Yoshikawa Hiroe

Yoshikawa Hiroe (1561–1625) was a military commander active from the Sengoku period through the early Edo period, and as a member of the Mōri clan, he was a figure who greatly moved the wheels of history at the Battle of Sekigahara. Born as the third son of Yoshikawa Motoharu, he inherited the Yoshikawa house after his father's death.

Hiroe's greatest achievement and enigma lay in his actions at the Battle of Sekigahara (1600). As a powerful commander of the Western forces, he led the Mōri army to the battlefield; however, Hiroe secretly negotiated with Tokugawa Ieyasu and, on the condition that the Mōri main house be preserved, arranged for the Mōri Hidemoto forces stationed on Mount Nangu to remain inactive. Through this strategy of the "general who would not move," the Western forces fought while lacking significant military strength, contributing to the Eastern forces' victory.

However, although Hiroe's actions were intended to ensure the security of the Mōri main house, they ultimately resulted in responsibility being placed on Mōri Terumoto, bringing about a significant reduction in his territories. Hiroe himself secured the Iwakuni Domain with 30,000 koku, but the losses to the Mōri main house were substantial, and some later historians viewed him as a "traitor." Regarding swords, Hiroe valued samurai tradition and devoted considerable care to the management and appraisal of the famed blades passed down through the Yoshikawa house. His decisions, which laid the foundation for Iwakuni Domain in the early Edo period, convey to us today the complexity of rational choice in history.