Mōri Katsunaga

Mōri Katsunaga (1578-1615) was a warrior said to have been born in Owari Province. He was the eldest son of Mōri Katsunobu, who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi and became lord of Kokura in Buzen Province. In the Ōsaka campaigns (1614-1615), he fought alongside Sanada Yukimura on the Toyotomi side. In particular, at the battles of Tennōji-guchi and Okayama-guchi on the 7th day of the 5th month of Keichō 20 (1615), he launched a fierce assault that came close to Tokugawa Ieyasu's main camp and sent shockwaves through the enemy. He is remembered in later generations as a tragic commander who fought through the final fierce battles of the Toyotomi side.

Katsunaga was born in Tenshō 6 (1578) as the son of Mōri Katsunobu. Like his father, he served Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and in the Keichō campaign he distinguished himself in the relief of Ulsan Castle. At the Battle of Sekigahara in Keichō 5 (1600), he sided with the Western Army (the side of Ishida Mitsunari). After the defeat, he was exiled to Tosa (present-day Kōchi Prefecture) together with his father Katsunobu. In Tosa he was placed under the supervision of Yamauchi Kazutoyo. In Keichō 19 (1614), however, he entered Ōsaka Castle and fought in the Winter and Summer Sieges of Ōsaka under Toyotomi Hideyori.

On the 7th day of the 5th month of Keichō 20 (1615), in the final phase of the Summer Siege of Ōsaka, Katsunaga clashed with the vanguard of the Tokugawa forces at Tennōji-guchi. Together with his elite troops, he broke through the Tokugawa front line and launched a fierce assault that came close to Ieyasu's main camp. This valiant fighting is remembered alongside Sanada Yukimura's charge. The mid-Edo period essay “Okina Gusa” records: “Alas for posterity, they speak of Sanada and do not speak of Mōri.” On the following day, the 8th day of the 5th month, Katsunaga is said to have acted as kaishaku (second) for Toyotomi Hideyori and then committed suicide within Ōsaka Castle, ending his life at the age of 38.

In relation to Japanese swords, it is known that in Keichō 3 (1598), at the keepsake distribution upon the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he received a sword named “Sadazane” as a relic. After entering Ōsaka Castle, Katsunaga gained the trust of many commanders as a hereditary retainer of the Toyotomi house, and he is counted among the “Five Men of Ōsaka Castle.”