Kikkawa Hiroie was a master of strategy and diplomacy. He made his battlefield debut aged nine alongside his father, Kikkawa Motoharu, in 1570 against Amago Katsuhisa. In 1587 he became head of the Kikkawa clan following the deaths of both his father and elder brother.
Kikkawa Hiroie’s weapons of choice were diplomacy and strategy, and, like Hideyoshi, preferred these tactics to combat. Despite this, he was a more than able general on the battlefield, showing his true mettle in the Cattle of Ulsan Castle during the Korean Campaign, where he defeated a numerically superior Ming army. He was highly praised by Hideyoshi, particularly for his loyalty to the Mori clan. It was this loyalty that led him to create a secret pact with the Tokugawa prior to Sekigahara, promising that the Mori forces would refrain from entering the battle on either side, providing Ieyasu allowed the clan to retain its land and titles afterwards. It was an effort to ensure the survival of the Mori clan. Kikkawa for his part, upheld the deal, providing Ieyasu with respite from his rear flank.
Had Kikkawa and the Mori forces engaged in the battle, Ieyasu would have been sandwiched in and most probably defeated.
Because of this, and Ieyasu later renegotiating the deal based on letters apparently revealing Mori Terumoto to have been much more involved in the Western plans than first believed, Kikkawa Hiroie was seen by many within the Mori clan as a traitor. Apart from being the leading general of the huge Mori clan forces at Sekigahara, Kikkawa Hiroie is best remembered for having written the Kikawashi Hatto, a set of laws with some 188 clauses created to further the prosperity of the domain.
Kikkawa Hiroie died 25 years and one day after the Battle of Sekigahara, on October 22, 1625. He was 63 years old.
See also
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Tsutsui Junkei
Tsutsui Junkei (March 31, 1549 – September 15, 1584), the son of Tsutsui Junsho, was a daimyo who ruled over Yamato Province. In 1571, through the mediation of Akechi Mitsuhide, Junkei pledged his service to Oda Nobunaga.
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Oda Nobutada
Oda Nobutada (1557 – June 21, 1582) was a samurai and the eldest son of Oda Nobunaga, known for his active role in several battles during Japan's Sengoku period. He led armies under his father's command in campaigns against Matsunaga Hisahide and the Takeda clan.
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Imagawa Ujizane
Imagawa Ujizane (1538 – January 27, 1615) was a Japanese daimyō who lived through the Sengoku and early Edo periods. He became the tenth head of the Imagawa clan, following in the footsteps of his father, Imagawa Yoshimoto. Ujizane was the father of Imagawa Norimochi and Shinagawa Takahisa.
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Hojo Ujiyasu
Hojo Ujiyasu (1515 – October 21, 1571), the third head of the Odawara Hojo clan, was a formidable daimyo known as the "Lion of Sagami." Revered as a fearsome samurai and brilliant strategist, he became famous for successfully breaking sieges by renowned warlords Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. Ujiyasu was the son of Hojo Ujitsuna, and his only known wife was Zuikei-in, sister of Imagawa Yoshimoto. Among his children were Hojo Ujimasa and Uesugi Kagetora.
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Hojo Ujimasa
Hojo Ujimasa (1538 – August 10, 1590) was the fourth leader of the later Hojo clan and the daimyo of Odawara. He continued his father Hojo Ujiyasu's policy of territorial expansion, achieving the largest territorial holdings in the clan's history.
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Uesugi Kagetora
Uesugi Kagetora (1552 – April 19, 1579) was the seventh son of Hojo Ujiyasu and was originally known as Hojo Saburo. He was adopted by Uesugi Kenshin and intended to be Kenshin's heir. However, in 1578, he was attacked in his Otate Castle by Uesugi Kagekatsu, his brother-in-law, and was ultimately defeated. Kagetora committed suicide the following year at Samegao Castle.
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Hojo Ujinao
Hojo Ujinao (1562 – December 19, 1591) was a Japanese daimyo of the late Sengoku period and the last leader of the Later Hojo clan. An important figure in Azuchi-Momoyama politics, he lost his entire domain following the Siege of Odawara (1590). Despite this, he survived, and his family continued as minor daimyo during the Edo period.
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Takeda Katsuyori
Takeda Katsuyori (1546 – April 3, 1582) was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period, renowned as the head of the Takeda clan and successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was also the son-in-law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Katsuyori was born to Shingen and the daughter of Suwa Yorishige, known posthumously as Suwa-goryonin and by her real name, Koihime. His children included Takeda Nobukatsu and Takeda Katsuchika.
