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Kuroda Nagamasa

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In this Japanese name, the surname is Kuroda.
Kuroda Nagamasa
黒田長政
Head of Kuroda clan
In office
1604–1623
Preceded byKuroda Yoshitaka
Succeeded byKuroda Tadayuki [jp]
Daimyō of Fukuoka
In office
1601–1623
Succeeded byKuroda Tadayuki
Personal details
BornDecember 3, 1568
Himeji, Harima Province, Japan
DiedAugust 29, 1623(1623-08-29) (aged 54)
Spouse(s)Itohime (\Hachisuka Masakatsu's daughter) (original legal wife, later divorced)
Eihime/Dairyo-in (Hoshina Masanao's daughter, Tokugawa Ieyasu's adopted daughter) (second legal wife)
Parents
Military service
Allegiance Toyotomi clan
Eastern Army
Tokugawa shogunate
RankDaimyo
Unit Kuroda clan
Battles/warsBattle of Shizugatake (1583)
Korean campaign (1592-1598)
Battle of Sekigahara (1600)
Siege of Osaka (1614-1615)

Kuroda Nagamasa (黒田 長政, December 3, 1568 – August 29, 1623) was a daimyō during the late Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods.[1] He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei,[2] Toyotomi Hideyoshi's chief strategist and adviser.

Biography[edit]

His childhood name was Shojumaru (松寿丸). In 1577, when Nagamasa was a small child, his father was tried and sentenced as a spy by Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was kidnapped and nearly killed as a hostage. With the help of Yamauchi Kazutoyo and his wife, Yamauchi Chiyo and Takenaka Hanbei ended up rescuing him. After Nobunaga was killed in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582, Nagamasa served Toyotomi Hideyoshi along with his father and participated in the invasion of Chūgoku.

In 1583 Nagamasa participated in the Battle of Shizugatake.[3]

In 1587, Nagamasa achieved great success in subduing Takarabe castle in Hyuga during Kyūshū campaign. However, there was a difficult daimyo in the area named Ki Shigefusa, who responded to Hideyoshi's order ambivalently during the war, incurring Hideyoshi's anger.

In April 20 1588 , Nagamasa invited Shigefusa to Nakatsu Castle by pretending hospitality. Shigefusa entered Nakatsu Castle with a few companions and was immediately assassinated while drinking by Nagamasa's order. Nagamasa's soldiers then dispatched to Gogen-ji Temple, and killing all the Ki clan's vassals. Furthermore, Nagamasa's forces stormed Castle of Ki clan, captured it, and killed Shigefusa's father, Ki Nagafusa. Later, Nagamasa, executed his hostage, Tsuruhime, along with 13 maids by crucifixion at Senbonmatsukawara in Hirotsu, on the banks of the Yamakuni River.[4][5]

In 1589 , Kuroda Yoshitaka decided to retire from his position as the head of Kuroda clan, and Nagamasa inherited the family headship. During this time, Hideyoshi issued an edict to expel the missionaries, and Nagamasa, who was a Christian like his father, announced that he would renounce his faith.[6]

Korean campaign[edit]

Nagamasa also participated in Hideyoshi's Korean campaign,[2] where he commanded the army's 3rd Division of 5000 men during the first invasion (1592–1593).[7] In 15 July, following the Battle of Imjin River, Nagamasa led his forces west into Hwanghae Province, where he participated in the first Siege of Pyongyang.[8] After a sally from the Korean forces which inflicting heavy losses to the Japanese forces, Nagamasa launch counter attacks to push back the Korean into a river which protecting the city. Just as the Korean retreating by taking upstream way where the river was shallow enough to cross with foots, the Japanese forces following their trail, finding the way to reach the city without crossing the deep river. Before entering the city, Nagamasa and Konishi Yukinaga sent scouts. After confirming the city were abandoned by the defenders, Nagamasa and the japanese forces entered the city and secured food supplies from the warehouses.[9] In 16 October 1597, Nagamasa arrived at Jiksan, where he clashed against 6,000 Ming soldiers Battle of Jiksan. After dusk, the battle ended without clear result.[10] Later, Nagamasa launched another a night raid with pincer attack crane formation with intention to crush the enemies from each ends. However, this raid failed and turned into a rout that was joined by 2,000 Ming cavalry.[11] During this first Korean campaign, Nagamasa along with other Japanese generals mounted a genocidal operations which called Nadegiri in the region of Jeolla Province, where they systematically mutilate their victims bodies and collecting the noses of Koreans they killed.[12]

