Shimazu Yoshihiro

Lore & Background

Yoshihiro along with Niiro Tadamoto defeated the Itō clan at the Battle of Kizaki in 1572, and defeated the Otomo clan with his brothers in 1578 at the Battle of Mimigawa. In 1587, facing Toyotomi Hideyoshi's troops, Yoshihiro pressed for war even after his brother and clan head Yoshihisa surrendered. After Yoshihisa repeatedly asked for surrender, Yoshihiro finally accepted. After Yoshihisa became a Buddhist monk, it was believed that Yoshihiro became head of the clan, though real power remained in Yoshihisa's hands. He served as a willing and skillful general under Hideyoshi in both 1592 and 1597 of the Seven-Year War, setting foot on the Korean peninsula and successfully carrying out a series of battles. In 1597, working with Tōdō Takatora, Katō Yoshiaki, and Konishi Yukinaga, Yoshihiro defeated Wŏn Kyun's navy. At the Battle of Sacheon in 1598, facing a Ming army of 37,000, Yoshihiro defeated them with only 7,000 soldiers. At the final battle of the war in 1598, the Battle of Noryang, Yoshihiro's objective was to cross the Noryang Strait, link up with Konishi, and retreat to Japan. Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin died in this battle. Afterward, Yoshihiro rescued the Japanese commanders and returned to Japan.

In Their Own Story

After Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death in 1598, the land became split between Toyotomi supporters backing Ishida Mitsunari and those supporting Tokugawa Ieyasu, culminating in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. According to Edo Period novels, Yoshihiro was initially supposed to be on Ieyasu's side but was crushed by Ishida Mitsunari's army upon arriving to rescue Torii Mototada during the siege of Fushimi Castle and, after being humiliated, took Mitsunari's side instead. However, recent research indicates Yoshihiro chose to side with Mitsunari from the very start, before Mōri Terumoto announced war against Tokugawa in July 1600. Yoshihiro played an important role as a member of Mitsunari's core staff and was pivotal in persuading Uesugi Kagekatsu to ally with them. On September 13, Yoshihiro led his soldiers to besiege Sone Castle and bombarded it with artillery. Ii Naomasa and Honda Tadakatsu implored Mizuno Katsunari to repulse the Shimazu forces. Katsunari sallied out with his younger brother Mizuno Tadatane, ordered his artillery to return fire at the Shimazu turret, then stormed the Shimazu position and overcame them, causing Yoshihiro to retreat and abandon the siege. After Katsunari beat the Shimazu forces, Ieyasu ordered him to guard Sone Castle and keep an eye on Ogaki Castle. Katsunari then surrounded Ogaki Castle at midnight, beat a Western army led by Fukuhara Nagataka, and burned the wall and outer citadels. As Katsunari burned the outer citadels, the Western army nearby, including the Shimazu clan who had just been beaten, aborted their plan to go in, thinking Ogaki Castle could not be saved. Yoshihiro then decided to retreat into Ise Province. According to Yoshihiro's subordinate Kando Kutarō, Yoshihiro got along with Mitsunari from the start, but their relationship was distorted by Edo Period novelists. Mitsunari did not listen to any of Yoshihiro's plans, including a surprise night attack on the day before the actual battle. On the day of the battle, Yoshihiro and his 1500 men held ground and did not fight at all. After the rest of Mitsunari's side was wiped out, Yoshihiro was stranded among at least 30,000 of Ieyasu's troops. Vastly outnumbered, Yoshihiro tried to charge against Ieyasu himself but after his nephew Shimazu Toyohisa demanded he not kill himself over a meaningless battle, Yoshihiro instead charged straight through Ieyasu's troop to exit to the other side. Yoshihiro had his troops make a fighting retreat called Sutegamari (捨て奸), where until a certain number of men died holding a position and repelling an attack, the main body fought as well. Though Toyohisa and the bulk of the troops died, the charge and retreat succeeded, wounding Ii Naomasa in the process. After beating back the chase, he picked up his wife at Sumiyoshi in Settsu Province and returned to Satsuma Province by ships.

Reader's Guide

In 1602, after recognizing why and how Yoshihiro behaved on the battlefield, Ieyasu had the Shimazu clan retain its domain and let Yoshihiro's son Shimazu Tadatsune succeed him. Yoshihiro retired to Sakurajima and took up teaching younger generations. He died in 1619 and several of his retainers who had fought alongside him followed him by committing suicide. On August 23, 1918, Yoshihiro was posthumously awarded the courtesy title of senior third rank (shō san-mi, 正三位) by Emperor Taishō. It had traditionally been believed that he became the seventeenth head of the Shimazu clan after Yoshihisa, but it is currently believed that he let Yoshihisa keep his position. Yoshihiro was essential to the Shimazu clan and both Ieyasu and Hideyoshi tried to divide the clan by treating Yoshihiro well but treating the elder brother Yoshihisa badly, which did not succeed. He was a devoted Buddhist and built a monument for enemy troops during the Seven-Year War.

Did You Know?

• Yoshihiro defeated a Ming army of 37,000 with only 7,000 soldiers at the Battle of Sacheon in 1598.
• He was posthumously awarded the courtesy title of senior third rank (shō san-mi) by Emperor Taishō on August 23, 1918.
• Yoshihiro built a monument for enemy troops during the Seven-Year War, reflecting his devotion to Buddhism.
• At the Battle of Sekigahara, his 1500 men held ground and did not fight at all until after Mitsunari's side was wiped out.
• Several of Yoshihiro's retainers committed suicide after his death in 1619.