Goto Matabei, also known as Mototsugu, was renowned for his innate combat prowess from the moment of his birth. Hailing from Yamada Village in Harima Province (now a part of Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture), he stood as a revered professional warrior of the Sengoku period. Matabei proudly bore 53 battle scars across his body, testament to his active involvement in numerous conflicts.
Initially aligned with the Kuroda clan under Kuroda Yoshitaka (Kanbei), he received a stipend of 100 koku until Kanbei's passing in 1604. Thereafter, Matabei served Toyotomi Hideyori at Osaka Castle.
Standing at an imposing height of 180cm, Goto Matabei distinguished himself with his fierce valor during Hideyoshi's Korean Campaigns. He was the first to breach the walls of Jinju Castle during the July 21-27 siege of Jinju in 1593. It's said he ingeniously devised an armored wagon to approach and undermine the fortress walls in Korea. Legends also speak of his solo combat with a tiger that had infiltrated the Japanese camp, claiming a horse's life.
He actively participated in the Battle of Sekigahara under Kuroda Nagamasa, commanding as a captain in the Eastern forces. Engaging in some of the most ferocious combat, Matabei led the Kuroda charge against the Western forces' headquarters on Mt. Sasao. Amidst the chaos, mounted on his steed, Matabei clashed with Ohashi Kanmon, a captain in the Western Forces, ultimately claiming the man's head. Matabei was among the samurai who fought under Tokugawa colors that day but later aligned with Hideyori in Osaka.
Goto Matabei earned a place as one of the "Five Heroes of Osaka Castle." His life met its end in the 1615 Siege of Osaka, specifically during the Battle of Domyo-ji against the numerically superior forces of Date Masamune. Despite awaiting reinforcements, an unusually dense mist delayed their arrival. To hold off the Date forces, Matabei and his men employed swift hit-and-run tactics, launching numerous decisive sorties against the enemy. According to accounts, Matabei personally dispatched some 70 to 80 enemies before succumbing to a musket ball. Unable to stand, he performed seppuku on the field. He was 56 years old.
See also
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Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Tsutsui Sadatsugu (June 6, 1562 – April 2, 1615) was a prominent figure in the Sengoku and early Edo periods, known as the cousin and adopted heir of Tsutsui Junkei, the feudal lord of Yamato Province. Following Junkei's death in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Sadatsugu to Iga Province, where he oversaw the construction of Iga Ueno Castle, marking the height of his prominence.
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Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (September 28, 1511 – November 29, 1535) served as the 7th lord of the Matsudaira clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku period. Renowned as the paternal grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's "great unifiers," Kiyoyasu expanded his clan’s influence, bringing all of northern Mikawa Province under his control after subduing the Saigo clan. His power was further symbolized by the construction of Okazaki Castle, a testament to the Matsudaira’s growing dominance.
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Matsudaira Hirotada
Matsudaira Hirotada (June 9, 1526 – April 3, 1549) was a daimyo and lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa Province during Japan’s turbulent Sengoku Period. He is best known as the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Ikeda Tsuneoki
Ikeda Tsuneoki (1536 – May 18, 1584), also known as Ikeda Nobuteru, was a prominent daimyo of the Ikeda clan and a distinguished military commander during Japan's Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He served under the influential warlords Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Tsuneoki’s connection to Nobunaga began early, as his mother, Yotokuin, was Nobunaga’s wet nurse and later became a concubine to Oda Nobuhide, Nobunaga's father.
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Oda Nobutaka
Oda Nobutaka (1558–1583) was a samurai of the Oda clan, also known as Kanbe Nobutaka after being adopted as the head of the Kanbe clan, which governed the central region of Ise Province. He was the third son of Oda Nobunaga, born to a concubine named Sakashi. Nobutaka was referred to as "San Shichi," possibly because he was born on the seventh day of the third month in the Japanese lunar calendar. However, there is a theory suggesting he was born twenty days earlier than his elder brother, Oda Nobukatsu, but due to delays in reporting and the low status of his mother’s family, he was acknowledged as Nobunaga’s third son.
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Yamauchi Kazutoyo
Yamauchi Kazutoyo (also spelled Yamanouchi; 1545/1546? – November 1, 1605) was a prominent samurai and retainer who served Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi during Japan's Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. His father, Yamauchi Moritoyo, was a descendant of Fujiwara no Hidesato and a senior retainer of the Iwakura Oda clan, which opposed Oda Nobunaga. Moritoyo was also the lord of Kuroda Castle in Owari Province. Kazutoyo is especially renowned for his marriage to Yamauchi Chiyo, whose wisdom and resourcefulness played a key role in his rise to prominence.
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Saito Tatsuoki
Saito Tatsuoki (6 September 1548 - 1573) was a daimyo of Mino Province during Japan's Sengoku period and the third-generation lord of the Saito clan. He was the son of Saito Yoshitatsu and grandson of Saito Dosan. His mother was a daughter of Azai Hisamasa, making him a nephew of Azai Nagamasa and a relative of Oda Nobunaga's first wife, Nohime, who was also a daughter of Saito Dosan.
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Kyogoku Tadataka
Kyogoku Tadataka (1593–1637) was a Japanese nobleman and the head of the Kyogoku clan during the early 17th century, a pivotal time marked by the Tokugawa consolidation of power. His childhood name was Kumamaro, and he hailed from a lineage claiming descent from Emperor Uda (868–897). Tadataka was the son of Kyogoku Takatsugu and one of his concubines, with his paternal grandfather being Kyogoku Takayoshi.
