The Passing of Lord Yoshimori

　　Tracing the lineage of the Mogami clan far back in time to its progenitor, it was Lord Shuri no Daibu Kaneyori, descended from the Seiwa Genji line, who entered the domain of Yamagata in the Mogami district of Dewa as provincial inspector(1) of the region on the 6th day of the eighth month of Enbun 1(2), the year of the monkey. Kaneyori passed away on the 8th day of the sixth month of Kōryaku 1(3), but the family line has continued uninterrupted for many long years since then, with Lord Yoshiaki eighth in the line of Mogami lords(4).
　　When Lord Yoshiaki was in his sixteenth year, he accompanied hisfather Lord Yoshimori to the village of Takayu to bathe in the healing waters of the local hot springs. There father and son spent a few pleasant days hunting deer and birds, but one evening a group of several dozen local thieves launched a night raid on their place of lodging. Lord Yoshimori’s personal attendants emerged to fight and rout these bandits, and Lord Yoshiaki also dashed unhesitatingly into the fray, wounding two bandits and grappling with and slaying another with his sword. Lord Yoshimori was deeply proud of the valor his son had displayed before his very eyes, and the following day he brought forth his famed sword Sasagatana(5), which had been forged by the swordsmith Sadaie and passed down through the Mogami family. “The sword you see before you,” he told his son, “was presented to me in my seventeenth year on the battlefield at the entrance to Narage, when I distinguished myself in battle there. As your actions here have shown your valiance to be no less than mine, I hereby bestow this sword upon you.”
　　Filled with an immeasurable joy, Yoshiaki accepted the sword given him, and he and his father subsequently made their return to Yamagata Castle. It was many years hence, from the middle of the third month of Tenshō 18(6), that Lord Yoshimori declined in health and became confined to his bed. Lord Yoshiaki attempted many medical remedies, but all were without effect, and on the 17th day of the fifth month, Lord Yoshimori passed away at the age of 70. After his death, he was given the Buddhist name of Eirin, and the funeral ceremonies held at Ryūmonji Temple, constructed by Lord Yoshimori in advance of his passing, were the grandest that had ever been seen.


――――――――――――――――――――
(1)This position was comparable to that of a commanding officer or governor
(2) 1356
(3) 1379
(4) Yoshiaki was in fact the 11th lord of the Mogami clan
(5) Also known as ‘Sasakiri’
(6) 1590

>>CONTENTS