(1517 – February 24, 1566) was a Japanese ''

daimyō 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 nominall ...

'' of the

Sengoku period The was a period in 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 feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

. The son of Mimura Munechika, he was the lord of

Matsuyama Castle Matsuyama Castle (松山城; -jō) is the name of several castles in Japan: * Bitchū Matsuyama Castle, Takahashi, Okayama (former Bitchū Province) * Matsuyama Castle (Iyo) is a "flatland-mountain"-style Japanese castle that was built in 160 ...

, in

Bitchū Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, in what is today western Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bizen and Bingo Provinces; those three provinces were settled in the late 7th Century, dividing former ...

. As the influence of the Hosokawa was decreasing in the province, he joined with the Shō family in expanding his local power and influence within Bitchū. He was the father of Ueno Tsuruhime. However, issues began to arise with the Shō family, and so Iechika turned to

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. Motonar ...

for support. The Mōri clan came to Iechika's aid, and assisted in largely subduing the province under the Mimura. At the same time, Iechika moved his headquarters from Tsurukubi Castle to Matsuyama Castle, entrusting the former fortification to his senior vassal Mimura Chikanari. In 1566, while holding a council with his senior retainers at Kōzenji Temple, Iechika was shot to death by Endō Matajirō and Yoshijirō, two brothers who had received orders from Ukita Naoie. It was an uncommon killing, as gun assassinations were still rare at the time.

References

*https://web.archive.org/web/20081012034600/http://sengoku_.at.infoseek.co.jp/B_mimura.htm *http://www.page.sannet.ne.jp/kuranosuke/mimura.html 1517 births 1566 deaths Daimyo Deaths by firearm in Japan {{Daimyo-stub