Yamana Yoshitada (山名義理)
Yoshitada YAMANA (date of birth and death unknown) was a Japanese military commander in the Muromachi period. He was the second son of Tokiuji YAMANA. He had sons called Yoshikiyo YAMANA, Ujichika YAMANA, and Tokimichi YAMANA. Yoshitada's official court rank was Shuri no daibu (Master of the Office of Palace Repairs) and danjo-shohitsu (Associate Deputy Minister of Justice). He was a provincial constable of the Mimasaka province and Kii province.
In 1378, Yoshitada was ordered to suppress Shotoku HASHIMOTO of the Southern Court who had raised an army in the Kii province, and dispatched troops with Ujikiyo YAMANA, his younger brother. In 1380, he exterminated Shotoku HASHIMOTO. Because of this achievement, Yoshitada was appointed to a provincial constable of the Kii province.
In 1391, Ujikiyo and Mitsuyuki YAMANA, Yoshitada's nephew, determined to launch a coup d'etat provoked by Seii-Taishogun (great, unifying leader) Yoshimitsu ASHIKAGA, who was attempting to weaken the Yamana clan. Ujikiyo visited the Kii province under control of Yoshitada and persuaded doshin (police constables). Yoshitada hesitated, but was overwhelmed by his impassioned speech and finally agreed with Ujikiyo. Ujikiyo and Mitsuyuki raised an army and pushed into Kyoto City, but they were defeated, and Ujikiyo died on the battle field and Mitsuyuki ran away. Yoshitada did not dispatch an army and did mot move from the Kii province (Meitoku War).
After the war, Yoshitada apologized to Yoshimitsu, but the shogun did not accept this and forfeited the Kii and Mimasaka provinces from him and gave them to Yoshihiro OUCHI and Yoshinori AKAMATSU respectively. The army in the Mimasaka province surrendered to Yoshinori AKAMATSU. In 1392, Yoshihiro OUCHI attacked the Kii province, where Yoshitada lived, with an army of one thousand horses and soldiers. Yoshitada tried to resist, but every local lord in the Kii province was against him. Yoshitada escaped by boat together with sixty-three people of his family and fled into Sumoto City, Awaji province. In the Kokoku-ji Temple there, he shaved his head and became a priest together with seventeen people, including Ujichika and Tokimichi, his sons.