was a Japanese samurai lord and

daimyo were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally to ...

of the late

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

and early

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. He was the son of

Hosokawa Fujitaka , also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and prominent samurai lord of the Sengoku period. A former senior retainer of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the fifteenth and final Ashikaga shōgun, Fujitaka later aligned with Oda Nobunaga. As a reward fo ...

and Numata Jakō, and the husband of the famous

Christian convert A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words ''Christ'' and ''Chr ...

Hosokawa Gracia , usually referred to as , (1563 – 25 August 1600) was a member of the aristocratic Akechi family from the Sengoku period. Gracia is best known for her role in the Battle of Sekigahara; Ishida Mitsunari attempted to take her hostage to s ...

. For most of his life, he went by the name Nagaoka Tadaoki, which had been adopted by his father and was associated with a town in their domain. Shortly after the victory at Sekigahara, Nagaoka Tadaoki reverted to his original name, Hosokawa Tadaoki.

Biography

Tadaoki was the eldest son of

. He fought in his first battle at the age of 15, in the service of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

. His childhood name was Kumachiyo (熊千代). In 1580, Tadaoki was granted the Province of Tango. In 1578, he married

, the daughter of

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period. Mitsuhide was originally a bodyguard of the last Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later, one of ...

. In 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide rebelled against Nobunaga at

Honnō-ji is a temple of the Nichiren branch of Buddhism located in Kyoto, Japan. Honnō-ji incident Honnō-ji is most famous for the Honnō-ji incident, the assassination of the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga, which occurred there on 21 June 1582. Nob ...

, resulting in Nobunaga's death. Akechi then turned to Hosokawa Fujitaka and Tadaoki for assistance, but they refused to help him. Mitsuhide was ultimately defeated by

Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innov ...

. Tadaoki fought on Hideyoshi's side in the

Battle of Komaki and Nagakute The , also known as the Komaki Campaign (小牧の役 ''Komaki no Eki''), was a series of battles in 1584 between the forces of Hashiba Hideyoshi (who would become Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1586) and the forces of Oda Nobukatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu ...

(1584) and the Odawara Campaign (1590), participating in the siege of Nirayama in

Izu Province was a province of Japan in the area now part of Shizuoka Prefecture and Tokyo. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Izu''" in . Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . The mainland portion of Izu Prov ...

before joining the main army outside

Odawara is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in ...

. During the 1590s, he developed a friendship with

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

, who had lent him money to help pay off debts owed to

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was a during the Sengoku period of Japan. He was the nephew and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the unifier and ruler of Japan from 1590 to 1598. Despite being Hideyoshi's closest adult, male relative, Hidetsugu was accused of atrocities and at ...

. In 1600, Tadaoki sided with Ieyasu against

Ishida Mitsunari was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...

. He was succeeded by his son, Hosokawa Tadatoshi (1586–1641), who participated in the Siege of Shimabara (1637–1638). In 1632, Tadatoshi received a significant fief in Higo (

Kumamoto is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a populat ...

, 540,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

''), where the Hosokawa family remained until 1871.

Conflict with Ishida Mitsunari

According to popular theory, in 1598, following the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the government of Japan experienced a significant incident in which seven military generals—

Fukushima Masanori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period to early Edo period and served as the lord of the Hiroshima Domain. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583 and soon became known as one of the ...

Katō Kiyomasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama period, Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. His court title was . His name as a child was ''Yashamaru'', and first name was ''Toranosuke''. He was one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi's Seven ...

Ikeda Terumasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. His court title was ''Kokushi (officials), Musashi no Kami''. Terumasa was also known by the nickname ''saigoku no shōgun'', or, "The ''Shōgun'' of Western Japan". Terumasa fought in many ...

, Hosokawa Tadaoki,

Asano Yoshinaga was a Japanese samurai and feudal lord of the late Sengoku and early Edo periods. His father served as one of the '' Go-Bugyō'' in the late Azuchi–Momoyama period. Asano Yoshinaga was born at Odani, in the Asai district of Ōmi Province, in ...

Katō Yoshiaki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period to early Edo period; he served as lord of the Aizu Domain. As a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Katō fought in the battle of Shizugatake in 1583 and soon became known as one of the ''shich ...

, and

Kuroda Nagamasa was a ''daimyō'' during the late Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods. He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's chief strategist and adviser. Biography Nagamasa's childhood name was Shojumaru (松寿丸). In 1577 his fathe ...

—conspired to kill Ishida Mitsunari. Their conspiracy stemmed from the generals' dissatisfaction with Mitsunari, who had written unfavorable assessments and downplayed their achievements during the

Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

against Korea and the Chinese empire. However, Mitsunari learned of their plans through a report from Jiemon Kuwajima, a servant of

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who united all of Japan toward the end of the Sengoku period. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's sec ...

