Hosokawa Fujitaka

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In this Japanese name, the surname is Hosokawa.
Hosokawa Fujitaka
細川 藤孝
Head of Kumamoto-Hosokawa clan
In office
1563–1582
Succeeded byHosokawa Tadaoki
Lord of Tanabe
In office
1579–1582
Succeeded byHosokawa Tadaoki
Personal details
BornJune 3, 1534
Kyoto
DiedOctober 6, 1610(1610-10-06) (aged 76)
Kyoto
SpouseNumata Jakō
ChildrenHosokawa Tadaoki
NicknameHosokawa Yūsai
Military service
Allegiance Ashikaga shogunate
Oda clan
Toyotomi clan
Eastern Army
Unit Hosokawa clan
CommandsTanabe castle
Battles/warsSiege of Shōryūji Castle
Battle of Honkokuji
Battle of Tennoji
Siege of Shigisan
Siege of Yada Castle
Tango Campaign
Siege of Negoroji
Kyushu Campaign
Siege of Tanabe

Hosokawa Fujitaka (細川 藤孝, June 3, 1534 – October 6, 1610), also known as Hosokawa Yūsai (細川 幽斎), was a Japanese samurai daimyō of the Sengoku period.[1][2] Fujitaka was a prominent retainer of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the last Ashikaga shōgun. When he joined the Oda, Oda Nobunaga rewarded him with the fief of Tango and went on to become one of the Oda clan's senior generals.

Biography[edit]

In 1568, Fujitaka joined Oda clan after Oda Nobunaga captured Kyoto. In late 1568, Fujitaka along with Shibata Katsuie, Hachiya Yoritaka, Mori Yoshinari and Sakai Masahisa attacking Iwanari Tomomichi one of Miyoshi Sanninshu at Shōryūji Castle, Iwanari subsequently was killed in battle by Fujitaka.

In 1569, after Nobunaga and his followers returned from Kyoto, the Miyoshi clan attacked Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki at Honkokuji castle, Fujitaka along with Akechi Mitsuhide defend the shōgun and repulsed the Miyoshi clan.

In 1576, Fujitaka fought in the ten years campaign against Ikkō-ikki in the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War, along with Harada Naomasa, Akechi Mitsuhide and Araki Murashige.

In 1577, Fujitaka along with Akechi Mitsuhide and Tsutsui Junkei rendered distinguished services in the Siege of Shigisan against Matsunaga Hisahide, who had raised a standard of revolt against Nobunaga.

In 1579, Fujitaka build Tanabe castle under orders from Oda Nobunaga to conquer Tango province. Later, The Oda clan force led by Fujitaka attacked Yada Castle against Isshiki Yoshimichi. After the castle fell Yoshimichi committed seppuku.[3]

In 1580, he attacked Tango alone, failing due to a counterattack from the Isshiki clan, but he finally succeeded with the help of Akechi Mitsuhide.

In 1582, after the death of Oda Nobunaga on Incident at Honnō-ji, Fujitaka refused to join Akechi Mitsuhide for the Battle of Yamazaki, despite the fact that his son, Hosokawa Tadaoki, was married to Akechi's daughter, Hosokawa Gracia. Later, Fujitaka shaved his head in the Buddhist tonsure, changed his name to the priestly "Yūsai", and delegated his status as daimyō to Tadaoki. However, he remained an active force in politics as a cultural advisor, under both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

In 1585, he joined at the Siege of Negoroji, Hideyoshi granted Fujitaka a retirement estate worth 3,000 koku in Yamashiro Province in 1586.

In 1587, he participated in the Kyushu Campaign as Hideyoshi's diplomat to negotiate with Shimazu Yoshihisa, and Hideyoshi added another 3,000 koku at Osumi Province in 1595.

