Sengoku Hidehisa

Sengoku Hidehisa (1552–1614) was a warrior who rose from being Toyotomi Hideyoshi's page to become a daimyo, experiencing a turbulent life of repeated setbacks and comebacks worthy of the saying "seven falls, eight rises." His military career spanning Shikoku, Kyushu, Odawara, and Korea encompasses both significant achievements and grave failures, and the dramatic ups and downs of his human story make him a uniquely compelling figure passed down through history.

Hidehisa came from the Sengoku clan, a wealthy landowner family of Mino Province, and served as a young page (performing menial duties for a high-ranking patron) to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After gaining Hideyoshi's trust and rising to prominence, Hidehisa distinguished himself in the 1585 Shikoku campaign as one of the advance forces, and as a reward for his accomplishments, he was granted Awaji and Sanuki provinces, thereby attaining the status of daimyo. However, this proved to be his peak; the next campaign would dramatically alter the course of his life.

In the 1586 Battle of Hetsugigawa (Toyosatsu War), Hidehisa committed a grave blunder. Despite cautionary views being raised in the military council, Hidehisa independently ordered a charge against the Shimazu forces. This reckless attack resulted in the death of Chōsokabe Nobuchika (Motochika's legitimate heir) and numerous other officers and soldiers. Held responsible for the defeat, Hidehisa suffered severe punishment: all his territories were confiscated and he was exiled to Mt. Koya.

Yet Hidehisa did not end there. Even during his confinement at Mt. Koya, he continued to train diligently in martial arts and waited for an opportunity to make a comeback. In the 1590 Siege of Odawara, Hidehisa served as a warrior under command, his performance caught Hideyoshi's eye, and he was restored to daimyo status, receiving 50,000 koku at Komoro in Shinano Province. This was truly a legendary revival embodying both Hidehisa's unbreakable spirit and Hideyoshi's magnanimity—a famous tale of "seven falls, eight rises."

Hidehisa's relationship with swords was rooted in his extensive practical combat experience. As a warrior who had fought on many battlefields—Shikoku, Kyushu, Odawara, and Korea—he understood the practical utility of swords in combat better than anyone. After his return as daimyo ruling Komoro in Shinano, Hidehisa devoted himself to nurturing swordsmiths within his domain and placed great emphasis on the production of high-quality swords capable of withstanding actual combat.

At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Hidehisa sided with the Eastern Army (Tokugawa), and he spent the rest of his life as lord of Komoro with his 50,000 koku in Shinano (the relocation of the Sengoku clan to Izushi in Tajima occurred in Hōei 3, or 1706, during the era of his descendant Sengoku Masaaki). The Sengoku clan persisted as the daimyo of Izushi Domain throughout the Edo period until the Meiji Restoration. Hidehisa's later years were relatively stable, and he died in 1614 at the age of 63.

One reason Hidehisa's life continues to capture modern attention is his narrative of failure and revival. Despite committing an irredeemable failure at the Battle of Hetsugigawa, he acknowledged his wrongs, underwent confinement, and achieved a comeback by seizing his opportunity. Hidehisa's way of life embodied the samurai value of "rising from failure" in Japanese bushidō. The name of Sengoku Hidehisa endures today as a symbol of the phrase "seven falls, eight rises."