was one of the leading

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

s of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

following 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 ...

of the 16th century extending to the

Azuchi–Momoyama period The was the final phase of the in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nobuna ...

. His preferred weapon was a

yari is the term for a traditionally-made Japanese blade (日本刀; nihontō) in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The martial art of wielding the is called . History The forerunner of the is thought to be a ...

and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左衛門) being his common name. He was a member of the so-called Echizen Sanninshu (Echizen Triumvir) along with

Sassa Narimasa , also known as Kura-no-suke (内蔵助), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi–Momoyama period.">DF 7 of 80">"Asa ..., where he was in the rear guard. In 1575, Narimasa fought at the Battle of Nagashino">DF 7 of 80/nowiki>">DF ...

and

Fuwa Mitsuharu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. Originally a retainer of Saitō Dōsan, Mitsuharu went on to serve Oda Nobunaga, he received a land in Echizen Province and became a member of the so-called Echiz ...

. The highest rank from the court that he received is the Great Counselor ''

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'' ( 大納言).

Early life

His father was

Maeda Toshimasa was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. Also known as Toshiharu , he was the son of Maeda Toshitaka. His seat was Arako Castle in Owari Province. Toshimasa was a vassal of Oda Nobuhide, who nominally ruled Owari Province from his seat at K ...

and his wife was

Maeda Matsu , also known as Omatsu no Kata (お松の方) (1547–1617), was a Japanese noble lady and aristocrat of the 16th century. She was the wife of Maeda Toshiie, who founded the Kaga Domain. Matsu had a reputation for intelligence; she was skilled at ...

. His childhood name was "Inuchiyo" (犬千代). Toshiie was born in the village of Arako (present-day

Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya is one of the 16 wards of the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the we ...

), He was the fourth of seven brothers, of

, who held Arako Castle. Toshiie served

from childhood (first as a page) and his loyalty was rewarded by being allowed to be the head of the Maeda clan, very unusual for a fourth son with no apparent failures among his elder brothers. Just like Nobunaga, Toshiie was also a delinquent, usually dressed in the outlandish style of a

kabukimono or were gangs of samurai in feudal Japan. First appearing in the Azuchi–Momoyama period (between the end of the Muromachi period in 1573 and the beginning of the Edo period in 1603) as the turbulent Sengoku period drew to a close, were eit ...

, they committed delinquent and deviated behaviors together. It is believed he also became a friend to Kinoshita Tokichiro (later

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

) in their youth. Just as Hideyoshi was known as ''Saru'', 猴 or "monkey," it is believed that Toshiie was called ''Inu'', 犬 or "dog" by Nobunaga. Due to a long-standing belief that dogs and monkeys are never friendly to each other, Toshiie is often depicted as reserved and stern, in contrast to Hideyoshi's talkative and easy-going nature.

Military life

Statue of Maeda Toshiie in Kanazawa - Detail - 2016-04-16

Toshiie began his career as a member of the ''akahoro-shū'' (赤母衣衆), the unit under

's personal command. He later became an infantry captain (''ashigaru taishō'' 足軽大将) in the Oda army. During his military career, Toshiie made the acquaintance of many important figures, such as

Hashiba Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' ( feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Co ...

Niwa Nagahide , also known as Gorōzaemon (五郎左衛門), his other legal alias was Hashiba Echizen no Kami (羽柴越前守), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi-Momoyama periods of the 16th century. He served as senior retainer to the Od ...

Ikeda Tsuneoki , also known as Ikeda Nobuteru (池田信輝), was an Ikeda clan ''daimyō'' and military commander under Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama periods of 16th-century Japan. He was a retainer of the famous warlords Oda No ...

