Akashi Teruzumi

明石全登

The Enigmatic Christian Warrior of the Siege of Osaka

Era

Azuchi-Momoyama to early Edo period

Lifespan

c. 1569-unknown

Description

Life

The year of Akashi Teruzumi's birth is uncertain, but he is thought to have been born around the twelfth year of Eiroku (1569). He succeeded his father, Akashi Yukikatsu, and during the Bunroku era he held the post of lord of Ōmata Castle and karō (chief retainer) within the Ukita house. After the Ukita Disturbance in the fourth year of Keichō (1599), he served as steward (kasai) and led the Ukita retainers, ultimately receiving an extraordinary fief of 100,000 koku.

Faith as a Christian Daimyō

Teruzumi is known as a fervent Christian warrior, and it is said that his devotion was so deep that he sheltered missionaries by housing them in his own residence. He took the title Kamon-no-kami and is also known by the common name Akashi Kamon.

Military Record at Sekigahara and the Osaka Campaigns

At the Battle of Sekigahara in Keichō 5 (1600), he sided with Ishida Mitsunari, took part in the capture of Fushimi Castle, and in the main battle led 8,000 troops as the vanguard of the Ukita army. When defeat followed the betrayal of Kobayakawa Hideaki, he urged his lord, Ukita Hideie, who was about to die in battle, to retreat, and he himself served as rearguard, enabling his lord to escape. In the Winter Campaign of Osaka in Keichō 19 (1614), he joined the Toyotomi side for reasons of faith, and in the Summer Campaign of the following year he was wounded at the Battle of Dōmyōji, yet still fought at the Battle of Tennōji-Okayama at the head of a band of men prepared to die.

Later Whereabouts

After the fall of Osaka Castle, Teruzumi's whereabouts remain unclear. A theory that he died in battle and a tradition that he secretly escaped coexist, and he is still discussed as a historical mystery.

Later Reputation

Because of his life of steadfast loyalty to his lord and devotion to his faith, he is remembered in later times as one of the 'Five Men of Osaka' (Ōsaka gonin-shū), valiant generals who fought in the Osaka campaigns.