Hisatora governed Ei in Satsuma Province and by 1584 was serving as a counselor to Shimazu Yoshihisa. A veteran of many engagements (including Takabaru-1576, Mimigawa-1578, and Minamata-1581), and wounded at the Battle of Okitanawate (1584), Hisatora was considered a great soldier.
Bingo no kami
Chikatoshi was the second son of Kiita Bingo no kami Shigetoshi and was adopted by Emura Bingo no kami Chikamasa. He became a retainer of Chosokabe Motochika and served in a number of the latter's campaigns on Shikoku.
Chikatoshi was a son of Emura Chikaie and served Chosokabe Motochika. He was sent at a hostage to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's headquarters at Fushimi after the latter invaded Shikoku in 1585. A competent soldier, he distinguished himself in service in the 1st Korean Campaign (1592-93). He fell ill sometime around 1596 and is thought to have died shortly afterwards.
Yamashiro no kami
Motonobu was said to have been a son of a Yamabushi (mountain ascetic) from Yonezawa. According to tradition, after staying at a Buddhist temple he managed to secure a position under Kano Munetoki and was at length noticed by Date Terumune. When Terumune was killed in 1585, Motonobu committed suicide so that he might follow his lord in death.
Sons: Munenobu, (Shikibu-taiyu) Harunobu
Munenobu was the eldest son of Endo Motonobu and succeeded his father when the latter committed suicide in 1585. He distinguished himself in Date Masamune's battles with the Ashina and Sôma. He was succeeded after his death by his younger brother Endo Shikibu-taiyu Harunobu.
Naotsune served Asai Nagamasa and was a leading Asai retainer known for his bravery. He was with Nagamasa when the latter first met Oda Nobunaga. That night Natsune approached Nagamasa to ask permission to kill Nobunaga, saying by way of explanation that he was clearly a dangerous man (Nagamasa refused to allow him to carry out the deed). Naotsune was one of the few Asai retainers to oppose breaking the Asai alliance with the Oda when Nobunaga marched against the Asakura (1570). Naotsune fought hard at the Battle of Anegawa (1570), killing some ten Oda warriors. He was himself slain while attempting to reach Oda Nobunaga's headquarters, we are told, by Takenaka Kyusaku, a younger brother of Takenaka Hanbei.
Saitô, Oda retainer
Taneshige at first served the Saitô of Mino Province and held Kigoe Castle. When the Saitô were ousted by the Oda in 1567, Taneshige entered the service of the latter. He was killed under the command of Sakai Masahisa in the course of fighting the Asai and Asakura near Ôtsu (in southern Ômi Province) in 1570. He is thought to have been around 25 at the time of his death.
Mino no kami
Nobutane was a noted retainer of Ryûzôji Takanobu of Hizen Province. A veteran of many battles, he was killed at the Battle of Okinawate attempting to defend Takanobu against the oncoming Shimazu.
Imagawa, Takeda retainer
Nobutada was at first a retainer of the Imagawa and served Imagawa Yoshimoto and Ujizane. Ujizane named him as keeper of Ômiya Castle in Suruga Province. When the Imagawa fell, he entered the service of the Takeda and became a retainer of Anayama Beisetsu.
Katsutoshi was originally a follower of the ikko-ikki of Kaga. He was attacked in Daishojiomote in 1555 by Asakura Soteki and fled, later taking up with the Uesugi of Echigo. Uesugi Kagekatsu made him one of the defenders of Ûzu Castle in Etchû and when that place fell to a fierce assault by the Oda, Katsutoshi committed suicide.
Noto no kami
Nobuyoshi served the Uesugi of Echigo Province and was given Ômori Castle. He blundered a diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa in 1600 and afterwards fled Echigo. He entered the service of the Tokugawa and was given some land and a stipend in Shimotsuke Province. He managed to disgrace himself again in the fighting at Osaka Castle (1615) through inept conduct, and was demoted as a result.
