tribal confederation · Korea and Japan

Iga confederacy

1550 CE – 1581 CE (approx.)

A self-governing league of the small warrior families of Iga province, famous as a home of ninja, crushed by Oda Nobunaga in 1581.

Origins

Iga, a hilly province southeast of Kyoto, had no strong governor in the Sengoku period. Its many small landholding warrior families, the jizamurai, formed a league known as the Iga sokoku ikki, and a surviving covenant from around the 1560s sets out its rules.

Rule and society

The league was governed by councils of local leaders who agreed to defend the province jointly, mobilise all men in emergencies and forbid dealings with outside lords. It cooperated with a similar league in neighbouring Koka. Men of Iga were hired across Japan as specialists in scouting, infiltration and raids, the shinobi, or ninja.

Decline and legacy

In 1579 Oda Nobunaga's son Nobukatsu invaded Iga and was beaten back. In 1581 Nobunaga sent a large army that overran the province, burned temples and killed much of the population, ending the league's independence.

Connections (1)

  • Iga confederacy was conquered by Oda regime1581 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Iga confederacy. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/iga-confederacy
MLA
“Iga confederacy.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/iga-confederacy. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Iga confederacy.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/iga-confederacy.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Iga confederacy’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/iga-confederacy (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