Fukushima Ichimatsu was born in 1561, in Futatsudera, Kaitō, Owari Province (present-day Ama, Aichi Prefecture), as the eldest son of barrel merchant Fukushima Masanobu. His mother was the younger sister of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mother, making Hideyoshi his first cousin.
His first foray into battle took place during the assault on Miki Castle in 1578-1580 in Harima Province. Following the Battle of Yamazaki in 1582, he was rewarded with a 500 koku stipend. In 1583, at the Battle of Shizugatake, he achieved a notable victory over the prominent samurai Haigo Gozaemon. During this battle, Masanori earned the distinction of taking the first head, that of the enemy general Ogasato Ieyoshi. This accomplishment led to a significant increase in his stipend by 5000 koku (while the other each received 3000 Koku). Subsequently, he entered into marriage with Omasa.
Masanori actively participated in many of Hideyoshi's campaigns. It wasn't until after the Kyūshū Expedition in 1587 that he was granted the title of daimyō. He was granted the fief of Imabari in Iyo Province, with an income assessed at 110,000 koku. Shortly thereafter, he played a key role in the Korean Campaign, particularly distinguishing himself by capturing Ch'ongju in 1592.
Following his involvement in the Korean campaign, Masanori took part in the pursuit of Toyotomi Hidetsugu. In 1595, he led a force of 10,000 men, surrounding Seiganji temple on Mount Kōya, and maintained his position until Hidetsugu's eventual suicide. With Hidetsugu's demise, Masanori's stipend saw a substantial increase of 90,000 koku. He also acquired Hidetsugu's former fief of Kiyosu in Owari Province.
In the pivotal year of 1600, Masanori aligned himself with Tokugawa Ieyasu's 'Eastern army' during the Battle of Sekigahara. Later in September, he played a significant role in the Battle of Gifu Castle against Oda Hidenobu of the Ishida Mitsunari western forces, which served as a prelude to the Battle of Sekigahara the following month.
During the main Battle of Sekigahara, Masanori led the Tokugawa advance guard. He initiated the battle, charging north from the Eastern Army's left flank along the Fuji River, directly attacking the Western Army's right center. Masanori's forces engaged in a fierce and bloody confrontation with Ukita Hideie's army, which initially gained the upper hand, pushing back Masanori's troops. However, the pivotal defection of Kobayakawa Hideaki to support the Eastern army forced other units into betrayal. Subsequently, Masanori's forces turned the tide and secured victory for the Eastern Army.
Post-Sekigahara, Masanori took measures to safeguard his domain. Although he later experienced the loss of his holdings, his descendants went on to become hatamoto in the service of the Tokugawa shōgun.
Shortly after the passing of Ieyasu in 1619, Masanori faced accusations of violating the Buke Shohatto by undertaking repairs on a small section of Hiroshima Castle, which had been damaged in a typhoon-induced flood, without official authorization. Despite having submitted a request for permission two months prior, he had not received formal approval from the bakufu. It is believed that he only repaired the leaky section out of necessity. While the matter was initially resolved with the condition that Masanori, who was fulfilling his duty in Edo, would apologize and remove the repaired parts of the castle, the bakufu later accused him of inadequate removal of those parts. Consequently, his territories in Aki and Bingo Provinces, valued at 500,000 koku, were confiscated. In lieu of this, he was granted Takaino Domain, one of four counties in Kawanakajima, Shinano Province, and Uonuma County, Echigo Province, with an assessed value of 45,000 koku. He passed away at the age of 63 in 1624. His descendants continued to serve as Hatamoto in the employ of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
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.
