Suzuki Magoichi

Suzuki Magoichi (birth and death years unknown) was one of the leaders of the Saika-shū, who were based in Saika in Kii Province, and a military commander renowned as a master gunner during the Sengoku period. The Saika-shū allied with the Hongan-ji forces and fiercely opposed Oda Nobunaga in the Ishiyama War (1570-1580), and their outstanding musket units repeatedly gave Nobunaga's forces trouble. In the Ishiyama War, he was counted among the 'left and right generals of Osaka' on the Hongan-ji side. Although his activities after the end of the Ishiyama War are unclear, the order of battle for the Odawara campaign in Tenshō 17 (1589) lists a 'Suzuki Magoichirō' as a captain of musketeers of the Toyotomi house. The name 'Suzuki Magoichi' is also said to be a collective term for several people, and many mysteries surround his true identity. He is one of the Sengoku-period military commanders who greatly contributed to the development and spread of firearm tactics and who represent Japan's matchlock gun culture.