How to treat "Crusher Boss"(3)
This time, I would like to discuss the Crusher Boss in history.
Who would be the most famous Crusher Boss in Japanese history? I will choose Oda Nobunaga.
I feel sorry for the people who are funs of Oda Nobunaga and I admit his work he had done in his lifetime but I think there is high possibility that he had the characteristic of Crusher Boss※.
※The definition of the Crusher Boss is rather vague so I don't think it will clearly determined the character of the Crusher Boss such as " he is the Crusher Boss !". I think it depends on the percentage of the character.
He had been betrayed by Asai Nagamasa, Araki Murashige and finally he was killed by Mitsuhide Akechi who had been his subordinate. He was good at thinking rationally but is not able to think of others' feelings.
I think it is very interesting that if you watch the drama or novels of Oda Nobunaga, there are subordinates of Oda Nobunaga who survived and who couldn't survive.
This time, I will try to think of the treatment of Crusher boss by analyzing above historical fact.
It might be a cliché but I would like to choose Ieyasu Tokugawa and Hideyoshi Toyotomi for the example of who had succeeded to survive from the Crusher Boss. Before that, I would like to check briefly the life of Nobunaga Oda.
1.The life of Nobunaga Oda
Oda Nobunaga(1534 –1582) was a powerful Daimyō of Japan in the late 16th century who attempted to unify Japan during the late Sengoku period. During his later life, Nobunaga was widely known for most brutal suppression of determined opponents, eliminating those who, by principle, refused to cooperate or yield to his demands. He was both a skilled ruler and keen businessman, promoting economic reform. He was killed when his subordinate Akashi Mitsuhide rebelled against him at Honnō-ji. The administration of Nobunaga is succeeded to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu who was the founder of Edo shogunate (1603-1867). [1]
- The person who survived: Tokugawa Ieyasu
I want to mention Tokugawa Ieyasu first for the subordinates of Oda Nobunaga who successfully survived.
(1)Iron sprit
Ieyasu who opened the Edo shogunate was instructed to kill his son by Nobunaga and did so by ordering him hara-kiri [2]. Generally speaking, if you are in the situation where you need to kill your child, you will go insane. For example, Chōsokabe Motochika who had succeed to control over the Shikoku Irand in the same era was not able to work like he used to when his son happened to be killed by the Hideyoshi's policy which led his clan to be deteriorated. But Ieyasu was not. I think Ieyasu had iron sprit which recovers his difficult situation.
(2)The work does not overlap the one of Crusher Boss
Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga were connected by, so-called, "Kiyosu Domei (Kiyosu Alliance)” The relationship was started as an alliance but in the last stage, it became as a boss and a subordinate. Roughly speaking, I think Kioyosu Alliance was the agreement in which Ode Nobunaga conquers the west and Ieyasu goes to east from the region which is now Aichi Prefecture.
There is a situation which, although most of the persons have been crushed, few persons were exempt from the Crusher Boss's attack. Although it might seem that there is no reason, I think it is simply caused from the fact that the work which such subordinate covers might not just overlap the work of the Crusher Boss.
In addition to above alliance which determined who goes west or east, Nobunaga sticks to work for establishing the grand design of Japan after the Sengoku era. I think Nobunaga had a plan to conquer Ming dynasty like Qing dynasty did in the same era and start activities overseas. Such work did not overlap Ieyasu's one.
On the other hand, my opinion is that Akechi Mitsuhide overlapped such work.
- The person who survive: Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Hideyoshi had also some characteristic above (1)(2). He had below in addition to that.
(1) Concealing his ability
Crusher Boss has desire to be recognized his or her outstanding ability from others. If a subordinate fight with the Crusher Boss in respect of the ability, there is high possibility that the subordinate will be crushed. With regard to this aspect, Hediyoshi was brightest person.
Hideyoshi concealed his abiity from Nobunaga. For example, he led to Nobunaga to Chūgoku region as a Total Commander, saying "Please send us reinforcements since I don't have any confident to conquer Chūgoku region"[3]
Contrast to that, Mitsuhide couldn't do that like Hideyoshi when he had to struggle to conquer Shikoku Region, in which is said turned out to be a murder in Honnō-ji. He couldn't recognized his ability correctly and simply ask Nobunaga for help.
(2) Nobunaga is human beings
Hideyoshi adopted Nobunaga's fourth son since he had no children. It is widely known that this is because how wide the region Hideyoshi conquest, it will belong to Nobunaga child so it will not be minus to Nobunaga who was very paranoid person [4].
When you need to contact with the Crusher Boss, sometime you feel that the Crusher boss is not human being but he or she is human being. These days, it is not realistic to adopt the Crusher Boss' child but there is a possibility of solution when you analyze the Crusher Boss from the view of, for example, father.
- Last
This time I raised two persons; Hideyoshi and Ieyasu. I think there are lots of examples in history which are useful to us. If you are trouble with the Crusher Boss, the novels of Shiba Ryōtarō, such as below, are recommended.
Shiba Ryōtarō (1973)"Shinshi taikoki" Shinchousha
Shiba Ryōtarō (2002) "Haō no ie" Shinchousha
In his theory for Honno-ji incident, Aketchi Mitsuhide was neurosis. Although almost all historians deny this theory, I am in sympathy with Shiba's thought. The reason why I am in sympathy with this theory is because he has the experience of being employed before he became as a novelist. Although there are criticisms of Shiba Ryōtarō's vision of history, so called, "Shiba Shikan", his novels will stand close to the ones who need to be under the Crusher Boss.
References:
[2] Although my explanation might be rather rough, below books shows that it seems that it was caused from internal trouble in Ieyasu's clan. Anyhow, I think the fact that Ieyasu had iron spirit won't change.
Taniguch Katuhiko (2007) "Nobunaga To Kieata Kashintachi” Chouoshinsho
https://www.amazon.co.jp/信長と消えた家臣たち―失脚・粛清・謀反-中公新書-谷口-克広/dp/4121019075(*)I think it is not translated in English.
[3] I refer to 519 page of Shiba Ryōtarō (1965)"Kunitori monogatari" Shinchousha. I didn't have a chance to find out the actual letter.
(*) It seems it is not translated in English
[4] Hashiba Hidekatsu - Wikipedia
(*) The back ground of why Hideyoshi adopted Nobunaga's song is not translated in English
[5] Amazon CAPTCHA
(*)I think it is not translated in English.
[6] Amazon CAPTCHA
(*)I think it is not translated in English.
