was a Japanese

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

and commander of the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

. Motozumi was one of the most important retainers of the

Mōri clan The Mōri clan (毛利氏 ''Mōri-shi'') was a Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power ...

. He was also the castle lord in command of Sakurao Castle. Saka Hirohide, who was related to Motosumi's father

Katsura Hirozumi was a Japanese samurai and commander of the Sengoku period. Hirozumi's relative Saka Hirohide rebelled against Mōri Motonari, as Hirohide was dissatisfied with Motonari's succession to the family headship. However, the rebellion ended in failu ...

, rebelled against

Mōri Motonari was a prominent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the western Chūgoku region of Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. The Mōri clan claimed descent from Ōe no Hiromoto (大江広元), an adviser to Minamoto no Yoritomo. Motonari w ...

. Hirohide was dissatisfied with Motonari's succession to the family headship, but the rebellion ended in failure . Later, Hirozumi took responsibility for the conflict and committed seppuku. In the

Battle of Miyajima The 1555 was the only battle to be fought on the sacred island of Miyajima; the entire island is considered to be a Shinto shrine, and no birth or death is allowed on the island. Extensive purification rituals took place after the battle, to cle ...

, Motozumi succeeded as a decoy and lured

Sue Harukata was a samurai who served as a senior retainer of the Ōuchi clan in the Sengoku period in Japan. He was the second son of Sue Okifusa, a senior retainer of the Ōuchi clan. His childhood name was Goro, and previously had the name Takafusa (). ...

's army toward

Itsukushima is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as , which in Japanese means "Shrine Island". The island is one of Hayashi Gahō's Three Views of Japan specified in ...

and so contributed to the victory of the Mōri clan. Katsura Motozumi and his wife's grave

References

Samurai 1500 births 1569 deaths Mōri clan {{Samurai-stub