was the second son of

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 ...

, and featured prominently in all the wars 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 became an active commander of the Mōri army and he with his brother

Kobayakawa Takakage was a samurai and daimyō (feudal lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of the Koba ...

became known as the “Mōri Ryōkawa", or “Mōri's Two Rivers" (毛利両川).

Biography

In 1530, he was born in Yoshida-Kōriyama Castle. When Motoharu was young he was adopted into the Kikkawa clan by Kikkawa Okitsune. He then became head of the family around 1550. In 1547, He married

Kumagai Nobunao was a Japanese samurai and commander of the Sengoku period. Nobunao an Kumagai clan's ancestor was Kumagai Naozane. He initially served the Aki Takeda clan, but he left Takeda clan and became a vassal of the Mōri Motonari. He moved Kumagai cla ...

's daughter. Motoharu fought in many battles alongside his brother,

, including the 1555 Battle of Miyajima and the 1570

Battle of Nunobeyama 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 ...

. In 1566, he claimed

Izumo Province was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku region. History During the early Kofun period (3rd century) this region was independent an ...

as his fief, after defeating its lords, the

Amago clan Amago (尼子) is a Japanese word meaning "child of a nun", and has various other uses: People * Amago clan, a Japanese daimyō clan * Amago Haruhisa (1514–1561), Japanese daimyō * Amago Katsuhisa (1553–1578), Japanese daimyō * Amago Kunih ...

, in a number of battles. He fought in the 1568

Battle of Torisaka The Battle of Torisaka (鳥坂峠の戦い) took place during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. Kōno Michinao asked for the assistance of the Mōri clan in his struggle against Utsunomiya Toyotsuna. The Mōri agreed to the alliance, an ...

. and the 1569 Battle of Tatarahama. Motoharu also fought in many battles against the Oda such as the 1578 Siege of Kōzuki Castle and the 1582 Siege of Takamatsu. After

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 ...

's death in 1582, Motoharu fought under

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 ...

on Invasion of Shikoku (1585). Motoharu was unhappy to become a Hieyoshi's vassal and retired. In 1586, he died in the

Kokura Castle is a castle in Kitakyushu, Japan. It was built by Hosokawa Tadaoki starting in 1602, with construction completed in 1608. History Construction of Kokura Castle began in 1602 and was completed in 1608. It was the property of the Ogasawara clan ...

. After his death, Motoharu was succeeded as head of the Kikkawa clan by one of his sons, Kikkawa Hiroie.

Mōri's Two Rivers

Strong and fearless, Motoharu participated in many battles such as Miyajima and Nunobeyama, bolstering his reputation as a valiant commander. There are claims that he won 64 of 76 battles throughout his entire life. According to the ''Meisho Genko Roku'', his brawn was often contrasted with

's intellect back in their youth. This inspired

Mori Motonari Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname, and also a Persian pet name for Morteza. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one clan in India. Italian surname *Barbara Mori, Uruguayan-Mexican actress *Camilo Mori, Chilean painter *Cesare ...

to make effective use of their differences in personality by relegating Motoharu to the front lines while leaving Takakage to provide strategic support from the rear. Although Motoharu heavily contributed to the Mōri's military growth, he was familiar with literature and even transcribed a series of books called the ''Taiheki'' during the siege of

Gassantoda Castle Gassantoda Castle (月山富田城, ''Gassantoda-jō'') was a Japanese castle located in Yasugi, Shimane Prefecture. History It is believed the castle was built in the Heian period but this is unclear. Later the castle served as the seat of the ...

. They were both together pillars of the Mōri forces and were known as "Mōri's Two Rivers" (Mōri Ryōkawa, 毛利両川). After the death of Mōri Motonari in 1571, "Mōri's Two Rivers" (Kobayakawa Takakage and Kikkawa Motoharu) became more important as assistants to

Mōri Terumoto Mōri Terumoto (毛利輝元, January 22, 1553 – June 2, 1625) was a Japanese ''daimyō''. The son of Mōri Takamoto, and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mōri Motonari, he fought against Oda Nobunaga but was eventually overco ...

against the remnants of their enemies, the Ōtomo clan (大友氏), Amako clan (尼子氏), and Ōuchi clan (大内氏).

Family

*Father:

(1497–1571) ** Foster Father: Kikkawa Okitsune (1508–1550) *Mother: Myōkyū (1499–1546) *Siblings: ** An unnamed sister **

Mōri Takamoto was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of Aki Province during Japan's Sengoku period. He was the eldest legitimate son of Mōri Motonari. Biography Born in the Tajihi-Sarugake Castle in 1523. Takamoto was sent to Suō Province as a hostage of Ōuchi Y ...

(1523–1563) ** Lady Goryū, wife of Shishido Takaie (died 1574) ** Kobayakawa Takakage (1533–1597) *Half-siblings: ** Ninomiya Naritoki (1546–1607) **

Mōri Motokiyo , also known as was the fourth son to the reputed Mōri Motonari throughout the latter Sengoku Period of Feudal Japan. He has the same biological mother with Amano Motomasa and Kobayakawa Hidekane. Family *Father: Mōri Motonari (1497–1571) * ...

(1551–1597) ** Mōri Motoaki (1552–1585) ** Izuha Mototomo (1555–1571) ** Amano Motomasa (1559–1609) ** Suetsugu Motoyasu (1560–1601) **

Kobayakawa Hidekane was a Japanese samurai, the ninth son of Mōri Motonari. His mother was Motonari's concubine, Nomi no Ōkata (乃美の方). Originally he was named Mototsuna and given to Ōta Hidetsuna but later his childless half-brother Kobayakawa Takaka ...

(1567–1601) *Wife: Lady Shinjō, daughter of Kumagai Nobunao (died 1606) *Children: ** Kikkawa Motonaga (1548–1587) **Mōri Motōji (1556–1631) ** Kikkawa Hiroie (1561–1625) **Kikkawa Shōjumaru (died 1578) **Masuda Motonaga's wife **Yoshimi Motoyori's wife

References

*Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.

Biography

Mōri's Two Rivers

Family

References

Further reading