Utsunomiya Kunitsuna

Utsunomiya Kunitsuna was a Sengoku daimyo of Shimotsuke Province and the last head of the Utsunomiya family as a daimyo house. Born in 1568, he is said to have died of illness at Ishihama in Asakusa, Edo, in 1607 (Keichō 12; the date of death corresponds to 9 January 1608), aged 40.

Life

He became the 22nd head in 1576 on the death of his father Hirotsuna. Because he was young, local forces such as the Mibu and Minagawa grew active and the Later Hojo pressed harder. He allied in turn with the Satake, Yuki, Takeda Katsuyori, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi to resist them.

Campaigns

The 1584 Battle of Numajiri ended in a draw, but neighbouring forces defected in the settlement afterward. In 1585 he lost to the Nasu at the Battle of Usuba-ga-hara. He took part in the 1590 Odawara campaign and had his Shimotsuke holdings of 180,000 koku confirmed. He then served in the Bunroku campaign and in 1594 was granted the Toyotomi surname.

Dispossession

In 1597 he was suddenly dispossessed on Hideyoshi's order. Several explanations are offered: that his brother Haga Takatake opposed adopting a son of Asano Nagamasa, killed a retainer and earned Nagamasa's grudge; that he misreported his revenue; or that it stemmed from a conflict over control of his retainers. A failure to fulfil military service is now widely considered the likely cause.

Later years

Placed in the custody of Ukita Hideie, he distinguished himself at the Siege of Suncheon in the Keicho campaign, but Hideyoshi's death ended hope of restoration. He petitioned Ise Shrine for revival and is recorded as serving Tokugawa Ieyasu. At Sekigahara his brother Haga Takatake and Yuki Tomokatsu both sided with the Western army, so no restoration followed. His son Yoshitsuna became a Mito domain retainer and his wife Koshosho served as nurse to Tokugawa Kazuko.