, and others. Toshiie also was a lifelong rival of

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

. After defeating the Asakura clan, Maeda fought under

Shibata Katsuie or was a Japanese samurai and military commander during the Sengoku period. He served Oda Nobunaga as one of his trusted generals, was severely wounded in the 1571 first siege of Nagashima, but then fought in the 1575 Battle of Nagashino an ...

in the Hokuriku area. In 1554, he took part in the war for the first time in the

Battle of Kiyosu Castle Battle of Kiyosu Castle or Battle of Kaizu (August 16, 1552 - April 20, 1554) was the first victory of the young Oda Nobunaga in his struggle to unite the province of Owari against his cousin, Oda Nobutomo, deputy governor of northern Owari. B ...

which was broken out between Nobunaga and

Oda Nobutomo was a Japanese warlord during the Sengoku period. He was head of the Kiyosu Oda faction of the Oda clan, and ruled the four southern districts of Owari Province as ''shugodai''. After Oda Nobuhide died in 1551, Nobuhide's son Nobunaga was init ...

, the Kiyosu Oda clan. In 1556, he fought in the

Battle of Ino A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

against

Oda Nobuyuki , also known as , was the son of Oda Nobuhide and younger brother of Oda Nobunaga, who lived during the Sengoku period of Japan. Nobuyuki conspired against his brother Nobunaga with the Hayashi clan (Owari), which Nobunaga viewed as treason. Nob ...

, younger brother of Nobunaga. In 1558, he also took part in the

Battle of Ukino Battle of Ukino (July 12, 1558) was the final victory of Oda Nobunaga in his struggle to unite the province of Owari against his cousin, Oda Nobukata, deputy governor of northern Owari. Background After defeating Imigawa clan of Suruga in t ...

which was a conflict with Oda Nobukata, a son of Oda Nobuyasu, the Iwakura Oda clan. It is said that it was about the time of this battle that he began to be called by another name like "Yari no Matazaemon" or "Yari no Mataza". In 1560, he took part in the

Battle of Okehazama The took place in June 1560 in Owari Province, located in today's Aichi Prefecture. In this battle, the heavily outnumbered Oda clan troops commanded by Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and established himself as one of the front-running ...

against

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as . he was one of the three ''daimyōs'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become ...

. Later he was fought in the 1561

Battle of Moribe A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, the 1570 Siege of Kanegasaki and

Battle of Anegawa The Sengoku period (30 July 1570) occurred near Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is border ...

, the 1575

Battle of Nagashino The took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa Province of Japan. Takeda Katsuyori attacked the castle when Okudaira Sadamasa rejoined the Tokugawa, and when his original plot with Oga Yashiro for taki ...

, the 1577

Battle of Tedorigawa The took place near the Tedori River in Japan's Kaga Province in 1577, between the forces of Oda Nobunaga against Uesugi Kenshin. Kenshin tricked Nobunaga into launching a frontal attack across the Tedorigawa and defeated him. Having suffere ...

. In 1580, He was eventually granted the fief of Fuchu, and a

han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

(

Kaga Domain The , also known as the , was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1583 to 1871.

) spanning

Noto Noto ( scn, Notu; la, Netum) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and i ...

and

Kaga Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the south and western portion of Ishikawa Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Kaga bordered on Echizen, Etchū, Hida, and Noto Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abbr ...

s. Despite its small size, Kaga was a highly productive province which would eventually develop into the wealthiest ''han'' in

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

Japan, with a net worth of 1 million ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...

'' (百万石); thus, it was nicknamed ''Kaga Hyaku-man-goku'' (加賀百万石). Toshiie benefited from a core group of very capable senior vassals. Some, like

Murai Nagayori was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, Sengoku through Edo period. A retainer of Maeda Toshiie, he was the founder of one of the eight senior retainer families serving the Kaga han Maeda. Nagayori fought at the Battle of Nagashino. After ...

and

Okumura Nagatomi Okumura (written: 奥村) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Chiyo Okumura (born 1947), popular Japanese Pop singer and former fashion model * Haruhiko Okumura, Japanese engineer * Okumura Hatsune (born 1990), Japanes ...

, were retainers of long standing with the Maeda. In 1582, after Nobunaga's assassination 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 Oda Nobunaga – that occurred there on 21 June 1582. Nobunaga lodged at ...

