Shimazu Yoshihisa | |
|---|---|
| 島津 義久 | |
 | |
| Head ofShimazu clan | |
| In office 1566–1587 | |
| Preceded by | Shimazu Takahisa |
| Succeeded by | Shimazu Yoshihiro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1533-02-09)February 9, 1533 |
| Died | March 5, 1611(1611-03-05) (aged 78) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Shimazu Yoshihiro (brother) Shimazu Toshihisa (brother) Shimazu Iehisa (half-brother) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Shimazu clan Toyotomi clan |
| Rank | Daimyo |
| Unit | Shimazu clan |
| Commands | Kagoshima |
| Battles/wars |
|
Shimazu Yoshihisa (島津義久; February 9, 1533 – March 5, 1611) was a powerfuldaimyō and the 16th Chief ofShimazu clan ofSatsuma Province, the eldest son ofShimazu Takahisa.[1] He was renowned as a great general, who managed to subjugate Kyushu through the deft maneuvering of his three brothers. Eventually, in 1585, Yoshihisa seceded control of the entireKyushu region.
His mother was a daughter ofIriki'in Shigesato (入来院重聡),Sesshō (雪窓).Shimazu Yoshihiro,Shimazu Toshihisa andShimazu Iehisa were his brothers. He is said to have been born inIzaku Castle in 1535.[2] His childhood name wasTorajumaru (虎寿丸) but he went by the name ofMatasaburō (又三郎). On his coming-of-age (genpuku), he took the name ofTadayoshi(忠良) but after receiving akanji from theshōgunAshikaga Yoshiteru, changed toYoshitatsu (義辰). He later changed his name toYoshihisa. He married his own aunt and after her death, married his relative, a daughter ofTanegashima Tokitaka.
In 1566, he succeeded his father as the head ofShimazu clan, becoming the clan's sixteenth leader.
Working together with his brothersYoshihiro,Toshihisa, andIehisa, he launched a campaign to unifyKyūshū.
Starting in 1572 with a victory againstItō clan at thebattle of Kizaki and theSiege of Takabaru in 1576,Yoshihisa continued to win battles.[1]
In 1578, Yoshihisa defeated theŌtomo clan at thebattle of Mimigawa and pursuit the Ōtomo army to they homeland, though he did not take their territory;[3]
Later, in 1581, Yoshihisa forcestook Minamata castle inHigo Province with a force of 115,000 men;[4]
In early 1584, his forces was victorious inBattle of Okitanawate InHizen Province againstRyūzōji clan and defeated theAso clan.
In 1585, Yoshihisa forces attackHorikiri Castle atChikugo Province and latertook Otomo's Iwaya castle resulted after the Shimazu invasion ofChikuzen Province.
By the middle of 1585, theShimazu clan controlled;Chikugo,Chikuzen,Hizen,Higo,Hyūga,Osumi, andSatsuma,[5] most of Kyūshū with the exception of Ōtomo's domain and unification was a feasible goal.[1]
In 1585, during Shimazu's attempt to unify Kyushu, other Kyushu clans appealed toToyotomi Hideyoshi for help; theOtomo clan andRyuzoji clan asked Hideyoshi for aid, and though he had been unable to help at that time, Hideyoshi interceded, requesting that Yoshihisa make peace with Otomo. In response, Yoshihisa derided his attempt to intervene, not seeing Hideyoshi as being in a position to invade Kyushu.
In 1586, Shimazu Yoshihisa marched to attack Otomo'sTachibana castle, when the commanders of the Shimazu army arrived near Tachibana castle.Tachibana Muneshige led the defense of the castle with his wife, the former clan leaderTachibana Ginchiyo.[6] Later, the Otomo leaders travelled toOsaka itself, seeking to persuade Hideyoshi to help. Hideyoshi was impressed with this embassy, and presumably agreed to help. Yoshihisa, seeing that Hideyoshi was prepared to invade, sent a message to Hideyoshi, claiming that he had attacked the other clans in self-defence, but Hideyoshi refused and leads his forces to Kyushu.
