* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Katagiri Katsumoto
片桐且元
One of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake — the ill-fated chief retainer whose actions triggered the Siege of Osaka
Description
Life
Katagiri Katsumoto (1556-1615) was a warrior from Ōmi Province who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi and distinguished himself at the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583, where he was counted among the Seven Spears of Shizugatake. It is said that, in recognition of his loyal service, he was granted the Toyotomi surname. After the Battle of Sekigahara, he held 28,000 koku in Tatsuta in Yamato Province, and as a direct retainer of the Toyotomi house he came to support Hideyori, the son of Hideyoshi. Serving as karō (chief retainer), he managed the domestic affairs of the Toyotomi house.
Hōkō-ji Bell Inscription Incident
At Hideyori's command, he led the reconstruction of the Great Buddha Hall of Hōkō-ji. However, the inscription on the bronze bell completed in 1614, “Kokka ankō, kunshin hōraku,” was denounced as a curse against Tokugawa Ieyasu, which developed into the Hōkō-ji Bell Inscription Incident. Katsumoto took charge of negotiations with the Tokugawa side, but he was also suspected by the Toyotomi side of colluding with Ieyasu and was driven into an untenable position caught between the two. He left Osaka Castle and went over to the Tokugawa side. This incident is said to have been the direct trigger for the outbreak of the Winter Campaign of the Siege of Osaka.
Final Years and Legacy
After the peace following the Winter Campaign, he received an increase of 10,000 koku. However, in 1615, immediately after the Toyotomi house was destroyed in the Summer Campaign of the Siege of Osaka, he died, as if following them. Though he devoted himself until the end to the survival of the Toyotomi house, he could not halt the conflict between the two houses. He is remembered as a tragic warrior who embodies the end of the Sengoku period.
Related Warriors
大谷吉継
Azuchi-Momoyama to Early Edo PeriodŌtani Yoshitsugu
The White-Veiled General — The Brilliant Commander Who Died for Friendship at Sekigahara
細川忠興
Azuchi-Momoyama to early Edo periodHosokawa Tadaoki
Sansai—Gracia's Husband and Owner of Kasen Kanesada, a Warrior-Scholar Daimyō Who Lived Through a Turbulent Age of Tea, Swords, and Love and Hatred
立花宗茂
Azuchi-Momoyama to Early EdoTachibana Muneshige
The Peerless Warrior of Western Japan
徳川秀忠
Azuchi-Momoyama to Early EdoTokugawa Hidetada
The Second Tokugawa Shogun