In the second part of the campaign (1597-1598), he held command in The Army of the Right.[7] In this campaign, Nagamasa participated in the first defense of Ulsan, where he led reinforcement for Katō Kiyomasa with 600 mens.[13]

During his tenure in Korea campaign, there is a famous anecdote which attributed to Katō Kiyomasa that he was doing a tiger hunting during his free times. However, recent researches that this activities were falsely attributed to Kiyomasa, while the one who actually doing such was Nagamasa.[6]

Ishida Mitsunari incident[edit]

According to popular theory In 1598 after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the government of Japan have an accident when seven military generals consisted of Fukushima Masanori, Katō Kiyomasa, Ikeda Terumasa, Hosokawa Tadaoki, Asano Yoshinaga, Katō Yoshiaki, and Kuroda Nagamasa planned a conspiracy to kill Ishida Mitsunari. It was said that the reason of this conspiracy was dissatisfaction of those generals towards Mitsunari as he wrote bad assessments and underreported the achievements of those generals during the Imjin war against Korea & Chinese empire.[14] At first, these generals gathered at Kiyomasa's mansion in Osaka Castle, and from there they moved into Mitsunari's mansion. However, Mitsunari learned of this through a report from a servant of Toyotomi Hideyori named Jiemon Kuwajima, and fled to Satake Yoshinobu's mansion together with Shima Sakon and others to hide.[14] When the seven generals found out that Mitsunari was not in the mansion, they searched the mansions of various feudal lords in Osaka Castle, and Kato's army also approached the Satake residence. Therefore, Mitsunari and his party escaped from the Satake residence and barricaded themselves at Fushimi Castle.[15] The next day, the seven generals surrounded Fushimi Castle with their soldiers as they knew Mitsunari was hiding there. Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was in charge of political affairs in Fushimi Castle trying to arbitrate the situation. The seven generals requested Ieyasu to hand over Mitsunari, which refused by Ieyasu. Ieyasu then negotiated the promised to let Mitsunari retire and to review the assessment of the Battle of Ulsan Castle in Korea which became the major source of this incident, and had his second son, Yūki Hideyasu, to escort Mitsunari to Sawayama Castle.[16] However, historian Watanabe Daimon stated from the primary and secondary sources text about the accident this was more of legal conflict between those generals with Mitsunari, rather than conspiracy to murder him. The role of Ieyasu here was not to physically protect Mitsunari from any physical harm from them, but to mediate the complaints of those generals.[17]

Nevertheless, historians viewed this incident not just as simply personal problems between those seven generals and Mitsunari, but rather as an extension of the political rivalries of greater scope between the Tokugawa faction and the anti-Tokugawa faction led by Mitsunari. Since this incident, those military figures who were on bad terms with Mitsunari would later support Ieyasu during the conflict of Sekigahara between the Eastern army led by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Western army led by Ishida Mitsunari.[14][18] Muramatsu Shunkichi, writer of "The Surprising Colors and Desires of the Heroes of Japanese History and violent womens”, gave his assessment that the reason for Mitsunari's failure in his war against Ieyasu was due to his unpopularity among the major political figures of that time.[19]

Battle Of Sekigahara[edit]

Main article: Battle Of Sekigahara
Black lacquered peach-shaped buffalo horns helmet owned by Kuroda Nagamasa; Fukuoka City Museum collection

As the Sekigahara Campaign broke out, Nagamasa sided with the Eastern Army which led by Ieyasu.

