Shikoku and the invasions of Korea.
The Prophecy Concerning Nobunaga and Hideyoshi
In a letter written in 1573 by Ekei to Mōri retainers, there is a passage reading: "Nobunaga's rule should last five years, three at most, after which it appears he will fall headlong. Tōkichirō (Hideyoshi), however, is indeed a man of real substance." It is known as a prophecy that correctly foresaw the collapse of Nobunaga's regime and the rise of Hideyoshi.
The Battle of Sekigahara and Death
At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Ekei became a central figure in installing Mōri Terumoto as commander-in-chief of the Western Army. However, because Kikkawa Hiroie, who was stationed at the foot of Mount Nangū, had secretly come to terms with Tokugawa Ieyasu's side, Mōri forces did not join the fighting, and the Western Army was defeated. After the battle, Ekei was captured as one of the principal instigators of the Western Army and, on the 1st day of the tenth month of that same year, was beheaded at Rokujō-gawara in Kyoto together with Ishida Mitsunari and Konishi Yukinaga.
Later Reputation
Ankokuji Ekei is valued as a rare political monk who supported the Mōri family through diplomacy and intelligence rather than force of arms. At the same time, as a principal figure in the Mōri clan's decisions at Sekigahara, views questioning his responsibility remain strong. As an enigmatic figure emblematic of the late Sengoku period, he continues to attract attention today.