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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Sakakibara Yasumasa
Yasumasa was the second son of Sakakibara Nagamasa and was born in Ueno in Mikawa Province. From a young age, he began serving Tokugawa Ieyasu and eventually rose to the position of one of his most trusted generals. His wife was the daughter of Osuga Yasutaka. Ieyasu first noticed the young Yasumasa during the suppression of the Ikkō-ikki uprising in Mikawa in 1564. Thanks to his demonstrated abilities, Yasumasa was granted the privilege of using the character “yasu”—the second character of Ieyasu’s own name—in his own. Although he was the second child in his family, he became his father’s heir, though the exact reasons for this remain unknown.
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Sakai Tadatsugu
Tadatsugu was one of the most renowned generals serving Tokugawa Ieyasu. After Ieyasu broke ties with the Imagawa clan, Tadatsugu—an ardent supporter of this decision—was granted command of Yoshida Castle in 1565, which controlled the coastal road from Tōtomi to Mikawa. During the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573, he held the right flank of the Tokugawa forces even when the troops sent by Oda fled under the assault of the Takeda army. In the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, he personally requested permission to carry out a night attack on the Takeda camp, which he executed brilliantly together with Kanamori Nagachika.
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Ryuzoji Takanobu
Takanobu was the eldest son of Ryūzōji Takaie and the great-grandson of Ryūzōji Iekane. His father was killed by a man named Baba Yoritiku in 1544. At a young age, Takanobu took Buddhist vows and received the monastic name Engetsu. However, around the age of eighteen, he returned to secular life, and in 1548, after the death of Ryūzōji Tanehide, he became the head of both branches of the Ryūzōji family.
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Ouchi Yoshihiro
Ōuchi Yoshihiro was the second son of Ōuchi Hiroyo, who headed the Ōuchi clan in the western part of Honshu. In 1363, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu confirmed the Ōuchi family in the position of shugo of Suō and Nagato Provinces. In his youth, Yoshihiro assisted his father in strengthening the influence of the Northern Court on the island of Kyushu — they served under Imagawa Ryōsun, who had been tasked with subjugating the nine provinces of Kyushu.
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Ouchi Yoshioki
Ouchi Yoshioki, the ruler of the provinces of Suo, Nagato, and Iwami, was one of the most capable military commanders and politicians of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The son of Ouchi Masahiro, he governed from his residence in Yamaguchi in the province of Suo. In 1499, Yoshioki gave refuge to Shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane, who had been driven out of Kyoto by Hosokawa Masamoto. Shogun Yoshizumi, Masamoto’s protégé, ordered the lords of Kyushu to unite their forces against Yoshioki; however, they did not dare to do so, fearing the power of a man who by that time controlled six provinces. Having gathered a substantial army, Yoshioki marched from his native Suo toward Kyoto in order to restore Shogun Yoshitane to power.
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Otomo Sorin
Ōtomo Yoshishige came from a noble lineage, being the eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, the ruler of Funai Province. The roots of the Ōtomo family traced back to Fujiwara Hidesato, the adopted son of Nakahara Chikayoshi. Fujiwara served Minamoto Yoritomo during the Genpei War and took part in battles in Mutsu Province in 1189. In 1193, he was appointed shugo of Buzen and Bungo Provinces, after which he adopted a new surname—Ōtomo.
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Okudaira Sadamasa
Sadamasa was the son of Okudaira Sadayoshi and took part in several battles under Tokugawa Ieyasu, distinguishing himself in the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, where he took two heads. Around 1572 he was forced to enter the service of the Takeda clan, but after the death of Takeda Shingen in 1573 he returned to Tokugawa, leaving Tsukude Castle together with his men. As a result of this defection, Takeda Katsuyori ordered the execution of Sadamasa’s wife and brother, who were being held as hostages.
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Okubo Tadatika
Tadatika, the son of Okubo Tadayō, entered the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the age of eleven, and took his first head in battle when he was sixteen. After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, he was appointed as a rōjū — a senior bakufu official — and was regarded as one of Ieyasu’s most trusted advisors, alongside Honda Masanobu. He is also known for his military chronicle Mikawa Monogatari, which describes Ieyasu’s rise to power and the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate.