On August 21, The Eastern army alliance which sided with Ieyasu Tokugawa attacked Takegahana castle which defended by Oda Hidenobu, who sides with Mitsunari faction.[20] They split themselves into two groups, where 18,000 soldiers led by Ikeda Terumasa and Asano Yoshinaga went to the river crossing, while 16,000 soldiers led by Nagamasa, Fukushima Masanori, Hosokawa Tadaoki, Kyogoku Kochi, Ii Naomasa, Katō Yoshiaki, Tōdō Takatora, Tanaka Yoshimasa, and Honda Tadakatsu went downstream at Ichinomiya.[21] The first group led by Terumasa crossed the Kiso River and engaged in a battle at Yoneno, causing the Hidenobu army routed. On the other hand, Takegahana castle were reinforced by a Western army faction's general named Sugiura Shigekatsu. The second Eastern army group led by Nagamasa and others crossed the river and directly attacked Takegahana Castle at 9:00 AM on the August 22nd. Shigekatsu himself setting the castle on fire and committed suicide as a final act of defiance.[20]

in September 14, the Mōri clan of Western Army, through their vassal named Kikkawa Hiroie, colluding with the Eastern Army and promised the Mōri clan would change sides during battle, on the condition they would be pardoned after the war ended. The correspondencies between the Mōri clan with Eastern army involved Hiroie with Nagamasa and his father as representatives of the Eastern Army, where they promised to give pardon for Hiroie and the Mōri clan after the war.[22]

In October 21, Nagamasa took part in the Battle of Sekigahara on Tokugawa Ieyasu's side.[2] At the final phase of the battle, as the Eastern army victorious, Nagamasa turn his attention towards Shima Sakon.[23] In the end, Sakon was shot and fatally wounded by a round from an arquebus[24] One of His men manage to kill Shima Sakon, thus securing a part of the Eastern Army's eventual victory. As a reward for his performance at the battle, Ieyasu granted Nagamasa Chikuzen [2] – 520.000 koku – in exchange for his previous fief of Nakatsu in Buzen.[citation needed]

In 1612, Nagamasa went to Kyoto with his eldest son Kuroda Tadayuki, and Tadayuki was given the surname Matsudaira by Tokugawa Hidetada, the second shogun of the Edo shogunate.[25]

Later in 1614-1615, he participated in the Osaka Castle campaigns.[2]

Family[edit]

  • Father: Kuroda Yoshitaka
  • Mother: Kushihashi Teru (1553–1627)
  • Wives:
    • Itohime (1571-1645)
    • Eihime (1585-1635)
  • Concubine: Choshu’in
  • Children:
    • Kikuhime married Inoue Yukifusa's son by Itohime
    • Kuroda Tadayuki (1602-1654) by Eihime
    • Tokuko married Sakakibara Tadatsugu by Eihime
    • Kameko married Ikeda Teruoki by Eihime
    • Kuroda Nagaoki (1610-1665) by Eihime
    • Kuroda Masafuyu by Choshu’in
    • Kuroda Takamasa (1612-1639) by Eihime

In popular culture[edit]

Nagamasa is a playable character from the Eastern Army in the original Kessen.

Kuroda is also a popular historical figure. His life, and his relationship to Tokugawa, has been dramatized many times in the annual NHK Taiga Drama series.

