Kato Kiyomasa – Master of Warfare and Castle Building

Kato Kiyomasa was a military commander active in the 16th and early 17th centuries. From an early age he served Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who succeeded in unifying Japan, and made many achievements in battles such as the Chugoku expedition and the Battle of Shizugatake. He was a person who had achievements in various fields, not only in warfare but also in the construction of Kumamoto Castle and the development of paddy fields in his territory.

In this article , we will describe the life of Kato Kiyomasa. We will also introduce his family crest and a movie in which he appears.

About Kato Kiyomasa

Kato Kiyomasa was a military commander who was active from the Azuchi-Momoyama period (late 16th century) to the early Edo period (early 17th century). It is said that he served Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who succeeded Oda Nobunaga and successfully unified Japan, and was active in numerous battles.

In addition, it is said that he was planning overseas trade with Spanish Luzon (currently the Philippines). It can be said that he was a person who was good not only in military affairs but also in business.

After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, when the rivalry between Tokugawa Ieyasu , a military commander who was gaining power at the time, and Toyotomi Hideyori ; Hideyoshi’s son, became intense, he made arrangements for them to meet at Nijo-jo Castle in Kyoto (Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture) to mediate a peace deal between the two. On his way home, he fell ill on the ship and that ended his life.

Kumamoto Castle (Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture), which is said to have been built by him, was once destroyed by fire but was restored after World War II.

Life of Kato Kiyomasa

It is said that Kato Kiyomasa was born in 1562 (Keicho 16) and died in 1611 (Eiroku 5). We will describe his life by dividing it into six turning points: his childhood, the Chugoku expedition, the Battle of Shizugatake, the Korean invasions, the Battle of Sekigahara, and his later years.

Childhood

It is said that Kato Kiyomasa was born in 1562 in Nakamura, Aichi District, Owari Province (now Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture) as the second son of Kato Kiyotada. From an early age, he served Toyotomi (Hashiba) Hideyoshi, who is said to have been a distant relative from the same hometown as one of his pages. A page refers to the position of a young person who takes care of the personal affairs of the lord.

When he was a child, he called himself Yashamaru, but he later changed his name to Kiyomasa Toranosuke after his coming-of-age ceremony. After that, he served as the governor of the territory under Hideyoshi’s direct control, and after that, he made a name for himself in numerous battles.

Chugoku Expedition

The Chugoku expedition is a battle that Oda Nobunaga, a military commander aiming to unify Japan, attacked the Chugoku region after 1577, which was the sphere of influence of Mori Terumoto, who was also a military commander. It is said that Hideyoshi acted as commander of the battle on the orders of his lord at the time, Nobunaga.

Kato Kiyomasa is said to have served in the expedition to the Chugoku region. In one of the battles, he is reported to have raised the first spear (which means attacking with a sword or spear at the beginning of a battle) in single combat with an enemy general.

However, the Chugoku expedition was interrupted in 1582 when the Honnoji Incident occurred. The Honnoji Incident refers to the incident in which Nobunaga is said to have been killed in a rebellion by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide.

Upon learning about the Honnoji Incident, Hideyoshi made peace with Mori, then returned from the Chugoku region and defeated Mitsuhide in the Battle of Yamazaki. Kato Kiyomasa is said to have made a great achievement by killing an enemy military commander during the battle.

Battle of Shizugatake

The Battle of Shizugatake is the battle in which Hideyoshi defeated Shibata Katsuie at Shizugatake in Omi Province (currently Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture) in 1582. Shibata Katsuie served the Oda family as the first retainer at that time.  He was a military commander who is said to have been strong and brave.

It is said that the Battle of Shizugatake was triggered by Hideyoshi’s rise to power after the Honnoji Incident and the Battle of Yamazaki, which developed into a power struggle with Shibata Katsuie.

