※圖片為示意圖。Nihonmatsu Yoshitsugu
二本松義継
The lord of Nihonmatsu Castle who took Date Terumune's life along with his own in the Awa-no-su Incident
介紹
Life
Nihonmatsu Yoshitsugu (d. 1585) was head of the Hatakeyama (Nihonmatsu) clan, lords of Nihonmatsu Castle in Mutsu Province. When Date Masamune attacked Ōuchi Sadatsuna alongside his father-in-law Tamura Kiyoaki, Yoshitsugu — related to Sadatsuna by marriage — also came under attack. Yoshitsugu offered to surrender, but Masamune confiscated nearly all his territory, pushing him toward losing his standing as a daimyo altogether.
The Awa-no-su Incident
In October 1585, Yoshitsugu visited Miyamori Castle, where Terumune was staying, to convey his surrender. The next day, as Terumune saw him off, Yoshitsugu and his retainers seized him at swordpoint and abducted him. Date Shigezane and Rusu Masakage, who were present, gave pursuit with troops and, at Takadahara along the Abukuma River on the border with Nihonmatsu territory, struck down Yoshitsugu and roughly fifty of his men, killing Terumune along with them.
Anecdote and Aftermath
Terumune's body was carried back to Obama, while Yoshitsugu's remains were reportedly hacked apart, pierced with wisteria vine, and displayed as a crucifixion. The incident decisively worsened Masamune's relations with surrounding powers and set off the Battle of Hitadorihashi the following month.
Legacy
This violent end, which drew in the head of the very Date house he had served, is remembered as the culmination of the desperation and ruthless political maneuvering among local lords in southern Oshu during the closing years of the Sengoku period.