In 1598 after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the government of Japan have an accident when seven military generals consisted of Fukushima Masanori, Katō Yoshiaki, Ikeda Terumasa, Kuroda Nagamasa , Asano Yoshinaga, Katō Kiyomasa, and Fujitaka himself plotted a conspiracy to kill Ishida Mitsunari. It was said that the reason of this conspiracy was dissatisfaction of those generals towards Mitsunari as he underreporting the achievements of those generals during the Imjin war against Korea & Chinese empire.[4] At first, these generals gathered at Kiyomasa's mansion in Osaka Castle, and from there they moved into Mitsunari's mansion. However, Mitsunari learned of this through a report from a servant of Toyotomi Hideyori named Jiemon Kuwajima, and fled to Satake Yoshinobu's mansion together with Shima Sakon and others to hide.[4] When the seven generals found out that Mitsunari was not in the mansion, they searched the mansions of various feudal lords in Osaka Castle, and Kato's army also approached the Satake residence. Therefore, Mitsunari and his party escaped from the Satake residence and barricaded themselves at Fushimi Castle.[5] The next day, the seven generals surrounded Fushimi Castle with their soldiers as they knew Mitsunari was hiding there. Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was in charge of political affairs in Fushimi Castle trying to arbitrate the situation. The seven generals requested Ieyasu to hand over Mitsunari, which refused by Ieyasu. Ieyasu then negotiated the promised to let Mitsunari retire and to review the assessment of the Battle of Ulsan Castle in Korea which became the major source of this incident, and had his second son, Yūki Hideyasu, to escort Mitsunari to Sawayama Castle.[6] Historians viewed this incident were not just simply personal problems between those seven generals against Mitsunari, as it was viewed as an extention of the political rivalries on greater scope between Tokugawa faction and anti-Tokugawa faction which led by Mitsunari, since by this incident, the seven generals including Nagamasa would support Ieyasu later during the conflict of Sekigahara between Eastern army led by Tokugawa Ieyasu and Western army led by Ishida Mitsunari.[4][7]

In 1600, Ishida Mitsunari had asked Fujitaka to join the Western Army, but Fujitaka refused due to one of Ishida's schemes which resulted in Gracia's and his granddaughter's death.

As a general in the Eastern Army, he garrisoned Tanabe castle with around 500 soldiers. When Tanabe Castle was besieged by the Western Army. The commanding general of the siege had great respect for Fujitaka, because of this, the attack lacked the usual spirit involved in a samurai siege: the attackers amused themselves by shooting the walls with cannons loaded only with gunpowder. Fujitaka laid down arms only after an imperial decree from Emperor Go-Yōzei. However, this was 19 days before Battle of Sekigahara, and neither he nor his attackers were able to join the battle.

Death[edit]

Hosokawa Fujitaka

Fujitaka died on October 6, 1610. He was buried in Kyoto but has a second grave in Kumamoto, where his grandson Hosokawa Tadatoshi ruled.

Family[edit]

  • Grandfather: Hosokawa Motoari (1459 - 1500)
  • Father: Mitsubuchi Harukazu (1500-1570)
  • Mother: Chisein
  • Foster Father: Hosokawa Mototsune
  • Wife: Numata Jako (1544-1618)
  • Children:
    • Hosokawa Tadaoki
    • Hosokawa Okimoto (1566-1619)
    • Hosokawa Yukitaka (1571-1607)
    • Hosokawa Takayuki
    • Itohime
    • Senhime
    • Kurihime
    • Kagahime

See also[edit]

References[edit]

The emblem (mon) of the Hosokawa clan
  1. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Hosokawa Tadaoki". Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 358. ISBN 9780674017535.
  2. ^ "細川藤孝". Nihon jinmei daijiten. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  3. ^ 日明貿易 (in Japanese). Kotobank. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Mizuno Goki (2013). "前田利家の死と石田三成襲撃事件" [Death of Toshiie Maeda and attack on Mitsunari Ishida]. 政治経済史学 (in Japanese) (557号).
  5. ^ Kasaya Kazuhiko (2000). "豊臣七将の石田三成襲撃事件―歴史認識形成のメカニズムとその陥穽―" [Seven Toyotomi Generals' Attack on Ishida Mitsunari - Mechanism of formation of historical perception and its downfall]. 日本研究 (in Japanese) (22集).
  6. ^ Kasaya Kazuhiko (2000). "徳川家康の人情と決断―三成"隠匿"の顚末とその意義―" [Tokugawa Ieyasu's humanity and decisions - The story of Mitsunari's "concealment" and its significance]. 大日光 (70号).
  7. ^ Mizuno Goki (2016). "石田三成襲撃事件の真相とは". In Watanabe Daimon (ed.). 戦国史の俗説を覆す [What is the truth behind the Ishida Mitsunari attack?] (in Japanese). 柏書房.

Further reading[edit]

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