* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Tanaka Yoshimasa
田中吉政
The rare general who captured Ishida Mitsunari at Sekigahara and rose from Toyotomi retainer to daimyo of 320,000 koku in Chikugo
Description
Tanaka Yoshimasa (1548-1609) was a samurai from Ōmi Province who rose from a senior retainer of Toyotomi Hidetsugu to a direct retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a self-made figure of legend. At the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), he fought actively on the Eastern Army side. After the battle, he captured Ishida Mitsunari, who had fled into the mountains of Mount Ibuki, and this earned him special recognition from Tokugawa Ieyasu. Through this achievement, he was raised to daimyō of the whole province of Chikugo, 320,000 koku (Yanagawa Castle), an unusually rapid rise. He devoted himself to establishing the foundations of Yanagawa Domain and developing its castle town, and he also showed his competence in governance. He is known as a rare case of a former Toyotomi retainer who, through his judgment at Sekigahara, advanced greatly under the Tokugawa regime, and as a warlord who embodied the survival skills and meritocracy of the late Sengoku period.
Notable Swords
- Ishida Sadamune (a tantō said to have been given to him by Ishida Mitsunari, whom he had captured; Tokyo National Museum, Important Cultural Property)
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