Kato Kiyomasa is said to have made a name for himself as one of the “Seven Spears” in the Battle of Shizugatake. The Seven Spears are the seven warlords who fought bravely in the Battle of Shizugatake, including Kato Kiyomasa and Fukushima Masanori. However, there is also a theory that there were actually nine warlords involved, and some parts of the story remain unclear.

After the Battle of Shizugatake, Hideyoshi subjugated Tokugawa Ieyasu, and then conquered Shikoku, Kyushu, Kanto, and Ou, achieving unification of the whole country. Along with that, Kato Kiyomasa seems to have steadily expanded his power.

Korean Invasions

The Korean Invasions refer to the two wars fought when Hideyoshi, who had unified Japan, invaded Korea with the aim of conquering the Ming Dynasty, which was the Chinese dynasty at the time. It is said that there was an  invasion in 1592 and a second invasion in 1597.

Kato Kiyomasa participated in both the Bunroku War and the Keicho War. During the Bunroku War, Hideyoshi gave him the role of conveying forcible reconciliation conditions to the enemies. However, it is said that he was confined to his house due to the schemes of Konishi Yukinaga and *Ishida Mitsunari, who wanted to end the Korean invasion as soon as possible.

In the Keicho War, which was the second invasion, Kato Kiyomasa was surrounded by 56,000 soldiers of the Korea-Ming allied forces, but with about 13,000 soldiers he was able to hold his position in Ulsan Castle and repel the enemy. After Hideyoshi’s death, the Japanese army withdrew from Korea and the Korean invasions ended.

*Ishida Mitsunari is said to have been active as a close aide to Hideyoshi in his later years. He was known as a person who excelled in domestic affairs and official duties rather than military affairs.

Battle of Sekigahara

The Battle of Sekigahara is a battle between the Eastern Army led by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Western Army led by Ishida Mitsunari in 1600. It is said that the main reason for the battle was Mitsunari’s strong rage  toward Ieyasu, who ignored Hideyoshi’s will.

Kato Kiyomasa, who had been in conflict with Ishida Mitsunari of the “Civilian faction”, as one of the “Militaristic faction” since the Korean Invasions, is said to have joined Ieyasu’s Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara. During the war, it is said that he was mainly active in the battle in Kyushu.

The Battle of Sekigahara ended with the victory of the Eastern Army thanks to Ieyasu’s meticulous preparations and the betrayal of some military commanders of the Western Army. After the war, Kato Kiyomasa is said to have acquired 540,000 kokus in Higo (currently Kumamoto Prefecture). Koku, or Kokudaka, is a measure that indicates the value of land at that time  (1 koku is equal to approximately 150 kg of rice).

Later years

Even after the Battle of Sekigahara, Kato Kiyomasa never forgot his debt to the Toyotomi family and tried to support Toyotomi Hideyori, Hideyoshi’s son. When a war was about to break out between Ieyasu, who still felt threatened by the existence of the Toyotomi family, which still maintained a certain level of authority, and Hideyori, Kato Kiyomasa attempted a peace offer  between the two at Nijo-jo Castle.

However, Kiyomasa fell ill on the ship returning to Higo after witnessing the meeting between Ieyasu and Hideyori, and he died there in 1611. Because he died right after the meeting, some people suspected that he was poisoned by someone connected to Ieyasu.

After Kato Kiyomasa’s death, his son, Kato Tadahiro, ruled Higo, but he was disposed due to family disturbances and mismanagement of the territory, and the Kato clan is said to have ceased to exist.

Achievements of Kato Kiyomasa

Kato Kiyomasa is known as a military commander with many military achievements, but he also made various other achievements. From here, we will explain in detail the construction of castles and the rule of Higo, which are the achievements of Kato Kiyomasa.

Construction of castles

Kato Kiyomasa is known as one of the three greatest castle-builders, along with military commander Todo Takatora and tactician Kuroda Kanbei. It is said that Kato Kiyomasa was involved in the construction of various castles such as Edo Castle and Nagoya Castle.