Preceded by
none
 Daimyō of Fukuoka
1601–1623 		Succeeded by
Kuroda Tadayuki

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ 福岡藩 (in Japanese). 1998. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e Turnbull 2000, p. 53.
  3. ^ Louis Frédéric (2002). Japan encyclopedia. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 578. ISBN 9780674017535. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  4. ^ 吉永 1997, pp. 258–286.
  5. ^ Masaharu Yoshinaga (2000, pp. 276–290)
  6. ^ a b とーじん さん (2019). "「黒田長政」知略の父・官兵衛とは一線を画す、武勇に優れた将。". 戦国ヒストリー (in Japanese). sengoku-his.com. Retrieved 11 June 2024. "朝日日本歴史人物事典" (Asahi Encyclopedia of Japanese Historical Figures); Rekishi Gunzo Editorial Department, "戦国時代人物事典 / Encyclopedia of Sengoku Jidai Jijinbutsu", Gakken Publishing, 2009; Watanabe Daimon, "黒田官兵衛・長政の野望　もう一つの関ケ原 / Kuroda Kanbei: Nagamasa's Ambition: Another Sekigahara," Kadokawa, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Turnbull 2002, p. 240.
  8. ^ Hawley 2005, p. 224-227.
  9. ^ Hawley 2005, p. 227.
  10. ^ Swope 2009, p. 248.
  11. ^ Hawley 2005, p. 467.
  12. ^ Kiernan, Ben; Madley, Benjamin; Blackhawk, Ned; Taylor, Rebe Taylor, eds. (4 May 2023). The Cambridge World History of Genocide. Cambridge University Press. p. Nadegiri campaign. ISBN 9781108806596. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  13. ^ 参謀本部 編 (1925). 日本戦史 朝鮮役 （本編・附記） (in Japanese). 偕行社. p. 204. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Mizuno Goki (2013). "前田利家の死と石田三成襲撃事件" [Death of Toshiie Maeda and attack on Mitsunari Ishida]. 政治経済史学 (in Japanese) (557号).
  15. ^ Kasaya Kazuhiko (2000). "豊臣七将の石田三成襲撃事件―歴史認識形成のメカニズムとその陥穽―" [Seven Toyotomi Generals' Attack on Ishida Mitsunari - Mechanism of formation of historical perception and its downfall]. 日本研究 (in Japanese) (22集).
  16. ^ Kasaya Kazuhiko (2000). "徳川家康の人情と決断―三成"隠匿"の顚末とその意義―" [Tokugawa Ieyasu's humanity and decisions - The story of Mitsunari's "concealment" and its significance]. 大日光 (70号).
  17. ^ "七将に襲撃された石田三成が徳川家康に助けを求めたというのは誤りだった". yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/ (in Japanese). 渡邊大門 無断転載を禁じます。 © LY Corporation. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  18. ^ Mizuno Goki (2016). "石田三成襲撃事件の真相とは". In Watanabe Daimon (ed.). 戦国史の俗説を覆す [What is the truth behind the Ishida Mitsunari attack?] (in Japanese). 柏書房.
  19. ^ 歴代文化皇國史大觀 [Overview of history of past cultural empires] (in Japanese). Japan: Oriental Cultural Association. 1934. p. 592. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  20. ^ a b 竹鼻町史編集委員会 (1999). 竹鼻の歴史 [Takehana] (in Japanese). Takehana Town History Publication Committee. pp. 30–31.
  21. ^ 尾西市史 通史編 · Volume 1 [Onishi City History Complete history · Volume 1] (in Japanese). 尾西市役所. 1998. p. 242. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  22. ^ Watanabe Daimon (2023). "関ヶ原合戦の前日、毛利輝元は本領安堵を条件として、徳川家康と和睦していた". yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/ (in Japanese). 渡邊大門 無断転載を禁じます。 © LY Corporation. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  23. ^ Morgan Pitelka (2016, p. 118-42)
  24. ^ Bryant 1995, p. 51.
  25. ^ Murakawa Kohei (2000). 日本近世武家政権論 [Early Modern Japanese Samurai Government Theory]. 近代文芸社. p. 103.

References[edit]

  • Hawley, Samuel (2005), The Imjin War, The Royal Asiatic Society, Korea Branch/UC Berkeley Press, ISBN 978-89-954424-2-5
  • Swope, Kenneth M. (2009), A Dragon's Head and a Serpent's Tail: Ming China and the First Great East Asian War, 1592–1598, University of Oklahoma Press
  • Turnbull, Stephen (2000). The Samurai Sourcebook. Cassell. ISBN 1854095234.
  • Turnbull, Stephen (2002). Samurai Invasion : Japan's Korean War 1592–1598. Cassell & Company. ISBN 9780304359486.
  • Noda, Hiroko (2007). "徳川家康天下掌握過程における井伊直政の役割" [The role of Ii Naomasa in the process of Tokugawa Ieyasu taking control of the country]. 彦根城博物館研究紀要. 18. Hikone Castle Museum.
  • Masaharu Yoshinaga (2000). 九州戦国の武将たち [Warlords of Kyushu Sengoku]. 海鳥社. ISBN 9784874153215.
  • Masaharu Yoshinaga (1997). 戦国九州の女たち [Women of Sengoku Kyushu]. 西日本新聞社. ISBN 9784816704321.
  • Watanabe Daimon (2013). 黒田官兵衛・長政の野望　もう一つの関ケ原 [Kuroda Kanbei: Nagamasa's Ambition: Another Sekigahara] (in Japanese). Kadokawa. ISBN 9784047035317. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
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