Shima Sakon

Shima Sakon (dates uncertain - 1600), formally named Shima Kiyooki, was one of the foremost swordsmen and warriors of the Sengoku era. As the poem goes, "Two things surpass Mitsunari—Shima Sakon and Sawayama Castle," he was known as the fierce general whom Ishida Mitsunari recruited with extraordinary terms.

Sakon had originally served Tsutsui Sadatsugu of Yamato (Nara), but became a ronin when the Tsutsui clan was transferred to Iga. Mitsunari recruited this swordsman under the extraordinary condition of offering half his own stipend, and Sakon was praised as a "great general under heaven." His swordsmanship was the practical, powerful style of a skilled swordsman, and his ferocity was feared by lords throughout the land.

At the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), fighting for Ishida Mitsunari's Western Army, he held more than his own against Kuroda Nagamasa and Hosokawa Tadaoki's Eastern forces. As the battle turned against them, Sakon is said to have plunged into the enemy lines in a heroic final charge. His death remains the subject of debate, with some accounts suggesting he survived.

As a sword-master warrior, Sakon was one of the most trusted generals in the Tsutsui and Ishida households. His beloved sword is passed down in legend, and his reputation as a powerful swordsman continues to transmit his fame as a warrior to later generations.