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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 no ...
'' of the Tōdō clan from the Azuchi–Momoyama to
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
s. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru (a light foot soldier) to become a ''
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 no ...
''. 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 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 ...
, who became his last master. Tōdō Takatora is 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 th ...
, Wakayama Castle,
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 its histor ...
, Imabari Castle, Iga Ueno Castle 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 S ...
. It is mentioned in the historical records that Tōdō Takatora was a large man with around 190 cm in height. After his death, historical records stated that Takatora body were covered with lesions and battle scars, and some of his fingers were torn off and had no nails.


Biography

Tōdō Takatora was born in 1556 in
Ōmi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...
. The precise place of his birthplace was in Tōdō village, Inukami-gun, east of
Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13 ...
. Takatora were hailed from Tōdō clan branch which descended from a samurai named Kagemori Todo who served imperial court noble in 14th century. 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 ...
at the age of 15. He participated his war in the battle of Anegawa in 1570 as a member of Kassho Isono's corps with his father, Torataka. He also played an active role in the attack on Usayama Castle and received a letter of commendation and was given a
wakizashi The is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords ('' nihontō'') worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. Its name refers to the practice of wearing it inserted through one's ''obi'' or sash at one's side, whereas the larger '' tachi'' sword wa ...
from Nagamasa as reward. Later, at sometimes after the destruction of Azai clan, Takatora then served Isono Kazumasa, the lord of Ogawa Castle, who was also a former vassal of the Asai clan. Takatora as a vassal for received a landholding worth of 80
koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...
.


Serving the Toyotomi clan

In 1576, Takatora served Hashiba Hidenaga, the younger brother of Hashiba Hideyoshi, 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 technolo ...
of fief worth of 300
koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...
. At this time, he changed his surname to Yoemon. In October 1577, when Hidenaga led 3,000 soldiers to march into Tajima, Takatora succeeded in a surprise attack on and subdued Takeda Castle with the help of a guide. Takatora immediately awarded with additional lands of 1,000 koku, and appointed to lead ashigaru infantry. However, when Takatora led 120 cavalry to attack the resistance forces from Tochiya castle, Takatora units suffered heavy casualties. In 1580, during the Siege of Miki, Takatora personally killed the commander of Bessho Nagaharu's 300 horsemen, Kago Rokuroemon. Takatora also recorded to seize the mount of Rokuroemon, a jet black colored horse. In 1581, suppressing a rebellion of local clans in
Tajima Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of northern Hyōgo Prefecture. Tajima bordered on Tango Province, Tango and Tanba Province, Tanba to the east, Harima Province, Harima to the south, and Inaba Province, Inaba to the west. ...
. His holding of domain was increased by 3,000 koku, and he was promoted as commander of a musketeers unit. in 1583, Takatora was participated in the campaign of Shizugatake on the side of Toyotomi. He fought in the Chugoku region where he managed to beat and rout the troops of
Sakuma Nobumori was a Samurai retainer of Oda Nobuhide. He was treated as Oda Nobunaga's most important retainer and would come to fight in every important battle under Nobunaga's command such as the 1567 Siege of Inabayama Castle, the 1571 and 1573 Siege o ...
. For his service in this campaign, Takatora was rewarded with additional holding of domains worth of 1,300 koku. In 1585, Takatora participated in Toyotomi conquest of Kishu. He manage to defeat Yukawa Naoharu and Yamamoto Shuzen in October. After the war, Takatora was given more fiefs of Kokawa, Wakayama 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 ...
, which were worth of 10,000 koku. He also was appointed as 'commissioner' for the construction of Saruokayama Castle and Wakayama Castle. In the same year, he made contribution in the Invasion of Shikoku, and was awarded further land domain worth of 5,400 by Hideyoshi. In 1586, Hideyoshi, who became Kanpaku or regent, instructed Hidenaga to build a mansion in Jurakudai's residence for Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was to go to Kyoto for an audience with Hideyoshi, and Hidenaga appointed Takatora as Sakuji Bugyo. Takatora was assigned as chief designer to build the mansion. Then on his own initiative, Takatora changes the design as he cited the security concerns from the original blueprints he was given and paid the additional cost of the project. Later, when Ieyasu inspected the design and asked him why the mansion residence was different to the original blueprint, Takatora answered that Ieyasu feel dissatisfied with the change he made, he was free to reconstruct the mansion. However, Ieyasu said that he was instead satisfied with Takatora's design. In 1587, Takatora participated in Toyotomi Kyūshū campaign to subjugate the
Kyushu 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 ...
island. he played a distinguished role at the battle of Nejirasaka against the
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 ...
, where he managed to rescue another Toyotomi general named Miyabe Keijun from danger. For his military exploits at this battle, Takatora domains were increased to 20,000 koku. Later, Takatora was further recommended by Hideyoshi and appointed to ''Sado no kami'' (Senior Fifth Rank Lower Grade). In 1589, he built Akagi Castle (present-day Kiwa-cho, Kumano City, Mie Prefecture) as a base for suppressing the Kitayama Uprising. Many farmers were also beheaded at Tahirako Pass by Takatora. In 1591, after Hidenaga died, Takatora served under Hideyoshi, participating in the invasions of Korea as a "Fleet Commander" of Toyotomi's navy. His fiefdom at that time was Iyo- Uwajima. In 1595, after the death of Hideyasu Toyotomi, Takatora decided to become a monk and went up to Mt. Koya. However, Hideyoshi did not want Takatora to waste his talent and ordered Chikamasa Ikoma to summon Takatora, so he returned to secular life, was given an additional 50,000 koku, and moved to Iyo. Soon, he was also further given land in Kokuitajima (present-day Uwajima City), totalling his domain possession to be worth 70,000 koku. In 1597 during the second Korean campaign, Takatora participated in the Battle of Myeongnyang, where he was wounded in action. Takatora also furthered his success in annihilating the naval force led by the Korean navy's military commander
Wŏn Kyun Wŏn Kyun (; 12 February 1540 – 27 August 1597) was a Korean general and admiral during the Joseon period. He is best known for his campaigns against the Japanese during Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea. Wŏn was a member of Wonju Wŏn clan, ...
at the Battle of Chilcheollyang. After returning to Japan, he had added 10,000 koku to Ozu Castle, bringing it to 80,000 koku.


