, third son of Chōsokabe Kunichika who was adopted by the Kōsokabe Clan in 1558 was a Japanese

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

of the

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 ...

, who served the

Chōsokabe clan , also known as , was a Japanese samurai kin group. Over time, they were known for serving the Hosokawa clan, then the Miyoshi clan and then the Ichijō clan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géogra ...

. He was the castle lord in command of Aki Castle.川口素生編『戦国名物家臣列伝』学習研究社 P.133 Throughout Chikayasu's life, he led many an army throughout his older brother Motochika's campaigns in

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

and contributing to the expansion of the domain of the

Biography

Chikayasu was the third son of Chosokabe Kunichika and a younger brother of Chosokabe Motochika. He was adopted by Kosokabe Chikahide in 1558 and following the defeat of the Aki family at Battle of Yanagare in 1569, he was given Aki castle. He went on to serve Motochika loyally throughout his career. In 1575, he fought at the Battle of Shimantogawa (Battle of Watarigawa) against Ichijo family. He played a notable role in the Chosokabe victory at the Battle of Nakatomigawa in 1582 and captured Tsu castle, afterwards being given Tomioka castle in Awa province. He was known as a diplomat as well as warrior, and worked at arranging a Chosokabe-Oda alliance. He sent messages to

Oda Nobuo also known as Kitabatake Tomotoyo was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the second son of Oda Nobunaga. He was adopted as the head of the Kitabatake clan from Ise Province. He survived the decline of the Oda clan from ...

and

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 ...

when the latter two were facing

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

in 1584. After these endeavors, his talents became widely known. In 1585, with his brother

Chōsokabe Motochika was a prominent ''daimyō'' in Japanese Sengoku period, Sengoku-period. He was the 21st chief of the Chōsokabe clan of Tosa Province (present-day Kōchi Prefecture), the ruler of Shikoku, Shikoku region. Early life and rise He was the son and ...

, Chikayasu fought in the Invasion of Shikoku against

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 ...

's forces. In 1587, Chikayasu participated in the

Kyushu Campaign is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

against

Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contr ...

. In 1592, Chikayasu participated in the First Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea, along with his brother

Death

Chikayasu died of illness in

Nagato province , often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces. History Although the ancient capital of the province was Shimono ...

en route to join the

Korean Campaign 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 ...

in 1593. His eldest son Chikauji had also died of illness the previous year. The death of Chikayasu was a significant blow to the Chōsokabe clan. He was an alter ego of Motochika, engaged in battles across Shikoku. His younger son, Sadachika, left

Tosa province was a province of Japan in the area of southern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Tosa bordered on Awa to the northeast, and Iyo to the northwest. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō syst ...

following the

Sekigahara Campaign The Sekigahara Campaign was a series of battles in Japan fought between the Eastern Army aligned with Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Western Army loyal to Ishida Mitsunari, culminating in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. The conflict was sparked by a ...

and settled in Shimôsa province.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kōsokabe, Chikayasu Samurai 1543 births 1593 deaths Chōsokabe clan People from Kōchi Prefecture