Uesugi Kagekatsu was born into the Nagao clan of Ueda, the son of Nagao Masakage. After Masakage's death, Kagekatsu was adopted by his uncle, Uesugi Kenshin, as his mother, Aya Gozen, was Kenshin’s elder sister. When Kenshin passed away suddenly in 1578, Kagekatsu found himself entangled in a power struggle with his stepbrother/cousin, Uesugi Kagetora, also adopted by Kenshin.
On March 17, 1578, Kagekatsu besieged Kagetora’s castle at Otate, resulting in its swift fall and Kagetora's forced seppuku. With this victory, Kagekatsu asserted his full inheritance and leadership over the Uesugi clan.
Aligned with the Toyotomi clan, Kagekatsu participated in military campaigns at Odawara and in both Korean Campaigns. His loyalty and competence earned him Aizu Domain and an income of 1.2 million koku. Highly esteemed by Hideyoshi, Kagekatsu was appointed as one of the Council of Five Elders.
Following Hideyoshi’s death in 1598, Kagekatsu observed as Tokugawa Ieyasu, another councilor, moved to divide the council members and the nation into East and West factions. Kagekatsu was among the first daimyo to oppose Ieyasu's actions, remaining loyal to the Toyotomi clan and supporting Ishida Mitsunari against the Tokugawa.
Kagekatsu's fortification of a castle at Aizu and the mobilization of troops drew the attention of Ieyasu, who marshaled a formidable force of 50,000 soldiers against the Uesugi. This move was likely part of Ishida Mitsunari's strategy to divert Ieyasu's attention from the Western loyalists. However, Ieyasu sensed the ploy and redirected his forces towards Sekigahara.
After the Western forces' defeat at Sekigahara, Kagekatsu aligned himself with the Tokugawa. He was granted the domain of Yonezawa with an income of 300,000 koku. Kagekatsu fought for the Tokugawa in the Osaka campaigns of 1614 and 1615.
Uesugi Kagekatsu passed away on April 19, 1623, in Yonezawa at the age of 67.
See also
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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.
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Okudaira Sadamasa
Sadamasa was the son of Okudaira Sadayoshi and took part in several battles under Tokugawa Ieyasu, distinguishing himself in the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, where he took two heads. Around 1572 he was forced to enter the service of the Takeda clan, but after the death of Takeda Shingen in 1573 he returned to Tokugawa, leaving Tsukude Castle together with his men. As a result of this defection, Takeda Katsuyori ordered the execution of Sadamasa’s wife and brother, who were being held as hostages.
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Okubo Tadatika
Tadatika, the son of Okubo Tadayō, entered the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the age of eleven, and took his first head in battle when he was sixteen. After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, he was appointed as a rōjū — a senior bakufu official — and was regarded as one of Ieyasu’s most trusted advisors, alongside Honda Masanobu. He is also known for his military chronicle Mikawa Monogatari, which describes Ieyasu’s rise to power and the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Okubo Nagayasu
Nagayasu was the second son of Okura Nobuyasu, a sarugaku theater actor from the Takeda clan. Takeda Shingen recognized the young man’s potential and took him into service, appointing him as a vassal to his general, Tsuchiya Masatsugu. During this period, Nagayasu changed his family name to Tsuchiya. He was entrusted with developing the Takeda clan’s gold mines as well as handling matters related to taxation.
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Nitta Yoshisada
Nitta Yoshisada was a loyal soldier of Emperor Go-Daigo, who in the 1330s attempted to restore direct imperial rule in Japan. The Nitta family was related to the Ashikaga house and was older in lineage. However, they did not join Minamoto Yoritomo at the start of his war with the Taira, as the Ashikaga did, and therefore did not receive high positions in the Kamakura shogunate. This may have been one of the reasons why Yoshisada rose against the Hōjō clan in 1333.
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Natsume Yoshinobu
Yoshinobu, a long-time vassal of the Matsudaira and Tokugawa clans, governed Hamamatsu Castle on behalf of the Tokugawa house. During the clashes between the Imagawa, Takeda, and Matsudaira clans, he served in the garrison of Nagasawa Castle and in 1562 took part in raids under the command of Itakura Shigezane. When, in 1563, a revolt of the Sōtō-shū sect followers broke out in Mikawa Province, Yoshinobu joined the rebels together with Honda Masanobu and Hachiya Sadatsugu.