Serving the Tokugawa clan

Before the clash between Ieyasu Tokugawa and Ishida Mitsunari faction in Sekigahara, Takatora sent his family to Edo city as sign of allegiance to Ieyasu. In 1600, at the
Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...
, although he was one of Toyotomi's main generals, he sided with
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 ...
faction of Eastern army. During the battle, units of Takatora engage the units of Ōtani Yoshitsugu of the 'Western' army. However, when
Kobayakawa Hideaki (1577 – December 1, 1602) was the fifth son of Kinoshita Iesada and a 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 of ...
's army attacked Yoshitsugu from the west, Yoshitsugu lost his ground and is said to have committed suicide, with the Eastern army progressed, Takatora led his troops further to the high ground location where units of Western army supreme leader, Mitsunari, positioned. The Ietada Nikki records; Shima Sakon fourth son, Shima Kiyomasa 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. After the victory of Tokugawa forces in Sekigahara, Takatora further advanced his troops for the mop up operations against
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 to ...
lords which sided with the Misunari faction. First he suppressed the vassals of
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 overc ...
's resistances in
Iyo Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of northwestern Shikoku.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Iyo bordered on Sanuki Province to the northeast, Awa Province (Tokushima), Awa to the east ...
, then he also managed to convince Ieyasu giving pardon to former Terumoto generals such as
Wakisaka Yasuharu (1554 – September 26, 1626), sometimes referred to as Wakizaka Yasuharu, was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of Awaji Island who fought under a number of warlords over the course of Japan's Sengoku period. Biography Wakisaka originally serv ...
, Ogawa Suketada, Kutsuki Mototsuna, and Akaza Naoyasu. After the war, Takatora was given a larger fiefdom, Iyo- Imabari, assessed at 200,000 koku.


