Ishida Mitsunari
Encyclopedia
Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai
who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara
following the Azuchi-Momoyama period
of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō (治部少輔)
He was born in the north of Ōmi Province
(which is now Nagahama
, Shiga prefecture
), and was the second son of Ishida Masatsugu
, who was a retainer for the Azai clan. His childhood name was Sakichi . The Ishida withdrew from service after the Azai's defeat in 1573. According to legend, he was a monk in a Buddhist temple before he served Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, but the accuracy of this legend is doubted since it only came about during the Edo period
.
Mitsunari met Toyotomi Hideyoshi when the former was still young and the latter was the daimyo
of Nagahama. When Hideyoshi engaged in a campaign in the Chūgoku region, Mitsunari assisted his lord in attacks against castles like the Tottori Castle
and Takamatsu Castle
(in present-day Okayama
).
After Hideyoshi seized power, Mitsunari became known as a talented financial manager due to his knowledge and skill at calculation. From 1585 onward, he was the administrator of Sakai
, a role he took together with his elder brother Ishida Masazumi. He was appointed one of the five bugyo
, or top administrators of Hideyoshi's government. Hideyoshi made him a daimyo
of Sawayama in Ōmi Province
, a five hundred thousand koku
fief (now a part of Hikone). Sawayama Castle
was known as one of the best-fortified castles during that time.
Mitsunari was a leader of bureaucrats in Hideyoshi's government, and was known for his rigid character. Though he had many friends, he was on bad terms with some daimyo that were known as good warriors, including Hideyoshi's relative Fukushima Masanori
. After Hideyoshi's death, their conflict worsened. The central point of their conflict was the question whether Tokugawa Ieyasu
could be relied on as a supporter of the Toyotomi government, whose nominal lord was the child Toyotomi Hideyori
.
In 1600, the Battle of Sekigahara
was fought as a result of this political conflict. Mitsunari succeeded in organizing an army led by Mori Terumoto
. But the coalition following Tokugawa Ieyasu
was greater, and the battle resulted in Mitsunari's defeat.
After his defeat, he sought to escape, but was caught by villagers. He was beheaded in Kyoto. After execution, his head, severed from his body, was placed on a stand for all the people in Kyoto to see. However, a rumor has it that after a few days, his head mysteriously disappeared . Other daimyo of the Western army, like Konishi Yukinaga
and Ankokuji Ekei
were also executed.
Mitsunari had three sons (Shigeie, Shigenari
and Sakichi) and three daughters (only the younger girl's name is known, Tatsuko) with his wife, and another child from a mistress.
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Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
following the Azuchi-Momoyama period
Azuchi-Momoyama period
The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...
of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō (治部少輔)
He was born in the north of Ōmi Province
Omi Province
is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...
(which is now Nagahama
Nagahama, Shiga
is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa. The city center was developed and renamed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi when Hideyoshi moved his center of administration from Odani Castle...
, Shiga prefecture
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...
), and was the second son of Ishida Masatsugu
Ishida Masatsugu
was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku period who served the Azai clan. He was the father of Ishida Mitsunari....
, who was a retainer for the Azai clan. His childhood name was Sakichi . The Ishida withdrew from service after the Azai's defeat in 1573. According to legend, he was a monk in a Buddhist temple before he served Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
, but the accuracy of this legend is doubted since it only came about during the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
.
Mitsunari met Toyotomi Hideyoshi when the former was still young and the latter was the daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Nagahama. When Hideyoshi engaged in a campaign in the Chūgoku region, Mitsunari assisted his lord in attacks against castles like the Tottori Castle
Tottori Castle
' was the central castle of the Tottori han in feudal Japan. It was a yamashiro, or 'mountain-castle', built into the mountain itself, using natural obstacles and defenses to a greater extent than man-made walls...
and Takamatsu Castle
Takamatsu Castle (Bitchu)
Takamatsu Castle of Bitchu Province was a Japanese castle located in what is today the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture. Like most Japanese castles, it was built in the late 16th century, during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japanese history.The castle, of the hirajō type, was built very...
