was a Japanese ''

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 ...

'' of

Tōdō clan The was a Japanese samurai clan of humble origins from the Inukami District of Ōmi Province. Under Hideyoshi, Tōdō ruled Uwajima at Iyo province. During the Edo period, the Tōdō ruled most of Ise Province and all of Iga Province as ''daim ...

from the Azuchi–Momoyama to

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 ...

s. He rose from relatively humble origins as an

ashigaru were infantry employed by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The first known reference to ''ashigaru'' was in the 14th century, but it was during the Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi period) that the use of ''ashigaru'' became prevalent by various ...

(a light foot soldier) to become a ''

''.

Biography

During his lifetime he changed his feudal master seven times and worked for ten people, but in the end he rendered loyalty to

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 ...

, who became his last master. Takatora started working for

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering h ...

at the age of 15. In 1576, he served

Hashiba Hidenaga , formerly known as . He was a half-brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the most powerful and significant warlords of Japan's Sengoku period and regarded as 'Hideyoshi's brain and right-arm'. He was also known by his court title, . He promot ...

, the younger brother of

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 ...

, a senior vassal of Nobunaga, and was granted a

smallholding A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

of land. Tōdō Takatora was promoted rapidly under

. In 1581, Takatora defeat a local clan in

Tajima Province was a province of Japan in the area of northern Hyōgo Prefecture. Tajima bordered on Tango and Tanba to the east, Harima to the south, and Inaba to the west. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Tajimao was ...

, his holding was increased and he was made commander of a unit of musketeers. He fought in the Chugoku region and fought at 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 ...

in 1583. In 1585, he served in the conquest of Kishū and defeated Yukawa Naoharu. He was given more land in

Kii Province , or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kii''" in . Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Pro ...

, and was appointed 'commissioner' for the construction of Saruokayama Castle and

Wakayama Castle 260px, Layout of the ''tenshu'' is a Japanese castle located in the city Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. For most of the Edo Period, it was the administrative center of Kishū Domain, which was controlled by a cadet branch of the Tokugawa ...

. These were Takatora’s first castles. In the same year, he made contribution in the

Invasion of Shikoku The was a conflict of the Sengoku period of Japan fought between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Chōsokabe Motochika on the island of Shikoku in 1585. Hideyoshi invaded Shikoku with a force of over 100,000 men in June and led a campaign against the ...

, and was awarded further land by Hideyoshi, becoming a

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 ...

in his own right. In 1591, after Hidenaga died, Takatora serve under Hideyoshi, he participated in the invasions of Korea as a "Fleet Commander" of Toyotomi's navy. His fiefdom at that time was Iyo-

Uwajima 270px, Uwajma City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Uwajma city center 270px, Japan National Route 320 in Uwajma city center is a city located in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 70,440 in 35429 households and a ...

. During the Edo period, the wealth of each fiefdom was measured as a volume of rice production in ''

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 ...

''. Iyo-Uwajima was assessed at 70,000 koku. Tōdō Takatora is also famous for excellence in castle design. He is said to have been involved in building as many as twenty castles, including

Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established the ...

Uwajima Castle 270px, Aerial view of Uwajima Castle is a ''hirayama-jiro'' Japanese castle located in the city of Uwajima, Ehime, Japan. An alternate name for this castle is Tsurushima-jō. The castle is one of twelve Japanese castles to still have an original ...

Imabari Castle is a Japanese castle in Imabari, Ehime, Japan. It was the center of Imabari Domain under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate and was ruled by a branch of the HisamatsuーMatsudaira clan through most of its history. This castle is well known as ...

Iga Ueno Castle , also known as is a Japanese castle located in the city of Iga, Mie Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The castle is also called , or "White Phoenix Castle," because of its beautiful architecture and floor plan. The castle has been prote ...

and

Sasayama Castle is an early Edo Period Japanese castle located in the city of Tamba-Sasayama, Hyōgo, Japan. It ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1956. History Sasayama Castle is located at the center of Tamba-Sasayama city. The Sa ...

Battle of Sekigahara

In 1600, at the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

, although he was one of Toyotomi's main generals, he sided with

. During the battle, 'Eastern' troops under Takatora command, nearly lost against

Ōtani Yoshitsugu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through the Azuchi-Momoyama Period. He was also known by his court title, . He was born in 1558 to a father who was said to be a retainer of either Ōtomo Sōrin or Rokkaku Yoshikata. He became one ...

'Western' army. However, when

Kobayakawa Hideaki (1577 – December 1, 1602) was the fifth son of Kinoshita Iesada and the nephew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was gained the rank of ''Saemon no Kami'' (左衛門督) or in China ''Shikkingo'' (執金吾) at genpuku and held the court title o ...

army charged down attacking Yoshitsugu's from the west, Yoshitsugu lost his ground and is said to have committed suicide, later the Eastern army won the battle. The Ietada Nikki records;

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

fourth son,

Shima Kiyomasa Shima may refer to: Places , Japan * Shima Province (志摩), one of the old provinces of Japan * Shima, Fukuoka (志摩), a former town in Fukuoka Prefecture * Shima, Mie (志摩), a city in Mie Prefecture ** Shima, Mie (town), a former town ...

within Yoshitsugu's ranks, tried to kill Takatora in one blow, however he was struck down and killed by an 'Eastern' general named

Takagi Heizaburō is a Japanese surname meaning "tall tree". Notable people with the surname include: *Akimitsu Takagi (1920–1995), Japanese crime fiction writer *Jon Mamoru Takagi (1942–1984), American martial arts instructor *, Japanese footballer *Hinako Ta ...

. After the war he was given a larger fiefdom, Iyo-

Imabari 270px, Imabari City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Imabari city center is a city in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in Ehime Prefecture. , the city had an estimated population of 152,111 in 75947 households and a population ...

, assessed at 200,000 koku. Later in life he was made lord of Tsu (with landholdings in Iga and

Ise Ise may refer to: Places * Ise, Mie, a city in Japan **Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie * Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria *Ise, Norway, a village in Norway *Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan * River Ise, a tributary of th ...

), a domain of 320,000 koku. Todo Takatora (1556-1630) Banner and Large Battle Standard

Popular culture

Films

* Portrayed by

Kim Myung-gon Kim Myung-gon (born December 3, 1952) is a South Korean actor, screenwriter and music director. He is best known for starring in and writing the screenplay of Korean film classic ''Seopyeonje'', for which he won Best Actor at the 1993 Blue Drago ...

in the 2014 film '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents''.

Comics

*A fictionalized version of Todo (renamed "''Todo Tokotora''") appears in the 2009 comic miniseries '' Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender'', where he is shown in a lover's relationship with fellow general Gurijima Michiyuki. Gurijima's death during the

Battle of Hansando The Battle of Hansan Island and following engagement at Angolpo took place from 8 July 1592. In two naval encounters, Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin's fleet managed to destroy roughly 100 Japanese ships and halted Japanese naval operations along th ...

becomes Todo's primary motivation to eliminate Yi.

Video games

*Takatora is a playable character in the Samurai Warriors franchise debuting in Sengoku Musou Chronicle 2nd. In Samurai Warriors 4, he is portrayed as an Azai retainer and a close friend of

before joining the Toyotomi.

References

Tōdō family information
(25 Sept. 2007)

External links

Momoyama, Japanese Art in the Age of Grandeur
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Tōdō Takatora , - * {{DEFAULTSORT:Todo, Takatora Takatora, Todo Takatora, Todo Toda Takatora Toda Takatora 17th-century military history of Japan People from Shiga Prefecture