Mimura Iechika

Mimura Iechika (died February 5, 1566) was a sengoku daimyo of Bitchu Province who established his power base at Bitchu Matsuyama Castle (present-day Takahashi, Okayama). Switching allegiance from the Amago clan to Mori Motonari, he built a sphere of influence spanning Bitchu, Bizen, and Mimasaka provinces; Motonari reportedly said that with Iechika as an ally, Bitchu was as good as Mori territory. On January 17, 1566, while meeting with retainers at Kosoji Temple in Mimasaka, he was shot dead by the Endo brothers acting on the orders of Ukita Naoie—one of the earliest recorded firearm assassinations in Japanese history. His son Motochika succeeded him but was ultimately defeated by the Mori clan in 1575 and committed suicide, ending the Mimura line.