(in present-day Okayama
Okayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...
).
After Hideyoshi seized power, Mitsunari became known as a talented financial manager due to his knowledge and skill at calculation. From 1585 onward, he was the administrator of Sakai
Sakai, Osaka
is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.Following the February 2005 annexation of the town of Mihara, from Minamikawachi District, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in...
, a role he took together with his elder brother Ishida Masazumi. He was appointed one of the five bugyo
Bugyo
', often translated as "commissioner" or "magistrate" or "governor," was a title assigned to government officers in pre-modern Japan; other terms would be added to the title to describe more specifically a given commissioner's tasks or jurisdiction....
, or top administrators of Hideyoshi's government. Hideyoshi made him a daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Sawayama in Ōmi Province
Omi Province
is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...
, a five hundred thousand koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
fief (now a part of Hikone). Sawayama Castle
Sawayama Castle
is a castle in the city of Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. This castle was an important military stronghold of Ōmi Province. The Azai clan held this castle in the Sengoku Period. Ishida Mitsunari held it at the end of the 16th century after the ruin of the Azai clan.This castle was attacked by...
was known as one of the best-fortified castles during that time.
Mitsunari was a leader of bureaucrats in Hideyoshi's government, and was known for his rigid character. Though he had many friends, he was on bad terms with some daimyo that were known as good warriors, including Hideyoshi's relative Fukushima Masanori
Fukushima Masanori
was a Japanese daimyo of the late Sengoku Period to early Edo Period who served as lord of the Hiroshima Domain. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the battle of Shizugatake in 1583, and soon became known as one of Seven Spears of Shizugatake which also included Katō Kiyomasa and...
. After Hideyoshi's death, their conflict worsened. The central point of their conflict was the question whether Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
could be relied on as a supporter of the Toyotomi government, whose nominal lord was the child Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori
was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga....
.
In 1600, the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
was fought as a result of this political conflict. Mitsunari succeeded in organizing an army led by Mori Terumoto
Mori Terumoto
Mōri Terumoto , son of Mōri Takamoto and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mōri Motonari, fought against Toyotomi Hideyoshi but was eventually overcome, participated in the Kyūshū campaign on Hideyoshi's side and built Hiroshima Castle, thus essentially founding Hiroshima.Terumoto was a...
. But the coalition following Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
was greater, and the battle resulted in Mitsunari's defeat.
After his defeat, he sought to escape, but was caught by villagers. He was beheaded in Kyoto. After execution, his head, severed from his body, was placed on a stand for all the people in Kyoto to see. However, a rumor has it that after a few days, his head mysteriously disappeared . Other daimyo of the Western army, like Konishi Yukinaga
Konishi Yukinaga
Konishi Yukinaga was a Kirishitan daimyō under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was the son of a wealthy Sakai merchant, Konishi Ryūsa...
and Ankokuji Ekei
Ankokuji Ekei
was a diplomat of Mōri clan, a powerful feudal clan in the Chūgoku region, Japan, as well as a Rinzai Buddhist monk following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 16th century. He went with Toyotomi Hideyoshi on his invasion of Korea, was named abbot of Tōfuku-ji in Kyoto Prefecture, and was given a...
were also executed.
Mitsunari had three sons (Shigeie, Shigenari
Ishida Shigenari
was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo era. He was also known as . The son of Ishida Mitsunari, Shigenari served as a retainer of the Tsugaru clan of Hirosaki....
and Sakichi) and three daughters (only the younger girl's name is known, Tatsuko) with his wife, and another child from a mistress.
Ishida Mitsunari in Fiction
See People of the Sengoku period in popular cultureFurther reading
- Bryant, Anthony. Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle for Power. Praeger Publishers, 2005
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External links
- SengokuDaimyo.com The website of Samurai Author and Historian Anthony J. BryantAnthony J. Bryant-Biography:Anthony J. Bryant is the author of four books for Osprey Military Publishing on samurai history. He is an historian of Japan specializing in Kamakura, Muromachi, and Momoyama period warrior culture. His areas of interest also include Heian-period court structure and society and Japanese...
- SamuraiArchives.com