In 1560, Ishida Mitsunari was born in Ishida Village, Omi, located in Shiga Prefecture. The path of Mitsunari's destiny intersected with Toyotomi Hideyoshi during military training near Hideyoshi's Nagahama Castle when Mitsunari was just 13 years old. Displaying exceptional service, Mitsunari offered three cups of tea to the thirsty lord.
The first cup, served in a large chawan teacup, contained an unusually generous portion of warm green tea. Hideyoshi found the amount and temperature perfectly satisfying, consuming it all at once. The second cup, served in the same chawan, was slightly hotter and offered in a reduced quantity. Hideyoshi, now at ease, savored this cup more leisurely. The third cup, presented in a smaller bowl and considerably hotter than the previous two, allowed Hideyoshi to enjoy it in a composed manner. Impressed by Mitsunari's skill, Hideyoshi appointed him to his staff, initiating a loyal service that would be duly rewarded.
In 1585, at the age of 25, Mitsunari assumed the role of Jibu-shosuke, one of the two chief commissioners reporting to the administrator overseeing genealogies, marriages, funeral rites, imperial tombs, theaters, and music. Additionally, Mitsunari took charge of diplomatic matters, overseeing the reception of foreigners, with a notable influx of Spanish and Portuguese visitors engaged in trade and proselytizing. Renowned for his mathematical prowess, Mitsunari was entrusted with leading the well-known "sword hunt" initiative launched by Hideyoshi. This initiative aimed to disarm the civilian population, promoting peace and stability.
He received a stipend of 186,000 koku and the castle of Sawayama in Omi. Despite his adept administrative skills, his elevated position as one of the five Bugyo commissioners was not a result of martial merit or heroic deeds; rather, it stemmed from his proficiency in the tea ceremony. This, coupled with his bold and aloof demeanor, led to personal conflicts with other retainers.
Upon Mitsunari's return from accompanying General Ukita Hideie on the Korean campaign, he discovered that his senior retainer status held no sway with the establishment of the Tairo, the Council of Five Elders. This council was formed to govern in place of Hideyoshi’s young son and heir, Hideyori, and was headed by Tokugawa Ieyasu, appointed by Hideyoshi himself. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death in 1598, Mitsunari realized that his lord, young Hideyori, was being supplanted by the Tokugawa.
Ieyasu's actions disrupted the peace established by the Toyotomi, leading to the nation's division into two factions, East and West. The culmination of this unrest was the pivotal Battle of Sekigahara on October 21, 1600. Despite having numerical superiority, higher ground, and better strategic positions, the Western forces led by Ishida Mitsunari were defeated. The victor was Tokugawa Ieyasu, compelling Mitsunari to flee towards the end of the seven-hour battle.
In the aftermath of the battle, Tanaka Yoshimasa, once a friend of Mitsunari, received orders from Ieyasu to locate the Western leader. After two days of searching, he apprehended Mitsunari in the village of Furuhashi, just outside of Inokuchi Mura (Toyama Prefecture). Mitsunari had sought refuge in the Hokekyo Sanju-in Temple area, as the head priest had been one of his childhood teachers.
Confronted by an exhausted and frightened Mitsunari, the kind priest inquired, "What is it that you need?" anticipating a response related to food, water, and shelter. However, Mitsunari, as defiant as ever, declared, "Ieyasu's head!" The priest then concealed the fugitive in a rock cave behind the temple. When Tanaka eventually discovered him, Mitsunari still wore the clothes he had donned under his armor during the battle. To Tanaka's relief, his former friend surrendered quietly, handing over the wakizashi presented to him by Hideyoshi as a mark of defeat. Mitsunari, fatigued, wet, cold, and afraid, had not eaten properly for days and was suffering from dysentery. The usually proud and arrogant lord was captured and handed over to the Eastern allies in a pitiable state.
Facing Ieyasu at the ruins of Otsu Castle, Ishida Mitsunari was reproached for causing immense bloodshed. Mitsunari angrily retorted that it was Ieyasu who had initiated the war by turning against the Toyotomi. He further stated that he had resisted the temptation to take his own life because he wanted his death to be an additional burden on Ieyasu.
The trio comprising Ishida Mitsunari, Ankokuji Ekei, and Konishi Yukinaga, once captured, endured public exhibition in Osaka with metal rings around their necks. They were paraded through city streets in a large open crate. Mitsunari was compelled to loudly proclaim his alleged crimes, detailing the troubles he had caused to intensify their humiliation. Subsequently, they faced further public ridicule in Kyoto. On November 6, the trio was executed at Rokujo-ga-hara, the dry riverbed of the Kamo River in Kyoto, and their heads were displayed beside Sanjo Bridge in the city.
