Ōyamazaki

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

History[edit | edit source]

Originally a hub of oil production, Ōyamazaki grew in prominence and in production due to its proximity to Kyoto. The merchants of Ōyamazaki were favored by those of the Iwashimizu Hachimangū shrine, 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 mid-15th century, trade reached its peak. However, following the Ōnin War, merchants from other regions began selling and producing oil, breaking Ōyamazaki's grasp on the market.^[1]

On 2 July 1582, the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke pursued Akechi Mitsuhide to the village from the battle at Shōryū-ji Castle. Near the shore, Mitsuhide was about to escape on a boat but at the last moment decided to stay and face his fate. As Naoe and Yasuke arrived and confronted Mitsuhide, he explained how the Shinbakufu had used them and how Oda Nobunaga's warmongering had led him to betray his lord. However, Naoe and Yasuke remained steady in their convictions while Mitsuhide condemned them for supporting Hashiba Hideyoshi.^[2]

Reaching for their weapons, Naoe and Yasuke engaged Mitsuhide, who was defeated and mortally wounded. In his final moments, Mitsuhide identified Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the Shinbakufu's leader and told Yasuke that he might be the greatest of all the Oda clan's samurai, for he was the one who managed to avenge Nobunaga. Mitsuhide then asked that he be given a proper warrior's death, but Naoe echoed the words he had told her father Nagato on the night he murdered him, and stabbed him with her Hidden Blade.^[2]

Moments later, Hideyoshi arrived and saw Mitsuhide's body before speaking to Naoe and Yasuke. He thanked them for their efforts and told them that he would make sure samurai would not abuse their authority under his watch, to which Naoe remarked that, if they did, Hideyoshi would have to answer to them. Before leaving Ōyamazaki, Naoe and Yasuke acquired the katana Dragon's Edge from Mitsuhide's personal effects.^[2]

Sometime later, Naoe and Yasuke tracked the location of a member of a group of killers hired by the Templars. Across the river near the village, they caught sight of one of the killers, 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]