Yorichika was a minor daimyô in Shinano and held Fukuyo Castle in that province's Ina district. Yorichika allied with the Takato to oppose the advance of Takeda Shingen but when his castle was attacked in July 1545 he submitted. As part of the terms of his surrender, he sent his younger brother Gonjirô as a hostage.
The Fukubara were descended from a younger son of Môri Motoharu (head of the Môri in the mid-late 14th Century). During the Sengoku Period they became one of the most influential of the Môri retainer houses, with three generations holding a special place in the Môri heirarchy: Sadatoshi, Motoyoshi, Hirotoshi, and Sadatoshi.
Sakon no jô, Shimôsa no kami
Hirotoshi was the son of Fukubara Hiroyoshi and served served both Môri Motonari and Môri Terumoto. He was present at the battles at Koriyama (1540) and Miyajima (1555). He was defeated in battle along with Kodama Naritada by Amako Kunihisa in 1544 but in 1557 trapped Ôuchi Yoshinaga at Chôfu in Nagato Province and forced him to commit suicide. He provided daughters in marriage to Katsura Motozumi and Kuchiba Michiyoshi.
(Kushima Masashige, Fukshima Masanori)
(Hyôgo no kami)
Masashige was locally powerful in northern Sagami Province. He was at first a vassal of the Imagawa but broke away after the death of Imagawa Ujiteru. He was defeated and by Takeda Nobutora's army in 1521 but whether he died on this occasion or in a battle in June of 1536 is a matter of debate among scholars. His son was adopted by Hôjô Ujitsuna.
Son: (Hôjô) Tsunashige
Oda, Toyotomi, Tokugawa retainer
Zaemon no Suke
Masanori was born in Owari Province and was the son of Fukushima Masanobu. He entered the service of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and distinguished himself as one of the 'Seven Spears' of Shizugatake (1583). Recognized as a brave warrior, he was given Imaharu in Iyo Province in 1585. He saw action in the siege of Nirayama during the Odawara Campaign (1590) and led some 5,000 troops to Korea as part of the Shikoku contingent (1592-93). In 1595 Hideyoshi awarded Masanori's contined services with a 200,000-koku fief at Kiyosu in Owari Province. Despite his Toyotomi service, he sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1600 and vied with Ikeda Terumasa in capturing Gifu Castle at the start of the Sekigahara Campaign. He commanded 6,000 troops in the Tokugawa vanguard at the Battle of Sekigahara and was in fact selected to open the attack, an honor in the event seized by Ii Naomasa. He was given Hiroshima in Aki Province and a vast fief worth around 498,000 koku but was ordered to undertake the costly rebuilding of Nagoya Castle. He requested permission to join the effort to reduce Osaka Castle in 1614 but was refused. In 1619 Tokugawa Hidetada (who did not trust Fukushima) transferred him to northern Shinano Province, drastically reducing his income to 45,000 koku in the process.
Toyotomi, Tokugawa retainer
Masayori was a younger son of Fukushima Masanobu and a brother of Fukushima Masanori. He served at the Battle of Sekigahara on the Tokugawa side but was deprived of his 30,000-koku fief in Yamato Province on the grounds of poor management (1615). He had earlier held a 12,000-koku domain in Ise Province.
Hidekatsu served Oda Nobunaga and captained a group of arqeubusiers at the Battle of Nagashino (1575). He later served under Oda Nobutada in the attack on the Takeda's Takatô Castle in Shinano Province (1582). He was with Nobutada when Nobunaga was attacked killed in Kyoto by Akechi Mitsuhide's troops (1582). Nobutada's contingent was attacked at Nijô soon afterwards and Hidekatsu was killed.
Kotaro was purportedly a leader of 'ninja' or 'rappa' for the Hôjô family and is recorded as having led a special 200-man unit whose primary purpose was the harassment and disruption of enemy forces. He distinguished himself in this role during the 1580 fighting with the Takeda. According to one legend, Kotaro wandered about after the fall of the Hôjô in 1590 and/or was a thief in the Edo area.
