The Sengoku period daimyo Matsunaga Hisahide has been historically portrayed as a nefarious schemer, an aged and devious character, wreaking havoc on lives and property—an archetypal villain. Despite these depictions prevalent in modern plays, TV dramas, movies, and traditional woodblock prints, he was, in reality, a tall, handsome man of education and a patron of the arts when he died at the age of 68.
Born in 1508 in what is now Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto City, Hisahide served as a retainer to Miyoshi Nagayoshi, also known as Chokei, the Lord of Awa and Settsu, and one of the most influential figures of his era. Hisahide enjoyed the trust of the Miyoshi clan and held roles as a clan representative and later as governor at the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Between 1561 and 1564, three of Chokei’s brothers and his son and heir Yoshioki died under mysterious circumstances, paving the way for Hisahide to claim power and domains in 1564, though his involvement in these deaths remains speculative.
The Miyoshi clan wielded significant influence over the shogunate, manipulating the Ashikaga Shoguns, but tensions escalated, leading to the death of Shogun Yoshiteru. Matsunaga Hidehisa, under the Miyoshi’s influence, played a role in this event, resulting in the installation of the infant Yoshihide as the new shogun.
Hisahide later aligned with warlord Oda Nobunaga as he expanded his influence in Kyoto, offering him a renowned tea implement. Despite his initial loyalty, Hisahide conspired against Nobunaga in 1573 alongside the Miyoshi. However, the alliance with Miyoshi Yoshitsugu fell apart, leading Hisahide back to Nobunaga's side. He participated in the siege of Ishiyama Hongan-ji but eventually abandoned his post and returned to his lands in Yamato and Shigisan Castle.
Accused of treachery, Nobunaga demanded Hisahide's head and the prized tea container "Hiragumo." Facing Oda troops, Hisahide smashed the tea implement and committed seppuku in Shigisan Castle's tower keep. The castle was subsequently destroyed by Oda forces.
While Hisahide faced character assassination for alleged acts such as undermining his former masters and the rumored burning of Todai-ji, it's crucial to consider the biases of the victors and foreign missionaries at the time, who vilified him. His unassuming grave can be found in Daruma-ji Temple, Oji-cho, Nara.
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.
