Ikeda Terumasa (January 31, 1565 – March 16, 1613) was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period, recognized by his court title, "Musashi no Kami," and known as the "Shogun of Western Japan." Terumasa, a distinguished military leader, participated in numerous significant battles during the late Azuchi-Momoyama period. His service at the Battle of Sekigahara earned him control over the Himeji domain. Originally named Araokojimaru, he was the son of Ikeda Tsuneoki and the brother of Ikeda Sen. He later became the heir to Ikeda Nobuteru and held Ikejiri Castle in Mino Province.
In 1579, during the Siege of Itami, Terumasa and his father guarded Settsukura Bridge, and during the 1580 Siege of Hanakuma Castle, Terumasa distinguished himself in combat by personally defeating six enemies, earning him commendation from Oda Nobunaga. During the Battle of Nagakute in 1584, Terumasa initially fought under Ikeda Tsuneoki and Mori Nagayoshi but ultimately had to retreat following their defeat.
In 1590, following Tokugawa Ieyasu’s move to the Kanto region, Terumasa was awarded a 152,000-koku fief at Yoshida in Mikawa Province. In 1594, he married Tokuhime, daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu, aligning the Ikeda clan closely with the Tokugawa. That same year, he was involved in logistical support for Hideyoshi’s Korean campaigns and contributed to constructing Fushimi Castle and Yamatotanai Castle for Hideyasu.
After Hideyoshi’s death in 1598, Terumasa allied with Tokugawa Ieyasu, joining a coalition against Ishida Mitsunari, a conflict rooted in disputes over campaign assessments from the Imjin War. While traditionally viewed as a conspiracy to kill Mitsunari, modern historians argue this was a legal dispute mediated by Ieyasu, who intervened to protect Mitsunari from escalation. Tensions between Mitsunari’s faction and Tokugawa supporters contributed to the later Sekigahara conflict.
During the Sekigahara Campaign in 1600, Terumasa supported Tokugawa, convincing Nakagawa Hidenari to do the same. His forces crossed Kawada River and defeated Oda Hidenobu’s forces. At Sekigahara, Terumasa commanded 4,560 troops in the rear guard, facing minor skirmishes with Chosokabe Morichika’s forces. Following the Tokugawa victory, he received the province of Harima and expanded Himeji Castle, completing it in 1609. Bizen Province was added to Terumasa’s territories, which he entrusted to his eldest son, Toshitaka.
By Terumasa’s death in 1613, the Ikeda clan governed an expansive domain that included Harima, Bizen, Inaba, and Awaji, with a combined income of roughly 1,000,000 koku. After Toshitaka’s passing, the Tokugawa Bakufu moved to curtail the Ikeda clan's power, restricting them to the domains of Tottori and Okayama. Terumasa’s legendary katana, known as "Okanehira," was noted for its remarkable size and craftsmanship by Kanehira of Bizen Province, symbolizing the Ikeda legacy.
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.