Toyotomi, Tokugawa retainer
Shigekatsu at first served Toyotomi Hideyoshi but joined Tokugawa Ieyasu at the start of the Sekigahara Campaign (1600). He led some 1,200 men at the Battle of Sekigahara and was afterwards given a 60,000-koku fief at Matsuzaka in Ise Province. He died that same year.
Oribe no Sho
Shigenari founded the Oribe School (Ryu) of the Tea Ceremony and was given a 10,000-koku income in 1600. During the 1615 Osaka Campaign, he was charged with plotting in Kyoto against the Tokugawa and the Emperor on the behalf of Osaka's defenders. He was put to death along with his sons and pupils.
The origins of the Fuwa of Mino Province are unclear, though they may have been descended from the Fujiwara. During the Sengoku Period they first served the Tôki, then the Saitô. They later became retainers of the Oda and were given a domain in Echizen Province. Around 1582 they became subordinate to the Maeda family.
Kwatchi no kami
Mitsuharu was at one point a retainer of the Saitô but transferred his loyalty to the Oda in 1567. He fought for Oda Nobunaga at Nagashima (1571) and Odani Castle (1573) and was awarded land in Echizen in 1575. He became one of the 'Echizen Triumvirs' (sanninshu) along with Meada Toshiie and Sassa Narimasa. Mitsuharu supported Shibata Katsuie in the Shizugatake Campaign (1583) and, while his fate is not clear, he is thought to have died that same year. After his death the Fuwa became retainers of Maeda Toshiie of Kaga Province.
The Gamô of Ômi Province were descended from Fujiwara Hidesato (ca.940), governor of Shimotsuke Province who clashed with Taira Masakado and beheaded him in 940. Hidesato's descendant Narutoshi settled in the Gamô district of Ômi Province and took its name. Narutoshi's son Toshitaka served Minamoto Yoritomo during the Gempei War (1180-85) and the Gamô would later support Ashikaga Takauji. They came to be retainers of the Rokkaku and served them into the Sengoku Period. In 1523 an internal struggle broke out between the brothers Gamô Takasato and Hideyuki, prompting Rokkaku Sadayori to intervene and force Hideyuki to abandon his castle (an action on Sadayori's part which is sometimes described as foreshadowing the later 'shirowari' (or one castle policy). The Gamô joined Oda Nobunaga in 1568 and would grow powerful in the service of Nobunaga and, later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Gamô survived into the Edo Period but died out with the passing of Gamô Tadatomo in 1634.
Rokkaku, Oda retainer
Katahide was a son of Gamô Sadahide. He was at first a retainer of Rokkaku Yoshikata and joined Oda Nobunaga around 1568. He held Hino Castle in Ômi Province.
Oda, Toyotomi retainer
Hida no Kami
Ujisato was the son of Gamô Katahide and fought in his first battle (Okochi) at the age of 13. He married Oda Nobunaga's daughter Fumeko (d.1641) and was given a sizable fief in Ise Province. He served in the Oda invasion of Iga Province and fought at Hijiyama (1581). When Akechi Mitsuhide killed Nobunaga in 1582, Ujisato sheltered the latter's widow and joined Toyotomi Hideyoshi's camp following Yamazaki (1582). He fought against Takigawa Kazumasu in the Nagakute Campaign and participated in the attack on Mine Castle in Ise Province (1584). He served in the Kyushu Campaign (1587) and the Odawara Campaign (1590), after which he was given a huge fief in Mutsu Province (at Aizu) worth some 420,000 koku. In 1591 he assisted in the reduction of the Kunoe family of northern Mutsu, the last real resistance to Hideyoshi's rule. He later served on Hideyoshi's staff in Kyushu during the 1st Korean Campaign (1592-93) and afterwards returned to Aizu to built Wakamatsu Castle. Ujisato died suddenly in 1596 - leading some to suspect that Hideyoshi himself had had a hand in his demise. Thanks in part to the efforts of Takayama Ukon, Ujisato had been baptized as a Christian in 1584 (and assumed the name Dom Leão). One of his legacies as lord of Aizu was his promotion of the local lacquer ware industry, which grew throughout the Edo Period.
