From the very beginning of his career, Takatsugu served under Oda Nobunaga and was married to Nobunaga’s niece, which secured him a strong position at court and close ties to one of the most powerful clans of the era. However, the events of 1582 drastically changed his fate. When Akechi Mitsuhide rebelled against Nobunaga and treacherously killed him at the Honnō-ji Temple, Takatsugu sought to take advantage of the ensuing chaos to strengthen his own standing. He launched an attack on Nagahama Castle in Ōmi Province, hoping to expand his territories. The assault, however, was repelled, and soon after, Mitsuhide was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces at the Battle of Yamazaki, leaving Takatsugu without allies or support.
Finding himself in a precarious situation, Takatsugu turned to Hori Hidemasa, a renowned general who helped arrange his service under Shibata Katsuie — one of the most powerful warlords of the time and a staunch rival of Hideyoshi. Yet in the following year, 1583, Katsuie’s army was decisively defeated by Hideyoshi’s forces at the Battle of Shizugatake, and Katsuie, realizing his defeat, took his own life through seppuku. Anticipating the collapse of his lord’s cause, Takatsugu fled to the domains of his relative Takeda Motoaki, who was married to Takatsugu’s sister. Fate, however, once again turned against him — soon Motoaki was executed on Hideyoshi’s orders as part of his campaign to eliminate potential threats to his rule.
Remarkably, Takatsugu avoided his relative’s grim fate. Not only was he spared punishment, but he was also granted a landholding — a clear sign that Hideyoshi saw value in Takatsugu’s abilities and connections. His sister was sent to Osaka as one of Hideyoshi’s concubines, and it was likely through this familial link that Takatsugu gradually rose to favor with the new ruler. His income increased steadily: first to 2,500 koku of rice, then to 10,000, later to 28,000, and eventually reaching an impressive 60,000 koku per year. Along with this rise in wealth, Takatsugu received control over Ōtsu Castle in Ōmi Province, establishing himself as a powerful feudal lord with his own administrative and military authority.
In 1590, Takatsugu took part in Hideyoshi’s campaign against the Hōjō clan — the famous Odawara campaign — which resulted in Hideyoshi consolidating control over Japan’s eastern provinces. His contributions to this campaign further solidified his standing among Toyotomi’s vassals. Yet after Hideyoshi’s death, Japan’s political landscape shifted once again. In 1600, during the decisive Sekigahara campaign — the great struggle between Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Eastern Army and the Western Coalition loyal to the Toyotomi heirs — Takatsugu made a calculated decision to side with Tokugawa.
This decision brought its own trials. Ōtsu Castle, under Takatsugu’s command, was besieged by a Western Coalition force numbering around fifteen thousand men. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Takatsugu displayed resilience and tactical skill in defending the fortress. His garrison held out for nine days, repelling repeated assaults, and only on October 21 — the very day that the main Battle of Sekigahara ended in Tokugawa’s decisive victory — did Takatsugu surrender the castle. Respecting his bravery and the honor befitting a samurai, the Western generals permitted him to shave his head and retire to a monastery on Mount Kōya, where he found temporary refuge.
After Tokugawa Ieyasu’s ultimate triumph, he deeply appreciated Takatsugu’s contribution to the campaign. Although Takatsugu had technically surrendered, his defense of Ōtsu had delayed a significant portion of the Western forces, indirectly aiding Tokugawa’s victory on the main battlefield. In recognition of his loyalty and service, Ieyasu rewarded him generously with new lands in Wakasa Province, providing an annual income of 92,000 koku of rice. This gift symbolized Ieyasu’s trust and acknowledgment of Takatsugu’s courage and wisdom. Kyōgoku Takatsugu thus entered history as an example of a samurai who not only survived but also thrived during one of the most turbulent transitions in Japanese history — the shift from the Sengoku era to the Edo period.
See also
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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.
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Otomo Sorin
Ōtomo Yoshishige came from a noble lineage, being the eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, the ruler of Funai Province. The roots of the Ōtomo family traced back to Fujiwara Hidesato, the adopted son of Nakahara Chikayoshi. Fujiwara served Minamoto Yoritomo during the Genpei War and took part in battles in Mutsu Province in 1189. In 1193, he was appointed shugo of Buzen and Bungo Provinces, after which he adopted a new surname—Ōtomo.