Despite his dire circumstances, Mitsunari maintained hope. A notable anecdote recounts that, en route to the execution grounds, he was offered a persimmon but declined, citing concerns about its impact on his digestion. Konishi, his fellow condemned, remarked that considering their imminent execution, digestion was hardly a priority. Mitsunari responded, stating, "As one can never tell how things are going to turn out, one must at all times take care of one's health."
In 1907, Mitsunari's skull was discovered in Kyoto's Sangen-in temple. Dr. Nagayasu Shuichi, former Chief of Engineering at the Tokyo National Research Institute of Police Sciences, used the skull as a base to recreate Mitsunari's facial features in the 1980s. This endeavor was undertaken at the request of Mitsunari's descendant, Mr. Ishida Takayuki. The reconstruction revealed an elongated head and a pronounced defect in Mitsunari's teeth, causing them to bow outward. Dr. Ishida Tetsuro, unrelated to Dr. Nagayasu, later studied the rest of Mitsunari's skeleton at the Kansai Idai Medical University.
See also
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Yamagata Masakage
Masakage was one of Takeda Shingen’s most loyal and capable commanders. He was included in the famous list of the “Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen” and also belonged to the inner circle of four especially trusted warlords known as the Shitennō.
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Yagyu Munenori
Yagyū Munenori began his service under Tokugawa Ieyasu while his father, Yagyū Muneyoshi, was still at his side. In 1600, Munenori took part in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. As early as 1601, he was appointed a kenjutsu instructor to Tokugawa Hidetada, Ieyasu’s son, who later became the second shogun of the Tokugawa clan.
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Yagyu Muneyoshi
A samurai from Yamato Province, he was born into a family that had been defeated in its struggle against the Tsutsui clan. Muneyoshi first took part in battle at the age of sixteen. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was forced to enter the service of the Tsutsui house and later served Miyoshi Tōkei. He subsequently came under the command of Matsunaga Hisahide and in time became a vassal first of Oda and later of Toyotomi.
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Endo Naozune
Naozune served under Azai Nagamasa and was one of the clan’s leading vassals, renowned for his bravery and determination. He accompanied Nagamasa during his first meeting with Oda Nobunaga and at that time asked for permission to kill Nobunaga, fearing him as an extremely dangerous man; however, Nagamasa did not grant this request.
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Hosokawa Sumimoto
Sumimoto came from the Hosokawa clan: he was the biological son of Hosokawa Yoshiharu and at the same time the adopted son of Hosokawa Masamoto, the heir of Hosokawa Katsumoto, one of the principal instigators of the Ōnin War. Masamoto was homosexual, never married, and had no children of his own. At first he adopted Sumiyuki, a scion of the aristocratic Kujō family, but this choice provoked dissatisfaction and sharp criticism from the senior vassals of the Hosokawa house. As a result, Masamoto changed his decision and proclaimed Sumimoto as his heir, a representative of a collateral branch of the Hosokawa clan that had long been based in Awa Province on the island of Shikoku. Almost immediately after this, the boy became entangled in a complex and bitter web of political intrigue.
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Honda Masanobu
Masanobu initially belonged to the retinue of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but later entered the service of Sakai Shōgen, a daimyo and priest from Ueno. This shift automatically made him an enemy of Ieyasu, who was engaged in conflict with the Ikkō-ikki movement in Mikawa Province. After the Ikkō-ikki were defeated in 1564, Masanobu was forced to flee, but in time he returned and once again entered Ieyasu’s service. He did not gain fame as a military commander due to a wound sustained in his youth; nevertheless, over the following fifty years he consistently remained loyal to Ieyasu.
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Honda Masazumi
Masazumi was the eldest son of Honda Masanobu. From a young age, he served Tokugawa Ieyasu alongside his father, taking part in the affairs of the Tokugawa house and gradually gaining experience in both military and administrative matters. At the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Masazumi was part of the core Tokugawa forces, a clear sign of the high level of trust Ieyasu placed in him. After the campaign ended, he was given a highly sensitive assignment—serving in the guard of the defeated Ishida Mitsunari, one of Tokugawa’s principal enemies—an obligation that required exceptional reliability and caution.
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Hojo Shigetoki
Hōjō Shigetoki, the third son of Hōjō Yoshitoki, was still very young—only five years old—when his grandfather Tokimasa became the first member of the Hōjō clan to assume the position of shogunal regent.
