Ōyamazaki

Ōyamazaki (大山崎町) is a town in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. During the late Sengoku period, it was a village situated in Shōryūji in the Yamashiro province.

History

Originally a hub of oil production, Ōyamazaki grew in prominence and in production due to its proximity with Kyoto. The merchants of Ōyamazaki were favored by those of the Iwashimizu Hachimangū, who gave them priority of their trade, purchasing and transporting the raw material egoma, and selling the complete product. Between the late 14th century and the early 15th century, trade was at its greatest. However, following the Ōnin War, merchants of other regions began selling and producing oil, breaking Ōyamazaki's grasp on the market.^[1]

In 1582, the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke chased down Akechi Mitsuhide to the village from the battle at Shōryū-ji Castle. At the shores, Mitsuhide was about to escape but chose to stay and face his fate while dismissing his guard. Naoe and Yasuke caught up and confronted Mitsuhide, who appeased to how the Shinbakufu used them and how he followed Oda Nobunaga until seeing the bloodshed left behind from his warmongering. However, Naoe and Yasuke remained steady while Mitsuhide condemned them for supporting Hideyoshi before fighting him.^[2]

Fighting both of them, Mitsuhide was bested and revealed that Ashikaga Yoshiaki was the leader of the Shinbakufu and responsible for Naoe's father's death. Looking to Yasuke, Mitsuhide told him that he is the greatest of all the samurai under Nobunaga. Done with his words, the pair was nearly about to kill him but Mitsuhide requested to die like a samurai. However, Naoe unsheathed her hidden blade and stabbed him in the throat, ultimately killing him. Afterwards, Hideyoshi arrived and thanked them for their efforts and told them that he will make sure samurai will not abuse their authority under his watch. Before leaving, they acquired the katana Dragon's Edge from Mitsuhide's personal effects.^[2]

Naoe and Yasuke later tracked down the location of a member of a group of killers hired by the Templars to kill and replace local influential people. Across the river near the village, they caught sight of the Collector hassling a local fisherman . Confronting her, they assassinated her and recovered a letter from the Trader which detailed her location.^[3] At some point, they also established a kakurega in the village.^[4]