In late 1586,Kyushu Campaign byToyotomi Hideyoshi begin.The Ōtomo forces, were supported by Shikoku armies underChōsokabe Motochika,Sengoku Hidehisa andSogō Masayasu, they delayed Shimazu forces and weakened them in preparation for the arrival of Hideyoshi's armies.Hideyoshi mobilised a force of 200,000 soldiers and 20,000 pack animals, transporting supplies for an even larger army of 300,000 men.Toyotomi Hidenaga led the vanguard of 25,000 men and 3,000 horses.
By April 1587 Hideyoshi had reached the straits atShimonoseki, moving throughChikuzen andChikugo to attack Yoshihisa inHigo. At this pointMōri forces underKobayakawa Takakage joined Hidenaga's force, as the Mōri had been recently suppressed. Hidenaga then drove back the Shimazu forces inHyūga andBungo. The Shimazu fought well, but had few firearms and lacked discipline and training; they were steadily overwhelmed through the superior qualityand quantity.
By the end of May 1587, the various island daimyos had turned to Hideyoshi's side. In June, Shimazu was routed inSatsuma itself, and Hideyoshi laidSiege of Kagoshima castle. Yoshihisa sued for peace, and a truce was agreed. Hideyoshi offered generous terms for a lasting peace to son of Yoshihiro's and Iehisa's; though Yoshihisa initially refused the offer, Hideyoshi tried again and was this time successful.
Most of the domains Yoshihisa had conquered were given by Hideyoshi to three of his senior generals - Kato, Konishi, and Kuroda - and theShimazu clan managed to retain only Satsuma Province andŌsumi Province, as well as half of Hyuga. The Mori were given fiefs in northern Kyushu, and Kobayakawa gained Chikuzen. Yoshihisa shaved his head to surrender, showing that he would become aBuddhist monk if his life was spared. His name as a monk wasRyūhaku (龍伯) but it is unclear whether he retired in order to allow Yoshihiro to rule. As a retainer under Hideyoshi, his younger brother Yoshihiro controlled troops, but it is believed that Yoshihisa still managed day-to-day affairs in the domain. Yoshihisa did not have a son to succeed him, so he had Yoshihiro's son,Shimazu Tadatsune marry the third daughterShimazuKameju (亀寿) and adopted him as the successor.[1]
Yoshihisa's knowledge of culture is not known, but after Hideyoshi grantedHosokawa Fujitaka a retirement estate atOsumi Province in 1595, Fujitaka taught him classic literatures, andKampaku Konoe Wakihisa, who was skilled inwaka andrenga, is believed to have frequented Yoshihisa's house. He initially looked favourably on Christian missionaries such as Luís de Almeida.[7]
After his domain was split up by Hideyoshi,Tokugawa Ieyasu invited Yoshihisa toFushimi Castle. Ieyasu and his retainers repeatedly asked Yoshihisa how he managed to unify Kyushu; eventually, Yoshihisa relented, saying that he won his victories through his retainers - "[Because] my three younger brothers, led by Yoshihiro, as well as retainers likeUwai Satokane andYamada Arinobu, fought so well united under the same goal, I never had a chance to show my bravery in a battle. I only had to wait in the castle for news brought by messengers of their victories". After Yoshihisa left, Ieyasu told his retainers that - "[Yoshihisa had, as] a general let retainers under him work to the best of their abilities. This is how a great general should be".
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On January 21, 1611, he died of illness inKokubu Castle.[8][1] Posthumously, he was named 貫明存忠庵主. He was buried at what had once been the site ofFukushoji inKagoshima - his tombstone remains, along with those of the other leaders of his clan. There are also monuments built in his memory at Kokubun,Ima Kumano Kannonji (今熊野観音寺) inKyoto, andKoyasan. Though there is no portrait of Yoshihisa remaining, there is a bronze figure of Yoshihisa at theTaiheiji, depicting his surrender to Hideyoshi. The statue was produced after he died.