(本能寺) by

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period best known as the assassin of Oda Nobunaga. Mitsuhide was a bodyguard of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later a successful general under ...

and Mitsuhide's defeat by

Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

, at the subsequent meeting in

Kiyosu Castle is a Japanese castle located in Kiyosu, eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is noted for its association with the rise to power of the Sengoku period warlord, Oda Nobunaga. The kanji in the name of the castle was written as 清須城. The curren ...

where the future of the Oda clan was discussed, Toshiie supported

's. In 1583, he battled Hideyoshi under Katsuie's command in the

Battle of Shizugatake The was a battle of the Sengoku period of Japan fought between Toyotomi Hideyoshi (then Hashiba Hideyoshi) and Shibata Katsuie in Shizugatake, Ōmi Province in May 1583. Katsuie supported Oda Nobutaka's claim as successor of Oda Nobunaga in a ...

, but later during the battle, he changed side to Hideyoshi. In 1584, after Shibata's defeat, Toshiie become leading general for Hideyoshi in Komaki Nagakute Campaign and was forced to fight another of his friends,

at the

Battle of Suemori Castle The was a battle during the Azuchi–Momoyama period (16th century) of Japan. At the time of the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, Sassa Narimasa sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu, while his former companion, Maeda Toshiie stood with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. ...

. Narimasa was greatly outnumbered and felled by Toshiie. In 1587, following the major Maeda victory, Toshiie sheltered his fellow daimyo

Dom Justo Takayama , born and also known as Dom Justo Takayama (c. 1552 – 3 or 5 February 1615) was a Japanese Catholic Kirishitan daimyō and samurai who lived during the Sengoku period that witnessed anti-Catholic sentiment. Takayama had been baptized int ...

after Justo was expelled from his position as representative of Christians by the shogun's Bantenren order. Later in 1590, Toshiie fought in the Odawara Campaign against

Later Hōjō clan The was one of the most powerful samurai families in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region. Their last name was simply Hōjō (北条) but in order to differentiate between the earlier Hōjō clan with the ...

Death

Before dying in 1598, Hideyoshi named Toshiie to the

council of Five Elders The Council of Five Elders (Japanese: :jp:五大老, 五大老, ''Go-Tairō'') was a group of five powerful feudal lords (Japanese: 大名, ''Daimyō'') formed in 1598 by the Regent (Japanese: 太閤 ''Sesshō and Kampaku, Taikō'') Toyotomi Hideyo ...

to support

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's second son. The birth of Hideyori cre ...

until he was old enough to take control on his own. However, Toshiie himself was ailing, and could manage to support Hideyori for only a year before he died as well in 1599. Toshiie was succeeded by his son Toshinaga.

Family

*Father:

*Mother: Nagayowai-in (d.1573) *Siblings: ** Maeda Toshihisa (d. 1583) ** Maeda Toshifusa ** Sawaki Yoshiyuki (d. 1572) *Half-Siblings: ** Maeda Yasukatsu (d. 1594) ** Maeda Hidetsugu (d. 1585) ** Maeda Masa (given in marriage to Takabatake Sadayoshi) Toshiie's wife,

, was famous in her own right. Strong-willed from childhood, she was well-versed in the martial arts and was instrumental in Toshiie's rise to success. After her husband died, Matsu, then known by her Buddhist nun name of Hoshun-in, assured the safety of the Maeda clan after the year 1600 by voluntarily going as a hostage to Edo, capital of the new shōgun,

, whom she loathed throughout her life as she watched him, her husband, and Hideyoshi compete for power. *Wives, concubines, children: ** Wife:

(1547-1617) *** First Daughter: Kohime (1559–1616) married Maeda Nagatane *** First Son:

Maeda Toshinaga was a Sengoku period Japanese samurai and the second early-Edo period ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. He was the eldest son of Maeda Toshiie. His childhood name was ...

(1562-1614) *** Second daughter: Shohime married Nakagawa Mitsushige *** Third daughter: Maahime (1572–1605) become

’s concubine later Madenokoji Atsufusa’s concubine *** Fourth daughter: Gohime (1574–1634) married

Ukita Hideie was the ''daimyō'' of Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces (modern Okayama Prefecture), and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Son of Ukita Naoie, he married Gōhime, a daughter of Maeda Toshiie. Having fought again ...

, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's adopted son. *** Fifth Daughter: Yome,

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 ...

's fiancée *** Second Son:

(1578-1633) *** Seventh Daughter: Chisehime (1580–1641) married Hosokawa Tadataka later married Murai Nagatsugu ** Concubine: Chiyobo (1570-1631) later Kinse-in *** Fourth son:

Maeda Toshitsune was an early-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. Toshitsune was a brother of Maeda Toshinaga and a son of Maeda Toshiie. He was ...

(1594-1658) ** Concubine: Oiwa, later Ryujo-in *** Sixth daughter: Maeda Kikuhime (1578–1584) *** Ninth daughter: Yoshi, Takeda Nobuyoshi's fiancée, later married Shinohara Sadahide *** 3 boys (early life) ** Concubine: Ozai, later Kinse-in *** Eighth daughter: Fuku, married Cho Yoshitsura, later married Nakagawa Mitsutada *** Third son: Maeda Tomoyoshi (1591-1628) ** Concubine: Jufuku-in *** Fifth son: Maeda Toshitaka (1594–1637) ** Concubine: Kaishoin *** Sixth son: Maeda Toshisada (1598-1620) ** unknown *** girl (early life) ** Nephew:

Maeda Toshimasu , better known as or Keijirō (慶次郎), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through early Edo period. He was famously the nephew of Maeda Toshiie and Maeda Matsu. In legends and fictions, he is one of the most celebrated ''kabukimono ...

(1543-1612) Their sons all became ''

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

s'' in their own right. Their daughters married into prestigious families; the eldest, Kō, married

Maeda Nagatane was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. He served the Maeda clan of Kaga as one of its senior retainers. He married Ko, daughter of Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga follo ...

, a distant relative of Toshiie who became a senior Kaga retainer; Ma'a, was a concubine of

later Married Marikouji Mitsurubo, Gō was adopted by Hideyoshi and became the wife of

, and Chise, who was first wedded to Hosokawa Tadaoki's son Tadataka, later married

's son Nagatsugu. Sho married Nakagawa Mitsushige. Toshi married Shinohara Sadahide. Fuku married Nakagawa Mitsutada.

Ōdenta sword

"Ōdenta" or "Great Denta" or "The Best among Swords Forged by Denta". Along with "Onimaru" and "Futatsu-mei", the sword was considered to be one of the three regalia swords of the shoguns of the

Ashikaga clan The was a prominent Japanese samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1333 to 1573. The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga in ...

. Later passed down to Maeda Toshiie. A legend says the sword healed a daughter of Toshiie and another legend says birds never try to approach to a warehouse where this sword is stored.

In popular culture

He is a playable character in video game ''

Sengoku Basara 2 is a series of video games developed and published by Capcom, and a bigger media franchise based on it, including four anime shows, an anime movie, a live action show, a magazine series, a trading card game, and numerous drama CDs, light nove ...

'' (PS2) and an unplayable character in video game ''

Sengoku Basara 4 is the fourth main installment of the ''Sengoku BASARA'' video game series, developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3. The game was released in Japan on January 23, 2014. An expanded version of the game for the PlayStation 3 and Pl ...

'' (PS3). He wields a large Nodachi and fire-based attacks. In anime, they were initially servants of Oda Nobunaga, later turned to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He is a playable character in the video game "Samurai warriors 2 Extreme legends" (PS2) and appears in every major samurai warriors title following his first appearance . He wields a single sword and twin spears.

Honours

Junior First Rank The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state. ''Ikai'' as a system was originally used in the Ritsuryo system, which was the politi ...

(24 March 1599; posthumously)

References

External links

Buke-kaden page on the Maeda clan (in Japanese)
* ttp://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~gokuh/ghp/busho/mbu_001.htm Biography (in Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Maeda, Toshiie 1539 births 1599 deaths Daimyo Tairō Maeda clan Japanese pages People from Nagoya Oda retainers Toyotomi retainers Deified Japanese people