* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Susukida Kanesuke
薄田兼相
Toyotomi horse-guard captain who died at Dōmyōji, later linked in legend to the swordsman Iwami Jūtarō
Description
Origins and Early Life
Susukida Kanesuke's birth year is unknown, and almost nothing is recorded of his early life. His sister is recorded as having married Hotta Kazutsugu. He served as one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mounted guard (umamawari) with a stipend of 3,000 koku, later raised to 5,000 koku, and in 1611 his name appears among those assigned to repair work at the imperial palace.
The Legend Linking Him to Iwami Jūtarō
A long-standing tradition holds that Kanesuke was, in an earlier identity, the swordsman Iwami Jūtarō, famous from kōdan storytelling. In this story, the second son of Iwami Jūzaemon travels the provinces to avenge his father, kills Hirose Gunzō at Amanohashidate in Tango Province in 1590, and is then adopted by one Susukida Shichizaemon, taking the name Kanesuke. This account, however, belongs to the realm of storytelling and oral tradition rather than confirmed historical record, and should be treated with that caveat.
Death at the Battle of Dōmyōji, Summer Campaign
On 6 June 1615 (Keichō 20, fifth month), at the Battle of Dōmyōji during the Summer Campaign of Osaka, Kanesuke is said to have gone into battle wearing shibu-kawa-colored armor and a star-studded helmet, wielding a cross-bladed spear and a tachi some 100 cm in length. He engaged the forces of Katakura Shigenaga, a senior retainer of Date Masamune, and cut down about ten enemy horsemen, but was ultimately overwhelmed by the advancing Eastern army and killed on the spot.
Legacy
Kanesuke's true biography remains obscure for want of records, but through his association with the Iwami Jūtarō legend and his fierce stand at Dōmyōji, he has continued to be remembered as one of the notable figures of the Siege of Osaka.
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