Ishida Mitsunari

Introduction

Ishida Mitsunari served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the leading generals of the Warring States period, and after Hideyoshi’s death, he was the general of the Western Army against Tokugawa Ieyasu of the Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara, known as the battle that divided the country.

Although he was finally defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu and publicly executed, he has many fans among history buffs as a man of righteousness who remained loyal to the Toyotomi family even after the death of Hideyoshi.

Here, we would like to introduce the life of Ishida Mitsunari, a man of righteousness, in an easy-to-understand manner.

Encounter with Hideyoshi Toyotomi

Ishida Mitsunari was born in 1560 as the second son in the village of Ishida, Sakata-gun, Omi Province (now Ishida-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture). His childhood name was Sakichi. The Ishida family is said to have been a powerful local family, as their family name is the name of their land. Ishida Mitsunari was sent to Kannonji Temple in Nagahama Castle, where Hashiba Hideyoshi (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi) was the lord of the castle, to study at an early age, where he met Hideyoshi, who greatly influenced Mitsunari’s life.

Hideyoshi stopped by a temple where Mitsunari was staying to quench his thirst during a falconry trip. At this time, Hideyoshi asked a boy at the temple for tea, and the boy was Mitsunari. He served three cups of tea: the first was a large bowl of lukewarm tea, the second was a large bowl of slightly hot tea, and the third was a slightly smaller bowl of slightly hot tea. Hideyoshi was struck by the care taken to adjust the temperature and quantity of tea according to his thirst. This anecdote is known as “Sankencha,” and Hideyoshi took a liking to Mitsunari at this time, and He came to serve Hideyoshi as a minor retainer.

Although Mitsunari served Hideyoshi as a vassal, we can see in his later battles that he was considerably influenced by Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi is known to have been a master of attacking castles. One of his most famous attacks was the water invasion of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle, in which he built an embankment around the castle to draw water from the river, submerging the castle and leaving it in a state of isolation. By doing so, it blocks the route for food for the soldiers holed up in the castle and the castle owner, while at the same time depriving them of morale. It will take time but it is also a strategy that allows you to attack a castle without losing the troops of your allies.

This water attack was later carried out by Mitsunari at Oshi Castle during his conquest of Odawara. This castle siege is famous because it was the setting for the movie “Nobo no Shiro” (The Castle of Nobo). At first, he attacked the castle in a straightforward manner, but he was troubled by the impregnable Oshi Castle. Then Mitsunari changed from a straightforward attack to a water attack. However, the attack was not complete and consequently has failed,  because of heavy rains, rush construction, and spies, or whatever the cause, caused the embankment to break.

Although the water attack ended in failure, the fact that he adopted his lord’s tactics in attacking the castle shows that Ishida Mitsunari was greatly influenced by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in his methods of warfare. Considering that Mitsunari served Toyotomi Hideyoshi from the time of their first encounter until his beheading at Rokujo Gawara, and continued to think about the continuation of the Toyotomi family after Hideyoshi’s death, the encounter at “Sankencha” may have been an irreplaceable event for Sansei.

His success during The Battle of Dokigatake, the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, and as a clerical officer.

The failure of the water invasion of Oshi Castle gave Mitsunari the stigma of being a poor fighter, and he may seem to have been inferior in terms of military prowess, but Mitsunari was also known as an intelligent military commander and was active in the front lines as well as behind the scenes during Hideyoshi’s unification of the country.

In the battle of Shizugatake, which divided the power of Oda into two after the death of Nobunaga Oda and became a fierce battle, he sent a scouting party to investigate the movements of Katsuie Shibata, and when he detected the movement of Katsuie Shibata, he arranged personnel, food, expenses, and maintenance along the way for a grand return from Gifu Castle, similar to the Great Return to China. When the time came for a battle, he and Otani Yoshitsugu aimed to be the best spearman and shot the heads of the enemy. In the battle of Shizugatake, Kiyomasa Kato, Masanori Fukushima, and others are famous for their “Seven Spears,” but it is not so well known that Hideyoshi was later praised for the activities of Mitsunari and others and was also called “the pioneer of Shizugatake.

Mitsunari also served in the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute, where Hideyoshi Hashiba clashed with Ieyasu Tokugawa and Nobuo Oda, and contributed to Hideyoshi’s unification of Japan. As a magistrate, he also served as a magistrate in Gamo County (Shiga Prefecture) as part of the Taiko-kenchi (Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s land survey). The magistrate in charge of land inspection was in charge of strictly detecting the territory of conquered feudal lords.

Mitsunari was famous as a hard man, so we can imagine that he was serious and did his work without any digressions. Because of his work ethic, he was appointed to the post of magistrate in Kyoto and used his authority as magistrate in Kyoto to reduce the number of Christians in the suppression of Christianity that was designated at the same time. At that time, it seems that he also negotiated with Hideyoshi to reduce the punishment of Christians and lighten the penalty. This event led to his being named one of the “Twenty-six Saints of Japan.

He was also appointed to the high rank of jibu shosuke, a subordinate of the fifth rank, and excelled as a clerical officer in diplomatic negotiations during the challenging expedition and in post-war processing. Ishida Mitsunari himself was aware that he was better at clerical work behind the scenes than fighting in the front line. It is thought that he asked Sakon Shima, who was known as an excellent military commander, to become his vassal with an unprecedented offer of half of his territory because he wanted Sakon Shima’s strength in battle.

It is said that Mitsunari’s rule was people-oriented. He decided detailed details for annual tribute, such as establishing rules within the territory. Moreover, “If you have any trouble with the peasants, please go directly to Ishida Mitsunari. He allowed direct appeals to the peasants without passing through the intermediary. It is said that Mitsunari was unexpectedly well-liked by the local people, which explains why the farmers hid him after the Battle of Sekigahara and why he was captured by the Tokugawa so that he would not cause them any trouble.

