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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Hojo Ujimasa
Hojo Ujimasa (1538 – August 10, 1590) was the fourth leader of the later Hojo clan and the daimyo of Odawara. He continued his father Hojo Ujiyasu's policy of territorial expansion, achieving the largest territorial holdings in the clan's history.
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Uesugi Kagetora
Uesugi Kagetora (1552 – April 19, 1579) was the seventh son of Hojo Ujiyasu and was originally known as Hojo Saburo. He was adopted by Uesugi Kenshin and intended to be Kenshin's heir. However, in 1578, he was attacked in his Otate Castle by Uesugi Kagekatsu, his brother-in-law, and was ultimately defeated. Kagetora committed suicide the following year at Samegao Castle.
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Hojo Ujinao
Hojo Ujinao (1562 – December 19, 1591) was a Japanese daimyo of the late Sengoku period and the last leader of the Later Hojo clan. An important figure in Azuchi-Momoyama politics, he lost his entire domain following the Siege of Odawara (1590). Despite this, he survived, and his family continued as minor daimyo during the Edo period.
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Takeda Katsuyori
Takeda Katsuyori (1546 – April 3, 1582) was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period, renowned as the head of the Takeda clan and successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was also the son-in-law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Katsuyori was born to Shingen and the daughter of Suwa Yorishige, known posthumously as Suwa-goryonin and by her real name, Koihime. His children included Takeda Nobukatsu and Takeda Katsuchika.
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Yasuke
Yasuke, an African page, arrived in Japan in 1579 as the attendant of the Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano. Before the arrival of the Englishman William Adams, it is thought that Yasuke was possibly the inaugural non-Japanese samurai, arriving about twenty years earlier.
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Yamanami Keisuke
Yamanami Keisuke, the second in command of the Shinsengumi, a special police force during the late Edo period, shocked many when he performed seppuku on March 20, 1865, at the age of 32.
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Yamamoto Kansuke
Yamamoto Kansuke, renowned as a samurai strategist and one of Takeda Shingen's esteemed 24 Generals, hailed from the Mikawa region, known for breeding formidable warriors. Despite physical challenges—blindness in one eye, lameness in one leg, and a malformed hand—Kansuke embarked on a warrior's pilgrimage in his twenties. Traveling across the land, he honed his skills in strategy, tactics, castle construction, and warfare, engaging in various swordsmanship schools and forms.
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Yamaga Soko
Yamaga Soko was a multifaceted figure in Japanese history, renowned as a strategist, philosopher, and scholar. Later in life, he became a ronin, leaving a significant mark on the understanding of the Tokugawa period samurai.