Amago Haruhisa (March 8, 1514 – January 9, 1561) was a powerful daimyō and warlord in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. Born as the second son of Amago Masahisa, he initially bore the name Akihisa, but in 1541, upon an offer from Ashikaga Yoshiharu, he adopted the name Haruhisa by incorporating a kanji character from Yoshiharu's own name.
Upon the untimely death of his father, Amago Masahisa, in battle, Haruhisa assumed leadership of the Amago clan in 1537, succeeding his grandfather. Eager to expand his territory, he launched a series of invasions, extending his influence as far as Harima. During his youth, he was known by the name Saburōshirō.
The Siege of Koriyama in 1540, pitting Haruhisa against Mōri Motonari, concluded in a humiliating defeat. This led to the defection of many of his retainers, who doubted Haruhisa's prospects for success. The subsequent year saw the passing of his grandfather, Amago Tsunehisa, and Ōuchi Yoshitaka initiated a counteroffensive to crush the Amago clan.
In the 1542–43 Siege of Toda Castle, Haruhisa successfully defended the castle. This victory not only bolstered his standing but also inspired the return of some of his earlier defectors. With sufficient forces gathered, he managed to repel the invasion and gradually solidified control over domains like Izumo, Hōki, Mimasaka, and Oki.
Following the death of Ōuchi Yoshitaka in 1551 due to the rebellion led by Sue Harukata, Haruhisa was offered lordship over eight domains by the Muromachi shogunate in 1552, four of which he already held in his firm grasp.
In his later years, Haruhisa made a sudden decision to eliminate his uncle Amago Kunihisa, along with the retainers under his command, collectively known as Shingūtō. This action, which initially led to a scarcity of experienced leaders, was likely a move by Haruhisa himself to consolidate his rule over the Amago clan, rather than a plot by Mori Motonari as depicted in certain fictional works.
After Sue Harutaka's defeat and death in the Battle of Miyajima, Haruhisa sought to claim Iwami, forming an alliance with the Ogasawara clan of Iwami to seize control of the Omori Silver Mine. This sparked a series of battles with no clear victor. In late 1560, while engaged in battle against Motonari, Haruhisa fell ill at Gassantoda Castle and passed away on January 9, 1561.
Amago Hisayuki, as documented in Unyo Gunjitsuki, remarked that Haruhisa was "Quick to act, yet lacked the strategic discipline of a seasoned general; eager for combat, yet not inclined towards forgiveness."
See also
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Takigawa Kazumasu
Takigawa Kazumasu (1525 – October 21, 1586), also known as Takikawa Sakon or Sakonshogen, was a prominent samurai and daimyō of the Sengoku period. He served as a loyal retainer and military commander under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, the elder brother of Maeda Toshiie, and Kazumasu served alongside Toshiie in Nobunaga’s campaigns.
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Sanada Yukitaka
Sanada Yukitaka (c. 1512 – June 8, 1574) was a renowned samurai warrior of the Sengoku period, best known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki, as well as the grandfather of the legendary Sanada Yukimura, who later served the Toyotomi clan.
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Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
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Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
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Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
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Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
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Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
