Saito Dosan, renowned as the "Viper of Mino," deviated from the traditional samurai path, beginning his journey as a monk. Born in Yamashiro Province, located in the southern Kyoto region, Dosan amassed wealth as an oil merchant before serving under Nagai Nagahiro in Mino (Gifu). Eventually, he became a devoted retainer of Toki Yorinari, the Governor of Mino, ultimately seizing control from the Toki clan and rising to power in Mino.
With his stronghold at Inabayama Castle, later renamed Gifu Castle, Dosan achieved a significant victory in 1547 by defeating Oda Nobuhide, father of the renowned Nobunaga, in the Battle of Kanoguchi near the Entoku-ji Temple in Gifu City’s Moto-machi area. This triumph elevated Dosan's stature nationally and paved the way for an alliance between his daughter, No-hime, and Nobuhide’s son, Nobunaga, through marriage.
However, despite his reputation for employing ruthless tactics, Dosan's reign came to an end when his own son, Yoshitatsu, ousted him in the Battle of Nagaragawa in 1556. Speculations surrounding Yoshitatsu's legitimacy as Dosan's son and rumors of Dosan's intentions to pass control of Mino to another son or his son-in-law, Nobunaga, fueled the conflict. Yoshitatsu, entrenched in Sagiyama Castle, rallied the majority of the Saito clan's samurai, numbering around 17,500, against Dosan's 2,700 loyal followers. Unfortunately for Dosan, support troops dispatched by Nobunaga arrived too late to alter the battle's outcome.
Following his defeat, Komaki Genta claimed Dosan's head, which now rests at Jozai-ji Temple in Gifu, near Gifu Castle, marking the conclusion of Dosan's tumultuous life at the age of 62.
See also
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Asano Nagaakira
Asano Nagaakira (March 18, 1586 – October 16, 1632) was a Japanese samurai and daimyō of the early Edo period. He initially ruled Wakayama Domain before being transferred to the Hiroshima Domain, where his family would remain until the Meiji Restoration.
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Takigawa Kazumasu
Takigawa Kazumasu (1525 – October 21, 1586), also known as Takikawa Sakon or Sakonshogen, was a prominent samurai and daimyō of the Sengoku period. He served as a loyal retainer and military commander under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, the elder brother of Maeda Toshiie, and Kazumasu served alongside Toshiie in Nobunaga’s campaigns.
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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.