Korean Invasion and Ishida Mitsunari

Mitsunari also played an important role in Hideyoshi’s invasion of Korea. Staying in Hanseong, he served as the general magistrate for the Joseon expedition, observing the expeditionary force, providing logistical support such as supplies, and negotiating a peace treaty with the Ming Dynasty. Mitsunari felt that the Korean  invasion was a futile battle, and until the very last minute he was negotiating with Hideyoshi to cancel the invasion. As was the case with the Christians, Mitsunari may have disliked the loss of so many lives for nothing. However, no one could restrain Toyotomi Hideyoshi at this time.

Mitsunari’s position as a local liaison to Hideyoshi during the Korean invasion led to protests from the warring factions within the Toyotomi family, including Fukushima Masanori and Kato Kiyomasa. Ishida Mitsunari was in the position of supporting from the rear rather than fighting in actual battles, and it was his job to report the actions of Kato Kiyomasa and others to Hideyoshi.

Yukinaga Konishi, who felt that it would be difficult to conquer the Ming Dynasty by force, withdrew and tried to negotiate a peace, but Kiyomasa Kato, a militarist, did not like this. Mitsunari reported to Hideyoshi that Kiyomasa Kato did not agree with Mitsunari’s negotiation and was not satisfied with the situation. Hearing this, Hideyoshi ordered Kiyomasa Kato to return to Japan. It is said that a great rift was created between Mitsunari and Kiyomasa Kato at this time, which later led to the Battle of Sekigahara, a battle that divided the country.

Death of Hideyoshi Toyotomi and the Battle of Sekigahara

In 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi died, leaving Hideyori in the hands of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the other five feudal lords. Hideyoshi’s death affected Ieyasu and many other feudal lords, including Ishida Mitsunari. After Hideyoshi’s death, the conflict among Toyotomi vassals that existed at the time of the Korean invasion accelerated dramatically. Despite the prohibition against arbitrary marriages, Tokugawa Ieyasu had his Tokugawa family members, including Kato Kiyomasa, Fukushima Masanori, and Kuroda Nagamasa, enter into marriages with other Tokugawa family members. However, when Maeda Toshiie died of illness, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to act arbitrarily again.

At the same time, Kiyomasa Kato and other warlords of the Bushi faction attacked Mitsunari’s residence. Tokugawa Ieyasu was asked to intercede at that time. He left  the administration after this incident and Ieyasu’s behavior escalated. Finally Mitsunari reached the end of his patience and raised an army to defeat Ieyasu. The stage was then set for the Battle of Sekigahara that would divide the country.

Tokugawa Ieyasu is the general of the Eastern Army, and martial fighters such as Kato Kiyomasa are with the Eastern Army on Tokugawa Ieyasu’s side. In contrast, the general-in-chief of the Western Army was Terumoto Mori, and Ishida Mitsunari was with the Western Army. It is said that this was because it was considered more advantageous for Terumoto Mori, who had connections, to be the general-in-chief than for Mitsunari, who had no personal connections. As a result, the forces of the Western Army gathered as many as 8,000 troops.

Later studies have shown that the camp layout in Sekigahara favored the Western Army. However, this is only in the absence of treachery. In the Battle of Sekigahara, the betrayal of Kobayakawa Hideaki, determined the outcome, which has been handed down from generation to generation. The betrayal of Kobayakawa Hideaki led to further betrayals by other lords, and Ishida Mitsunari’s western army was defeated in only six hours.

After fleeing deep into the mountains, Mitsunari returns to Osaka to rebuild his army. However, to avoid causing trouble for the villagers who sheltered him along the way, he revealed his whereabouts to them. After that, he met Ieyasu and was sent to Osaka and Kyoto before being executed at Rokujo-kawara in Kyoto. He was 41 years old.

When he met Ieyasu, he praised Mitsunari’s grace in taking his head off early. When Mitsunari asked for water during the draw, Ieyasu gave him a persimmon that was available nearby. In response, he said, “Persimmons are phlegm poison”. He was laughed at by those around him for saying that he feared for his life before he was beheaded. In response, Mitsunari responded, “A man who embraces a great cause cherishes his life until the moment of his death, and wishes to fulfill his true desire”. The people around him who heard his words laughed at him. It is said that the people around him were convinced by Mitsunari’s words and were ashamed of themselves.

Summary of Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari is famous among the feudal lords of the Warring States period for being a hated man, but it is said that this is due to the fact that Mitsunari was straightforward and serious about everything he believed in. Certainly, when we look into Mitsunari, we get the impression that he did not seem to be very good-natured and clumsy.

There is a story about Hosokawa Tadaoki who was not good at socializing. In an attempt to be friendly, he brought persimmons, which Tadaoki liked, and was told to “eat them without worrying about me.” Tadaoki was furious that the persimmons were suddenly offered to him without greeting him. It is not an easy thing to do to someone with whom you have had a feud. We can find the clumsy side of Mitsunari.

On the contrary, however, there is a famous story about a tea ceremony with Otani Yoshitsugu. Yoshitsugu was suffering from leprosy, and at one tea ceremony, Yoshitsugu’s pus accidentally got into a tea bowl. The surrounding feudal lords tried to avoid the tea bowl, but Ishida Mitsunari, sensing Yoshitsugu’s feelings, drank every last drop of tea from the bowl. It is said that Yoshitsugu was deeply moved.

Ishida Mitsunari certainly has the impression of being a stiff and disliked man, but perhaps the charm of Ishida Mitsunari is that his stories of how he disliked killing for no good reason, how he was captured by the Eastern Army to avoid causing trouble for the villagers, how he put himself on the line for his friends, and how he cared for others despite his clumsiness have been handed down to posterity.