Bitchû no Kami
Hideyuki was the son of Gamô Ujisato and inherited his father's fief at Aizu (420,000 koku) in 1596. He was transferred to Utsunomiya in Shimotsuke Province in 1598, thereby suffering a loss of income to 180,000-koku. It is not clear why Hideyoshi moved the young Hideyuki, but he may have hoped that by moving the experienced Uesugi Kagekatsu to Aizu in Hideyuki's place, Tokugawa Ieyasu's regional supremecy would be offset. Hideyuki supported Tokugawa during the Sekigahara Campaign, and while he saw little fighting nonetheless received Aizu (600,000 koku) as a reward. When Hideyuki's 2nd son Tadamoto died, the Gamô line came to an end.
Sons: Tadasato (1603-1627), Tadamoto (1605-1634)
Tomoyoshi was a retainer of Shimazu Yoshihisa. He served under Shimazu Yoshihiro at the Battle of Kizakihara against the Itô (1572) and distinguished himself in the hard fighting, in the process capturing an enemy commander, Itô Kaga no kami. He went on to serve in the Odawara Campaign (1590).
Samurai family of Harima Province who served the Bessho daimyô until the latter's defeat in 1580.
Motokuni was one of Bessho Nagaharu's chief advisors, and committed suicide with him when Miki Castle surrendered to the Oda in 1580. His son Mototsugu was spared and placed in the care of Kuroda Yoshitaka.
Toyotomi, Kuroda retainer
Mototsugu was the son of Goto Motokuni. He had been in Hideyoshi's custody when Goto Motokuni committed suicide; Hideyoshi spared Mototsugu and placed him in the care of Kuroda Yoshitaka, for whom he fought during the Sekigahara Campaign (1600). For reasons unknown, Mototsugu joined the defenders of Osaka Castle in 1614 and foughtly bravely. He was killed, possibly by rifle fire, at the Battle of Dômyôji in June 1615.
Ujifusa was a son of Goto Mototsugu and joined his father in fighting on the side of Toyotomi Hideyori at Osaka Castle in 1614. He was killed there in 1615.
The Goto were a daimyô family of Hizen who controlled the Goto Islands off the western shore of Kyushu. They submitted to the Ryûzôji and then Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1587).
Moriharu controlled the Goto Islands and clashed with the Matsuura and Ryûzôji. He became a Christian.
Sons: Sumiharu, (Ômura) Tadaaki (adopted)
Sumiharu briefly submitted to Ryûzôji Takanobu, but joined Toyotomi Hideyoshi when the latter invaded Kyushu in 1587. He led 700 men and provided warships to Konishi Yukinaga's command in the first invasion of Korea (1592-93). He fell ill and died in Korea in 1594.
Takaaki was born the eldest son of Ômura Sumisaki but was adopted into the Goto when Sumisaki adopted Arima (Ômura) Sumitada. He rose up against Ômura in 1563 and allied himself with a coalition of local familes hostile to the Ômura in 1572. He later adopted the 3rd son of Ryûzôji Takanobu, Ienobu.
The Goto of Mutsu Province came to be closely affiliated with the Date family.
Higo no kami
Nobuyasu was the second son of Yunome Shigenobu and was adopted by Gotô Nobuie. A brave general, he served Date Masamune as a gun-bûgyô (army commissioner) and was known for the yellow surcoat he wore in battle (earning him the nickname 'Ki no Gotô').
The Goto of Ômi at first served the Rokkaku, for whom they were important retainers. In 1563 Goto Takaharu was executed by the Rokkaku and this touched off a period of civil strife within the Rokkaku domain. Alienated, they willingly allied with Oda Nobunaga in 1568.
(Goto Sadatoyo, Goto Kisaburô)
Takaharu was the second son of Goto Tajima no kami Katatoyo (d.1563), whose killing had caused strife within the Rokkaku domain. He submitted to Oda Nobunaga in 1568 and in 1582 sided with Akechi Mitsuhide, who destroyed Nobunaga. After Akechi's defeat, Takaharu found service under Gamô Ujisato.
copyright 2005 F. W. Seal