* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Katō Yoshiaki
加藤嘉明
One of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake — The Sea Warrior Who Founded Two Domains
Description
Seven Spears of Shizugatake
Born in Mikawa Province (present-day Aichi Prefecture) in Eiroku 6 (1563), Katō Yoshiaki served as a page to Hashiba Hidekatsu, an adopted son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and then became a direct retainer of Hideyoshi. At the Battle of Shizugatake in Tenshō 11 (1583), he distinguished himself with remarkable martial feats and was counted among the "Seven Spears of Shizugatake." The Seven Spears were the seven young warriors who won especially outstanding military merit in that battle. Yoshiaki stood alongside Katō Kiyomasa, Fukushima Masanori, Katagiri Katsumoto, Hirano Nagayasu, Kasuya Takenori, and Wakizaka Yasuharu, and was an emblematic figure of the military-merit commanders of the Toyotomi regime.
Role as a Naval Commander
Yoshiaki's particularly notable military quality was his skill in commanding naval forces. In the Kyushu campaign of Tenshō 15 (1587) and the Odawara campaign of Tenshō 18 (1590), he led the Awaji navy. He also led naval forces in numerous sea battles during the Bunroku and Keichō campaigns (the Korean invasions, 1592–98). During the Bunroku campaign he repeatedly fought the Korean navy led by Yi Sun-sin, and during the Keichō campaign he took part in the Battle of Chilcheollyang, in which the Korean navy under Won Gyun was destroyed. In naval battles, bows and arrows, firearms, and shipboard cannon were the main weapons rather than swords, but Yoshiaki's essential quality as a warrior lay in a fierceness that was displayed equally on land and at sea.
The Decision at Sekigahara and the Founding of the Matsuyama Domain
At the Battle of Sekigahara in Keichō 5 (1600), Yoshiaki joined the Eastern Army (on Ieyasu's side) and fought with distinction. After the battle, his holdings were increased to 200,000 koku in Iyo Matsuyama. Having begun construction of Matsuyama Castle, Yoshiaki devoted himself to the administration of Iyo Province. In Kan'ei 4 (1627), however, he was transferred to Aizu with over 430,000 koku and moved from Matsuyama to Aizu. Matsuyama Castle (present-day Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture), the foundation of which Yoshiaki laid, is still known today as one of the twelve surviving original castle keeps, and it carries Yoshiaki's legacy into the present.
Foundations of the Aizu Domain and Later Years
After being transferred to Aizu with over 430,000 koku, Yoshiaki died in Kan'ei 8 (1631). After his death came the dispute between his eldest son, Akinari, who succeeded to the headship of the house, and chief retainer Hori Mondo (the Aizu Disturbance, Aizu Sōdō). Following these events, the Katō house received kaieki (attainder; dissolution of the house) from the shogunate. Later, Hoshina Masayuki (a half-brother of Tokugawa Iemitsu) was enfeoffed in Aizu, laying the foundations of the Aizu Matsudaira house. Yoshiaki's life, which left major traces in two places, Matsuyama and Aizu, shows the typical trajectory of a Toyotomi military-merit commander who grew from a young warrior at Shizugatake into a daimyo of the realm.
Yoshiaki Among the Seven Spears
Among the Seven Spears of Shizugatake, Katō Kiyomasa and Fukushima Masanori are especially famous, but Yoshiaki is distinctive in that, together with Wakizaka Yasuharu, he also served as a naval commander. Although each of the Seven Spears had a distinct character and martial prowess, their shared role in supporting the military foundation of the Toyotomi regime also shows the diversity of the regime's military strength. In Yoshiaki's case, his service in both land and naval battles was his defining trait. His performance in the Keichō campaign earned him Hideyoshi's high praise, and he was elevated to a daimyo with 100,000 koku.