What is “Shinkun Iga Goe”?
The incident called “Shinkun Iga Goe” refers to Tokugawa Ieyasu’s escape from Sakai in Izumi Province (present-day Osaka Prefecture) to Ieyasu’s domain, Mikawa Province (present-day Aichi Prefecture), Tōtoumi Province (present-day western Shizuoka Prefecture) and Suruga Province (present-day central Shizuoka Prefecture) in 1582, when Oda Nobunaga was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide. (Tokugawa Ieyasu was enshrined as a god (神) named “東照大権現 Tōshō Daigongen” after his death, so he is also referred to as “神君 Shinkun”).
Ieyasu was a companion of Nobunaga, and at the time of the “Honnō-ji Incident,” Ieyasu was just in Sakai on a sightseeing tour. Nobunaga was close to unifying the country, and the territory of the Kinai (the five domains around Kyoto), including Sakai, was of little military danger, so Ieyasu did not have much of a subordinate with him.
Ieyasu would, after years, open the Edo Shogunate and achieve unification of Japan, but in his long life up to the age of 75, he had several crises. Among those crises, the most notable incident is this “Shinkun Iga Goe. Incidentally, Takashige Honda recite three particularly major crises for Ieyasu: the first was the Battle of Mikatagahara, the second was the political and military confrontation with Hideyoshi Hashiba (the “家康成敗Ieyasu Seibai” crisis), and the third was the “Shinkun Iga Goe” (Takashige Honda, “徳川家康の決断”).
Scarce Historical Records
Although the “Shinkun Iga Goe” was a major crisis for Ieyasu, there are few reliable historical records, and the specifics of the process and events are unclear. The historical documents that remain are mostly unreliable folklore (traditions passed down to future generations), sagas (stories containing lessons learned based on the legends of people in the past), and venerable stories (about how things happened) made up to make the family proud. We do not even know what escape route Ieyasu took as he fled. It is not possible to definitively deny or affirm that he really passed through the Iga region, although it is sometimes claimed that there is some doubt as to whether he really passed through the Iga region. Reasons for this include the fact that the incident was only brief, that there was no time to record it clearly during the period of warfare, and that there were few eyewitnesses.
Regarding Ieyasu’s escape route, Tatsuo Fujita’s view, which classifies them according to the degree of possibility, would make sense (“伊賀市史第一巻 通史編 古代中世”). The escape route is between Shigaraki in Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture) and the Kabuto Pass, but there are three theories as to what kind of route it was: the route in the “石川忠総留書” (Marubashira➔ Kawai➔ Tsuge ①), the route in the “Tokugawa Jikki” (Tarao➔ Otogi Pass ②), or the route in the “戸田本三河記” (③). Fujita states that ① is highly likely, ② is considerably less likely, but ③ cannot be ruled out.
Did Hattori Hanzo Help Ieyasu?
Since there are few historical records, and the only related historical records are in Koka, Ōmi Province, it is impossible to prove that Hattori Hanzo led Iga-mono to Ieyasu’s peril and helped Iga over the border, as commonly believed. In books written by the Tokugawa Shogunate on the history of Iga-mono, it frequently appears that Iga-mono rushed to guide Iga over the “Shinkun Iga Goe”, and were later taken in at Narumi in Owari Province (present-day Aichi Prefecture). This story was probably created by the Iga ninja who worked near the shogun (general) during the Edo period, such as in the O-oku area of Edo Castle (the place in the castle where the shogun’s wife and other family members lived), to appeal to the legitimacy of their ancestral service (Yoshiki Takao, “忍者の末裔 江戸城に勤めた伊賀者たち”). This type of “Shinkun Iga Goe” story was intended to protect the power and interests of the Iga ninja during the Edo period; rather, it is a historical source for understanding the political situation during the Edo period. (Yoshiki Takao)
