Satomi Yoshitaka

Satomi Yoshitaka (1507–1574) was a Sengoku-period daimyō whose base was Awa Province (present-day southern Chiba Prefecture). Allied with Uesugi Kenshin and others, he contended with the Later Hōjō clan and extended his influence across the Bōsō Peninsula, building the peak of the Satomi clan's power.

Yoshitaka was born in 1507 (according to one account, 1512), the son of Satomi Sanetaka. In 1533, when his father Sanetaka was killed by Satomi Yoshitoyo, his nephew and the head of the main house, Yoshitaka received support from Hōjō Ujitsuna. In the following year, 1534, he killed Yoshitoyo (Battle of Inukake) and became head of the Satomi house. Afterward he was hostile to the Hōjō clan and fought fiercely with them over Kazusa and Shimōsa.

Yoshitaka's greatest strength was his navy. Awa Province was surrounded by the sea on three sides, and by making use of its terrain, which contains many good harbors, he developed a powerful maritime military force. This navy clashed with the Hōjō navy in battles over control of the seas of Tokyo Bay, and the two sides fought back and forth in a stalemate. Furthermore, Yoshitaka adopted a strategy of cooperating with Uesugi Kenshin to oppose the Hōjō clan, and played an important role in the balance of power in the Kantō region.

Yoshitaka died at Kururi Castle in 1574 (aged 68 by traditional Japanese count). His life, which included many battles such as the Battle of Mifuneyama and the Battles of Kōnodai, exemplified the typical provincial daimyō of the Sengoku period. As head of the Satomi house, which became the model for the Edo-period yomihon Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, he remains widely known today.