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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Sanada Yukitaka
Sanada Yukitaka (c. 1512 – June 8, 1574) was a renowned samurai warrior of the Sengoku period, best known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki, as well as the grandfather of the legendary Sanada Yukimura, who later served the Toyotomi clan.
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Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
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Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
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Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
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Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
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Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
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Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Tsutsui Sadatsugu (June 6, 1562 – April 2, 1615) was a prominent figure in the Sengoku and early Edo periods, known as the cousin and adopted heir of Tsutsui Junkei, the feudal lord of Yamato Province. Following Junkei's death in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Sadatsugu to Iga Province, where he oversaw the construction of Iga Ueno Castle, marking the height of his prominence.
