Everything about Ishida Mitsunari totally explained
Ishida Mitsunari (
1560 -
November 6,
1600) was a
samurai who led the Western army in the
Battle of Sekigahara following the
Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. His childhood name was
Sakichi .
He was born in the south of
Ōmi Province (which is now
Shiga prefecture), and was the second son of
Ishida Masatsugu, who was a retainer for the
Azai clan. 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 province, 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 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 executed by a particularly brutal
decapitation in
Kyoto, whereby he was buried up to his shoulders in the ground and locals were invited to saw at his neck with a bamboo saw. 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.
In fiction
The story of
James Clavell's novel
Shogun is based on the strife between Ishida (called Ishido in the novel) and
Tokugawa (Toranaga) over the
Taiko's son.
Also, see
Japanese historical people in popular culture.
Further Information
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