, and fled to

Satake Yoshinobu was a ''daimyō'' in Sengoku period and early Edo period Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate and the 19th head of the Satake clan and 1st ''daimyō'' of Kubota Domain in Dewa Province. His courtesy title was '' Sakon-no-e-shōshō'', later '' ...

's mansion with

Shima Sakon , also known as Shima Tomoyuki and Shima Katsutake, was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku period. His nickname was (Shima Nearby on the Left). Sakon eventually left the service of the Hatakeyama clan, Tsutsui Junkei, Toyotomi Hidenaga an ...

and others to hide. When the seven generals discovered that Mitsunari was absent from his mansion, they searched the residences of various feudal lords in

Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Layout Th ...

, while Katō's army also approached the Satake residence. Consequently, Mitsunari and his companions escaped from the Satake residence and barricaded themselves in

Fushimi Castle , also known as or Fushimi-Momoyama Castle, is a Japanese castle located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. Fushimi Castle was constructed from 1592 to 1594 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the end of the Sengoku period as his retirement residen ...

. The following day, the seven generals surrounded Fushimi Castle with their soldiers, aware that Mitsunari was hiding there.

, who was in charge of political affairs at Fushimi Castle, attempted to mediate the situation. The seven generals demanded that Ieyasu hand over Mitsunari, but he refused. Instead, he negotiated, promising to allow Mitsunari to retire and to review the assessment of the Battle of Ulsan Castle in Korea, which had been a major point of contention. Ieyasu then sent his second son,

Yūki Hideyasu was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama period, Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods. He was the ''daimyō'' of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province, Echizen. Early life Hideyasu was born as in 1574, the second son of To ...

, to escort Mitsunari to

Sawayama Castle was a castle in the city of Hikone, Shiga, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. This castle was an important military stronghold of Ōmi Province. The Azai clan held this castle in the Sengoku Period. Niwa Nagahide held it after the ruin of the Az ...

. However, historian Daimon Watanabe, drawing from primary and secondary sources regarding the incident, argued that this was more of a legal conflict between the generals and Mitsunari, rather than a conspiracy to murder him. Ieyasu's role was not to physically protect Mitsunari from harm but to mediate the complaints of the generals. Nevertheless, historians view this incident as more than a personal conflict between the seven generals and Mitsunari. It was an extension of the broader political rivalries between the Tokugawa faction and the anti-Tokugawa faction led by Mitsunari. Following this incident, the military figures who were at odds with Mitsunari later supported Ieyasu during the Sekigahara conflict between the Eastern army, led by Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the Western army, led by Ishida Mitsunari. Historian Shunkichi Muramatsu believes Mitsunari's failure in his war against Ieyasu was due to his unpopularity among the major political figures of that time.

Battle of Sekigahara

In July 1600,

attempted to gain leverage over those leaning towards Ieyasu by taking hostages from families residing in

. This included Tadaoki's wife, who had since converted to Christianity and was baptized as "Gracia". To avoid capture,

ordered a servant to kill her and set fire to their quarters. Mitsunari's actions were regarded as an appalling act of trickery, ultimately driving Tadaoki to Ieyasu's side. On October 20, 1600, at the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

, Tadaoki commanded 5,000 men in the Tokugawa vanguard, clashing with the forces of

. Subsequently, he was awarded a fief in Buzen (

Kokura is an ancient Jōkamachi, castle town and the center of modern Kitakyushu, Japan. Kokura is also the name of the Kokura Station, penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR West. Ferries connect Kokura ...

, 370,000 koku) and went on to serve in the

Siege of Osaka A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

(1614–1615). Hosokawa Tadaoki Large Battle Standards

Family

* Father:

* Mother: Numata Jako (1544–1618) * Wife:

* Concubines: ** Daughter of Kori Muneyasu ** Daughter of Akechi Mitsutada ** Daughter of Kiyota Mamoru ** Daughter of Masashi Shimamoto * Children: ** Hosokawa Tadataka (1580–1646) by

** Hosokawa Okiaki (1583–1615) by

** Hosokawa Tadatoshi by

** Hosokawa Okitaka ** Hosokawa Tatsutaka by daughter of Kiyota Mamoru ** Matsui Yoriyuki ** Ocho married Maeno Kagesada by

** Otara married Inaba Kazumichi by

** Koho married Matsui Okinaga ** Oman married Karasuma Mitsukata

Retainers

* Ujii Yashiro

References

External links

Sengoku Biographical Dictionary
Hosokawa Tadaoki