Satake Yoshishige

Satake Yoshishige (1547-1612) was a Sengoku-period daimyō who asserted his power across northern Kantō, centered on Hitachi (Ibaraki). In later times he became known by the nickname “Oni Yoshishige,” a formidable warlord. In southern Ōu and northern Kantō he held his own against the Hōjō and Date clans, matching them and at times outdoing them, and he built the peak of the Satake house's power.

Yoshishige's fighting was defined by a combination of relentlessly aggressive tactics and skilled diplomacy. He waged a long struggle against Hōjō Ujiyasu and his son Ujimasa while keeping his independence. After the death of Uesugi Kenshin, he established himself as an independent leading power in Kantō. He also confronted Date Masamune, and he is known for giving Masamune a hard time at the Battle of Hitotoribashi.

Yoshishige was known as a connoisseur of swords. His favorite long sword, the Hachimonji Chōgi, has a name origin that is passed down: when he cut down a mounted Hōjō warrior together with the helmet, the body is said to have fallen apart in the shape of the character for eight, which gave the sword its name. At the Battle of Sekigahara, Yoshishige urged the clan to join the Eastern Army, but because his son Yoshinobu (Satake Yoshinobu) took an ambiguous stance, the Satake clan was transferred with a reduced domain to Kubota (Akita) in Dewa in Keichō 7 (1602). Yoshishige spent his remaining years there. The strength and independent spirit of “Oni Yoshishige” are still told today as a symbol of the warrior character of northern Kantō.