Ishida Mitsunari (石田 三成)

-
Ishida Mitsunari (石田 三成, 1559 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. Also known by his court title, Jibu-no-shō (治部少輔).
Ishida Mitsunari, depicted in a portrait.
In this Japanese name, the family name is Ishida.
Ishida Mitsunari's letter to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, expressing a negative opinion of some generals' (including Kobayakawa Hideaki) reckless action on the battlefield during the Japanese invasions of Korea.
The emblem (mon) of Ishida Mitsunari

Early life

He was born in the north of Ōmi Province (which is now Nagahama city, Shiga Prefecture), and was the second son of Ishida Masatsugu, who was a retainer for the Azai clan. His childhood name was Sakichi (佐吉). 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.

Service under Hideyoshi

Mitsunari met Toyotomi Hideyoshi when the former was still young and the latter was the daimyō 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 bugyō, or top administrators of Hideyoshi's government. Hideyoshi made him a daimyō 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.

Hideyoshi's Death and Battle of Sekigahara

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 daimyōs that were known as good warriors, including Hideyoshi's relatives Fukushima Masanori and Katō Kiyomasa. After Hideyoshi's death, their conflict worsened. The central point of their conflict was the question of whether Tokugawa Ieyasu could be relied on as a supporter of the Toyotomi government, whose nominal lord was the child Toyotomi Hideyori.
Ishida Mitsunari Banner and Battle Standard
In 1600, the Battle of Sekigahara was fought as a result of this political conflict. Mitsunari succeeded in organizing an army led by Mōri Terumoto. But the coalition following Tokugawa Ieyasu was greater, and the battle resulted in Mitsunari's defeat.

Death

After his defeat, Mitsunari sought to escape, but was caught by villagers. He was beheaded in Kyoto. Other daimyōs of the Western army, like Konishi Yukinaga and Ankokuji Ekei were also executed. After execution, his head, severed from his body, was placed on a stand for all the people in Kyoto to see. His remains were buried at Sangen-in, a sub-temple of the Daitoku-ji, Kyoto.

Legend

A theory / legend says Ieyasu showed him mercy, but hid him, for political reasons, with one of his veteran generals, Sakakibara Yasumasa, then grew old and died of natural death. To thank Yasumasa for his silence, Mitsunari gave him a treasured sunnobi-tantō of 31,2 cm therefore nicknamed Ishida-Sadamune (石田貞宗), ranked Jūyō Bunkazai by the Japanese Government.

Family

Mitsunari had three sons (Shigeie, Shigenari, and Sakichi) and three daughters (only the younger girl's name is known, Tatsuhime) with his wife. After his father's death, Shigenari changed his family name to Sugiyama to keep living.

Ishida Mitsunari in Fiction

In James Clavell's historical-novel Shōgun,[1] Ishida served as basis for the character of "Ishido". Ishido was portrayed by Nobuo Kaneko in the 1980 TV mini-series adaptation.

In popular culture

Mitsunari is a character in the Sengoku Basara franchise and Samurai Warriors video game series. In Sengoku Basara, he is portrayed as a warrior loyal to Hideyoshi as opposed to his historical role as an administrator, whereas in Samurai Warriors he is portrayed as a strategist of the Toyotomi forces and a bureaucrat following fall of the Hojo clan. In Sengoku Basara, he excels in using Iaido and darkness-based attacks. While in Samurai Warriors he is skillful in manipulating his fan for medium ranged attacks to control the battlefield around him. He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Pawniard and Bisharp. In Episode 47 of the Yo-Kai Watch anime, Whisper (Wisupa in Japan) is sent back in time by an evil pair of Yo-Kai named Kin and Gin, where he becomes his past form, Shittakaburi, better known to fandom as Whisbei. In the episode, he "helped" a commander named Ishida Mitsunari in the Sengoku Jidai as a tactician (but really is not a tactician). In the episode, Whisbei regrets his actions yet does not remember why.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Azai Nagamasa (浅井 長政)

-
Image
Azai Nagamasa ( 浅井 長政 , 1545 – August 28, 1573) was a daimyō during the Sengoku period of Japan. His clan, the Azai , were located in northern Ōmi Province , east of Lake Biwa . He was both the brother-in-law of Oda Nobunaga , starting in 1564, and one of Nobunaga's enemies from 1570 to battle of Anegawa in 1570 and the many sieges of Odani castle between 1570 and 1573. 1573. Nagamasa and his clan were destroyed by Oda Nobunaga in August 1573. Major battles of Azai Nagamasa include the Early life and marriage Azai Nagamasa was the son of Azai Hisamasa , from whom he inherited clan leadership in 1560. Hisamasa had been compelled to step down by many of his retainers in favor of his son, Nagamasa. Hisamasa retired, and would later commit suicide along with his son in August 1573. Nagamasa successfully battled both Rokkaku Yoshikata and Saitō Tatsuoki between 1560 and 1564. He is remembered as being a capable commander of troops on the battlefield. He married Oda Nobuna...
Read more

Hermann Wilhelm Göring

-
Image
Hermann Wilhelm Göring  (or  Goering ; [a]   German:   [ˈɡøːʁɪŋ]  (  listen ) ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German political and military leader as well as one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. A veteran World War I fighter pilot ace, he was a Pour le Mérite . He was the last commander of  Jagdgeschwader  1, the fighter wing once led by Manfred von Richthofen An early member of the Nazi Party, Göring was among those wounded in Adolf Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. While receiving treatment for his injuries, he developed an addiction to morphine which persisted until the end of his life. After Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Göring was named as Minister Without Portfolio in the new government. One of his first acts as a cabinet minister was to oversee the creation of the Gestapo, w...
Read more

Oichi (お市)

-
Image
Oichi ( お市 , 1547–1583) was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period . [1] She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who married well – Yodo-dono , [2] Ohatsu [3] and Oeyo . [4] Oichi was the younger sister of Oda Nobunaga ; and she was the sister-in-law of Nōhime , the daughter of Saitō Dōsan . Oichi was equally renowned for her beauty and her resolve. She was descended from the Taira and Fujiwara clans. Life as a spouse and mother Following Nobunaga's conquest of Mino in 1567, in an effort to cement an alliance between Nobunaga and rival warlord Azai Nagamasa , Nobunaga arranged for Oichi, [5] then twenty years old, to marry Nagamasa. Their marriage was through political means, ensuring an alliance between the Oda and the Azai clans. She bore Nagamasa one son (Manjumaru) and three daughters – Yodo-dono , Ohatsu and Oeyo . In the summer of 1570, Nagamasa betrayed his alliance with Nobunaga and went to war with him on behalf of the Asakura...
Read more