Otani Yoshitsugu
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese samurai
of the Sengoku period
though Azuchi-Momoyama Period
. He was also known by his court title, . He was born in 1559 to a father who was said to be a retainer of either Ōtomo Sōrin
or of Rokkaku Yoshikata
. He become one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
's followers. He participated in the Kyushu campaign, and was sent to Korea as one of the Three Bureaucrats with Mashita Nagamori
and Ishida Mitsunari
.
, and his friendship. Supposedly he was one who put friendship before anything (although obviously such a subjective matter is hard to determine), and it may have been in Korea that Ishida and Ōtani, working together, formed their legendary friendship. There is even an anecdote concerning this friendship, which goes something like this: A secret tea party was being held, and all those invited were passing around a cup of tea. As Ōtani Yoshitsugu took a sip, some pus from his face dropped into the cup. Yoshitsugu discovered this, but too late: the cup was already being passed around. The people who took sips after this all had horrified expressions on their faces, but when it came to Mitsunari's turn, he calmly drank all the remaining tea, pus and all. Yoshitsugu was amazed: "This Mitsunari is an extraordinary man!"
Before the Battle of Sekigahara
, Yoshitsugu was said to have repeatedly tried to persuade Mitsunari of the futility of his actions. However, at seeing the staunchness of his friend's convictions, Yoshitsugu joined his cause after mulling it over for several days. At the time, Yoshitsugu's health was deteriorating, making him nearly blind. He could not stand up, let alone fight. He was led to the battleground in a palanquin.
Yoshitsugu was at the head of about 600 men, with another 4000 or so under Toda Shigemasa, Hiratsuka Tamehiro, Ōtani Yoshikatsu (his son), and Kinoshita Yoritsugu. As the battle raged on, Kobayakawa Hideaki
, who was situated above Yoshitsugu on Mount Matsuo, didn't move, despite repeated calls from Ishida Mitsunari. Yoshitsugu suspected something, and thus called for his troops to position themselves so as to prepare for a possible attack from their flanks. His hunch was right, as following a stimulatory gun volley from Ieyasu's position, Kobayakawa Hideaki and his troops rushed down the mountain towards Yoshitsugu's position. This movement was immediately followed by Akaza Naoyasu
, Ogawa Suketada
, Kutsuki Mototsuna
, and Wakizaka Yasuharu, a total of over 20,000 troops.
Yoshitsugu's troops fought back, at one point even driving back Kobayakawa's troops partway up the mountain, but in the end, sheer numbers took their toll. While this was happening, Yoshitsugu, unable to see, repeatedly asked one of his retainers, Yuasa Gosuke, "Is it lost?" When the latter finally answered in the affirmative, Yoshitsugu asked him to cut his head off. He was then beheaded by his retainer, who also committed seppuku.
.
Yoshitsugu is the inspiration for the fictional Lord Onoshi in James Clavell's novel Shōgun
.
Yoshitsugu becomes playable character in Sengoku Basara 3, using several orbs as weapon, and has apparent supernatural abilities. He is portrayed as being very pessimistic and sadomasochistic, often commenting on how much he enjoys watching the other characters suffer (except for Mitsunari).
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...
of the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
though 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...
. He was also known by his court title, . He was born in 1559 to a father who was said to be a retainer of either Ōtomo Sōrin
Otomo Sorin
, also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige and Ōtomo Yoshishige , was a Japanese feudal lord of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Christianity. The eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, he inherited the domain of Funai, on Kyūshū, Japan's southernmost main island, from his father...
or of Rokkaku Yoshikata
Rokkaku Yoshikata
was a samurai head of the Rokkaku clan during Japan's Sengoku period. He was shugo and later daimyō of an area of southern Ōmi province, he served as castellan of Kannonji Castle...
. He become one of 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...
's followers. He participated in the Kyushu campaign, and was sent to Korea as one of the Three Bureaucrats with Mashita Nagamori
Mashita Nagamori
was a daimyo in Azuchi-Momoyama period, and one of the Go-Bugyō appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.Also called Niemon or by his court title, Uemon-no-jō ....
and Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari
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...
.
