Kuroda Kanbei, also recognized as Kuroda Yoshitaka and later in life as Kuroda Josui, emerged as a military strategist and daimyo during the late Sengoku period. Regarded for his keen strategic mind, courage, and unwavering loyalty, he left an indelible mark as a respected warrior.
Born in Himeji in 1546, Kuroda Kanbei assumed leadership of the Kuroda family at the age of 21 following the passing of his father, Mototaka, who served as a senior retainer to the Kodera clan of Himeji. Recognizing the ascendancy of Oda Nobunaga, Kanbei proposed to his lord, Kodera Masamoto, the idea of aligning with the Oda forces. Despite Kodera's inclination to support the Mori clan, which opposed the Oda, Kanbei, reaching out to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, secured a direct audience with Nobunaga. His strategic counsel contributed to the successful capture of Himeji, leading to the Kodera's surrender. Pledging allegiance to the Oda clan, Kanbei and strategist Takenaka Hanbei served as advisors to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
In 1577, Kanbei faced accusations of espionage from Nobunaga, resulting in the abduction of his nine-year-old son, Nagamasa, as a hostage. Fortunately, Takenaka Hanbei intervened, rescuing the boy. A year later, during a diplomatic mission to Itami Castle, Kanbei was captured but managed to escape, sustaining an injury that left him with a lasting limp.
Throughout the Sengoku period's later stages, Kuroda Kanbei, along with his son, continued to serve Toyotomi Hideyoshi. They played crucial roles in campaigns, including the invasion of the Chugoku region and the Shikoku Campaign of 1585. During the Kyushu mission, Kanbei, influenced by Christian daimyo Takayama Ukon, briefly embraced Christianity, adopting the name Don Simeon. However, due to rising concerns about foreign influence, he renounced Christianity and assumed the Buddhist name Josui.
As Chief Advisor to Hideyoshi's nephew, Kobayakawa Hideaki, during the Second Korean Campaign, Kanbei developed a close relationship with Hideyoshi. Following Hideyoshi's demise, the Kuroda shifted their allegiance to the Tokugawa camp, aligning against Western loyalist leader Ishida Mitsunari. In 1600, they fought alongside Kato Kiyomasa at the Battle of Sekigahara. Post-Sekigahara, Kanbei declined a position within the Tokugawa government but used his influence to spare the Shimazu clan's lands and Otomo Yoshimune's life.
Kuroda Kanbei's involvement in pivotal Sengoku period events and his strategic acumen significantly influenced Japanese history. His sage advice contributed to Hideyoshi's successes, showcasing not only military prowess but also a potential sense of humor, exemplified by his distinctive choice of wearing an owan bowl as a helmet.
See also
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Tachibana Muneshige
Tachibana Muneshige was born the eldest son of Takahashi Shigetane, one of the principal retainers of the Ōtomo clan and commander of Iwaya Castle. In childhood, he bore the name Senkumamaru. His early years coincided with a period of intense military confrontation between the Ōtomo clan and other powerful warrior houses of Kyūshū—namely the Shimazu, Akizuki, and Ryūzōji clans.
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Tachibana Dosetsu
Tachibana Dōsetsu is the name by which Hetsugi Akitsura is more widely known; the name of this lineage is also found read as Hekki or Bekki. For a long period, Akitsura served the Ōtomo clan, the daimyō of Bungo Province, and took part in wars against the Ōuchi family, the principal enemies of the Ōtomo in northwestern Kyushu. In the 1560s, Akitsura seized the castle of the Tachibana clan, which had rebelled against the Ōtomo, and thereafter adopted the surname Tachibana. Around the same time, he took Buddhist vows and assumed the name Dōsetsu, which means “Snowy Road.”
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Taira no Masakado
Taira no Masakado embodied the quintessential samurai of his era—self-assured, harsh, and unyielding. In his youth, he served in the palace guard and repeatedly proved his bravery while suppressing unrest. Thanks to these achievements, Masakado sought the post of chief of the capital’s military-police office (the kebiishi-chō), but he was rejected: by that time, nearly all court positions—now little more than privileged sinecures—were controlled by members of the powerful Fujiwara clan.
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Sakakibara Yasumasa
Yasumasa was the second son of Sakakibara Nagamasa and was born in Ueno in Mikawa Province. From a young age, he began serving Tokugawa Ieyasu and eventually rose to the position of one of his most trusted generals. His wife was the daughter of Osuga Yasutaka. Ieyasu first noticed the young Yasumasa during the suppression of the Ikkō-ikki uprising in Mikawa in 1564. Thanks to his demonstrated abilities, Yasumasa was granted the privilege of using the character “yasu”—the second character of Ieyasu’s own name—in his own. Although he was the second child in his family, he became his father’s heir, though the exact reasons for this remain unknown.
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Sakai Tadatsugu
Tadatsugu was one of the most renowned generals serving Tokugawa Ieyasu. After Ieyasu broke ties with the Imagawa clan, Tadatsugu—an ardent supporter of this decision—was granted command of Yoshida Castle in 1565, which controlled the coastal road from Tōtomi to Mikawa. During the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573, he held the right flank of the Tokugawa forces even when the troops sent by Oda fled under the assault of the Takeda army. In the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, he personally requested permission to carry out a night attack on the Takeda camp, which he executed brilliantly together with Kanamori Nagachika.
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Ryuzoji Takanobu
Takanobu was the eldest son of Ryūzōji Takaie and the great-grandson of Ryūzōji Iekane. His father was killed by a man named Baba Yoritiku in 1544. At a young age, Takanobu took Buddhist vows and received the monastic name Engetsu. However, around the age of eighteen, he returned to secular life, and in 1548, after the death of Ryūzōji Tanehide, he became the head of both branches of the Ryūzōji family.
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Ouchi Yoshihiro
Ōuchi Yoshihiro was the second son of Ōuchi Hiroyo, who headed the Ōuchi clan in the western part of Honshu. In 1363, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu confirmed the Ōuchi family in the position of shugo of Suō and Nagato Provinces. In his youth, Yoshihiro assisted his father in strengthening the influence of the Northern Court on the island of Kyushu — they served under Imagawa Ryōsun, who had been tasked with subjugating the nine provinces of Kyushu.
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Ouchi Yoshioki
Ouchi Yoshioki, the ruler of the provinces of Suo, Nagato, and Iwami, was one of the most capable military commanders and politicians of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The son of Ouchi Masahiro, he governed from his residence in Yamaguchi in the province of Suo. In 1499, Yoshioki gave refuge to Shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane, who had been driven out of Kyoto by Hosokawa Masamoto. Shogun Yoshizumi, Masamoto’s protégé, ordered the lords of Kyushu to unite their forces against Yoshioki; however, they did not dare to do so, fearing the power of a man who by that time controlled six provinces. Having gathered a substantial army, Yoshioki marched from his native Suo toward Kyoto in order to restore Shogun Yoshitane to power.