Edo period

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. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...
''. Iyo-Uwajima was assessed at 70,000 koku, Then starting from 1601, Takatora spent six years rebuilding Itajima Castle, which would later be called
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 its histor ...
. Following that, Takatora also further increased his total possession with domains worth 203,000 koku. Takatora landholds were further increased with additional territories in
Iga Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan located in what is today part of western Mie Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Iga" in . Its abbreviated name was . Iga is classified as one of the provinces of the T� ...
, bringing his total worth of domains into 270,000 ''koku''. In 1604, Takatora and
Date Masamune was a Japanese ''daimyō'' during the Azuchi–Momoyama period through the early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful feudal lords in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he w ...
advised the Shogunate government to introduce a rule across Japan that each feudal lord was obliged to maintain residence in Edo, capital of Shogunate, which was immediately accepted and implemented officially. Later in 1608 Takatora was assigned control of Tsu (with landholdings in Iga and Ise), which at first worth of to the 220,000, then grow further in productivity to the total revenue of 320,000 koku. It was reported that the landholdings which Takatora received in Iga province previously belonged to a lord named Tsutsui Sadatsugu, which Ieyasu stripped off and give the rights to Takatora. The initial pretext was because of Sadatsugu's sloppy governance of the domain. However, historians argue that the reasons were because Sadatsugu behaved suspiciously visiting
Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who united all of Japan toward the end of the Sengoku period. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's sec ...
at
Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Layout Th ...
, without the Shogunate approval, while the land which Sadatsugu occupied was considered as important military strategic location. Furthermore, it was more though that in Ieyasu perspective to strip the land and give it to the Todo clan as political strategy against the Toyotomi clan, as despite his patronage to the Toyotomi family, Tōdō Takatora was considered as a close ally of Ieyasu. Thus by making him control the portions of Iga province, it could push more strategic locations to the influence of Shogunate without directly provoking the Toyotomi faction in Osaka. Later in 1609, Takatora completed the renovation of Iga Ueno Castle into a newly built layered tower-style castle. Takatora was also entrusted to renovate the Kameyama Castle in Tanba domain,
Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
. The constructions and renovation of numerous castles were thought to be a preparation of the incoming potential conflicts against Hideyori Toyotomi of Osaka Castle and any feudal lords who were potentially siding with him, including castles built by Takatora. In Iga province, it was reported that Tōdō Takatora employed the Iga-ryū Ninjas. Aside from Ninjas, he also employs local clans of Iga province as "Musokunin", which is a class of part-time Samurai who had been allowed to retain their clan name but did not have land. The Musokunin also worked as farmers during peace, while they are obliged to take arms in the time of war. in 1614, Takatora participated in the winter phase of
siege of Osaka A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
aiding the Tokugawa shogunate. He mobilized the Musokunin army from Iga province to besiege the Osaka castle. In 1615, during the summer phase of the Osaka campaign, Takatora participated in the Battle of Yao where he crushed the army of Chōsokabe Morichika. After the Osaka campaign, He gained another 50,000 ''koku'' in 1617 in southern Ise, to which he added 3000 ''koku'' in
Shimōsa Province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture as well as the bordering parts of Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo (the parts that used to be located east of the lower reaches of the old Tone River prior to the ...
which were originally the patrimony of his younger brother. His total holdings of 323,000 ''koku'' were the ninth largest in Japan, excluding the '' shimpan'' Tokugawa and Matsudaira domains. In 1619, Tokugawa Yorinobu was transferred to Wakayama Castle, and the 50,000 ''koku'' Tamaru region of southern Ise was transferred from Tsu to Kii Domain; however, Tōdō Takatora received equivalent holdings in
Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...
and
Yamashiro Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai. It overlaps the southern part of modern Kyoto Prefecture on Honshū. Aliases include , the rare , and . It is classified as an upper province in the '' Engishiki''. Yamashiro Province included Kyoto it ...
s in compensation. On October 5, 1630, Tōdō Takatora died at his residence in Edo. His age was 74 years old.


Popular culture


Films

* Portrayed by Kim Myung-gon 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 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 Ōtani Yoshitsugu before joining the Toyotomi.


Appendix


Footnotes


References


Bibliography


Historical sources

* * * * * * * * * * *
Tōdō family information
(25 Sept. 2007)


Novels & entertainments

*


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