Life
Ōtani Yoshitsugu is well known in Japan for two main aspects: his leprosyLeprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
, and his friendship. Supposedly he was one who put friendship before anything (although obviously such a subjective matter is hard to determine), and it may have been in Korea that Ishida and Ōtani, working together, formed their legendary friendship. There is even an anecdote concerning this friendship, which goes something like this: A secret tea party was being held, and all those invited were passing around a cup of tea. As Ōtani Yoshitsugu took a sip, some pus from his face dropped into the cup. Yoshitsugu discovered this, but too late: the cup was already being passed around. The people who took sips after this all had horrified expressions on their faces, but when it came to Mitsunari's turn, he calmly drank all the remaining tea, pus and all. Yoshitsugu was amazed: "This Mitsunari is an extraordinary man!"
Before 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...
, Yoshitsugu was said to have repeatedly tried to persuade Mitsunari of the futility of his actions. However, at seeing the staunchness of his friend's convictions, Yoshitsugu joined his cause after mulling it over for several days. At the time, Yoshitsugu's health was deteriorating, making him nearly blind. He could not stand up, let alone fight. He was led to the battleground in a palanquin.
Yoshitsugu was at the head of about 600 men, with another 4000 or so under Toda Shigemasa, Hiratsuka Tamehiro, Ōtani Yoshikatsu (his son), and Kinoshita Yoritsugu. As the battle raged on, Kobayakawa Hideaki
Kobayakawa Hideaki
Kobayakawa Hideaki was fifth son of Kinoshita Iesada and the nephew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.He was adopted by Hideyoshi and called himself Hashiba Hidetoshi and Shusen . He was then again adopted by Kobayakawa Takakage and renamed himself Hideaki...
, who was situated above Yoshitsugu on Mount Matsuo, didn't move, despite repeated calls from Ishida Mitsunari. Yoshitsugu suspected something, and thus called for his troops to position themselves so as to prepare for a possible attack from their flanks. His hunch was right, as following a stimulatory gun volley from Ieyasu's position, Kobayakawa Hideaki and his troops rushed down the mountain towards Yoshitsugu's position. This movement was immediately followed by Akaza Naoyasu
Akaza Naoyasu
was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was also known as and , and held the title of . His father, , was a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. Naonori was killed in action when Akechi Mitsuhide attacked and killed Nobunaga at Honnō-ji. Naoyasu then served...
, Ogawa Suketada
Ogawa Suketada
Ogawa Suketada was a daimyo in feudal Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods.Initially Suketada served Akechi Mitsuhide and then Shibata Katsutoyo. After Katsutoyo died, Suketada served Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was given 70,000 koku at Imabari, Iyo Province and became a daimyo...
, Kutsuki Mototsuna
Kutsuki Mototsuna
was a samurai commander in Azuchi-Momoyama period and Edo period.His father was Kutsuki Harutsuna . The Kutsuki were a powerful clan at Kutsuki-tani , Takasima-gori, Ōmi Province....
, and Wakizaka Yasuharu, a total of over 20,000 troops.
Yoshitsugu's troops fought back, at one point even driving back Kobayakawa's troops partway up the mountain, but in the end, sheer numbers took their toll. While this was happening, Yoshitsugu, unable to see, repeatedly asked one of his retainers, Yuasa Gosuke, "Is it lost?" When the latter finally answered in the affirmative, Yoshitsugu asked him to cut his head off. He was then beheaded by his retainer, who also committed seppuku.
In fiction
Yoshitsugu is one of the Western army's units in the strategy video game KessenKessen
is a PlayStation 2 launch title produced by Koei and published by Electronic Arts. This was the first DVD-ROM format game for the PS2. It was initially the only real-time wargame game available for the PlayStation 2....
.
Yoshitsugu is the inspiration for the fictional Lord Onoshi in James Clavell's novel Shōgun
Shogun (novel)
Shōgun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel of the author's Asian Saga. A major bestseller, by 1990 the book had sold 15 million copies worldwide...
.
Yoshitsugu becomes playable character in Sengoku Basara 3, using several orbs as weapon, and has apparent supernatural abilities. He is portrayed as being very pessimistic and sadomasochistic, often commenting on how much he enjoys watching the other characters suffer (except for Mitsunari).