Kumamoto Castle was built by Kato Kiyomasa over 7 years from 1601 and was used as his residence in Higo. Later, Saigo Takamori, one of the leading figures of the Meiji Restoration, was unable to capture the castle during the Seinan War in 1877, so it became known as an impregnable castle.

However, the castle tower and the main palace were destroyed by fire just before the start of the Seinan War. For this reason, the large and small keep towers of the current Kumamoto Castle are exteriors restored in 1960 using steel-framed reinforced concrete.

After that, the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake also caused severe damage to it. It is said that it would take many years to fully recover.

Rule of Higo

After the Battle of Sekigahara, Kato Kiyomasa became a feudal lord with 520,000 koku in Higo after being given half of Higo which had been ruled by Konishi Yukinaga.

After that, he proceeded with river improvement work and new rice field development in the territory, and it is said that he created the foundation of the present Higo Plain. Because of his achievements, he is called the “god of civil engineering” and is enshrined in Kato Shrine, which is located inside Kumamoto Castle.

Kato Kiyomasa’s achievements include the reconstruction of Kumamoto Castle to prevent uprisings and the construction of multiple branch castles within the territory to strengthen the defense force of Higo.

Furthermore, as an ardent follower of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism, Kato Kiyomasa devoted himself to the restoration of numerous shrines in his territory. However, it is said that he severely suppressed Christianity.

Kato Kiyomasa’s Family Crest

Kato Kiyomasa’s  family crest is that of a snake’s eye, which resembles the eye of a snake. It is said that he used it to protect the family with a snake, a sacred creature.

The snake’s eye crest seems to have been used not only by Kato Kiyomasa but also by many military commanders, mainly the vassals of the Toyotomi family. There is also a theory that it is shaped like a reel which is used to wind a spare bowstring and is sometimes called a ‘reel crest.

After becoming a feudal lord of Higo, Kato Kiyomasa seems to have started using the bellflower crest as his family crest. It is said that the bellflower pattern on the items given to him by Hideyoshi was his reason for using it.

Movies and Drama Series Featuring Kato Kiyomasa

The Azuchi-Momoyama period and the Edo period, in which Kato Kiyomasa lived, are periods where stories are often set. Therefore, Kato Kiyomasa sometimes appears in movies and drama series. This time, we would like to introduce one of them, “Sanada Yukimura, the Man Ieyasu Feared the Most”.

“Sanada Yukimura, the Man Ieyasu Feared the Most”

“Sanada Yukimura, the Man Ieyasu Feared the Most ” is a TV drama series that was broadcast in 1998 on TV Tokyo; a Japanese broadcasting station. It was produced as a drama of more than 12 hours, focusing on Sanada Yukimura, a military commander in the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo period.

In the drama, Sanada Yukimura’s battles with Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the events leading up to his decisive battle with Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Winter Siege of Osaka are depicted along with interesting episodes. You can check the appearance of Kato Kiyomasa in the relationship between him and Sanada Yukimura and the Toyotomi family.

Summary

Kato Kiyomasa is a military commander who made a name for himself in many battles and lived through a turbulent period. He served Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who would later unify Japan, from an early age, and was active in the Chugoku expedition and the Battle of Shizugatake.

In addition, although we tend to pay attention to his glorious military prowess, Kato Kiyomasa is also known as a master of castle construction. In particular, Kumamoto Castle, which was built by Kato Kiyomasa, is a famous castle that even Saigo Takamori is said to have struggled to capture.

Furthermore, it is said that he created the foundation of the present-day Higo Plain by promoting river improvement work and new rice paddy development within his territory, thus laying the foundation for Kumamoto Prefecture’s “Higo Plain”. For this reason, more than 400 years after his death, he is still affectionately called “Seishokou-san (“Seisho” is another way of reading Kiyomasa) ” in his hometown of Kumamoto.