Kuroda Nagamasa

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In this Japanese name, the surname is Kuroda.
Kuroda Nagamasa
黒田長政
Head of Kuroda clan
In office
1604–1623
Preceded byKuroda Yoshitaka
Succeeded byKuroda Tadayuki [jp]
Daimyō of Fukuoka
In office
1601–1623
Succeeded byKuroda Tadayuki
Personal details
BornDecember 3, 1568
Himeji, Harima Province, Japan
DiedAugust 29, 1623(1623-08-29) (aged 54)
Spouse(s)Itohime (\Hachisuka Masakatsu's daughter) (original legal wife, later divorced)
Eihime/Dairyo-in (Hoshina Masanao's daughter, Tokugawa Ieyasu's adopted daughter) (second legal wife)
Parents
Military service
Allegiance Toyotomi clan
Eastern Army
Tokugawa shogunate
RankDaimyo
Unit Kuroda clan
Battles/warsBattle of Shizugatake (1583)
Korean campaign (1592-1598)
Battle of Sekigahara (1600)
Siege of Osaka (1614-1615)

Kuroda Nagamasa (黒田 長政, December 3, 1568 – August 29, 1623) was a daimyō during the late Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods.[1] He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei,[2] Toyotomi Hideyoshi's chief strategist and adviser.

Biography[edit]

His childhood name was Shojumaru (松寿丸). In 1577, when Nagamasa was a small child, his father was tried and sentenced as a spy by Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was kidnapped and nearly killed as a hostage. With the help of Yamauchi Kazutoyo and his wife, Yamauchi Chiyo and Takenaka Hanbei ended up rescuing him. After Nobunaga was killed in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582, Nagamasa served Toyotomi Hideyoshi along with his father and participated in the invasion of Chūgoku.

In 1583 Nagamasa participated in the Battle of Shizugatake.[3]

Korean campaign[edit]

Nagamasa also participated in Hideyoshi's Korean campaign,[2] where he commanded the army's 3rd Division of 5000 men during the first invasion (1592–1593).[4] In 15 July, following the Battle of Imjin River, Nagamasa led his forces west into Hwanghae Province, where he participated in the first Siege of Pyongyang.[5] After a sally from the Korean forces which inflicting heavy losses to the Japanese forces, Nagamasa launch counter attacks to push back the Korean into a river which protecting the city. Just as the Korean retreating by taking upstream way where the river was shallow enough to cross with foots, the Japanese forces following their trail, finding the way to reach the city without crossing the deep river. Before entering the city, Nagamasa and Konishi Yukinaga sent scouts. After confirming the city were abandoned by the defenders, Nagamasa and the japanese forces entered the city and secured food supplies from the warehouses.[6] In 16 October 1597, Nagamasa arrived at Jiksan, where he clashed against 6,000 Ming soldiers Battle of Jiksan. After dusk, the battle ended without clear result.[7] Later, Nagamasa launched another a night raid with pincer attack crane formation with intention to crush the enemies from each ends. However, this raid failed and turned into a rout that was joined by 2,000 Ming cavalry.[8] During this first Korean campaign, Nagamasa along with other Japanese generals mounted a genocidal operations which called Nadegiri in the region of Jeolla Province, where they systematically mutilate their victims bodies and collecting the noses of Koreans they killed.[9]

In the second part of the campaign (1597-1598), he held command in The Army of the Right.[4] In this campaign, Nagamasa participated in the first defense of Ulsan, where he led reinforcement for Katō Kiyomasa with 600 mens.[10]

Ishida Mitsunari incident[edit]

In 1598 after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the government of Japan have an accident when seven military generals consisted of Fukushima Masanori, Katō Kiyomasa, Ikeda Terumasa, Hosokawa Tadaoki, Asano Yoshinaga, Katō Yoshiaki, and Nagamasa himself plotted a conspiracy to kill Ishida Mitsunari. It was said that the reason of this conspiracy was dissatisfaction of those generals towards Mitsunari as he underreporting the achievements of those generals during the Imjin war against Korea & Chinese empire.[11]

At first, these generals gathered at Kiyomasa's mansion in Osaka Castle, and from there they moved into Mitsunari's mansion. However, Mitsunari learned of this through a report from a servant of Toyotomi Hideyori named Jiemon Kuwajima, and fled to Satake Yoshinobu's mansion Shima Sakon and others to hide.[11] When the seven generals found out that Mitsunari was not in the mansion, they searched the mansions of various feudal lords in Osaka Castle, and Kato's army also approached the Satake residence. Therefore, Mitsunari and his party escaped from the Satake residence and barricaded themselves at Fushimi Castle.[12] The next day, the seven generals surrounded Fushimi Castle with their soldiers as they knew Mitsunari was hiding there. Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was in charge of political affairs in Fushimi Castle trying to arbitrate the situation. The seven generals requested Ieyasu to hand over Mitsunari, which refused by Ieyasu. Ieyasu then negotiated the promised to let Mitsunari retire and to review the assessment of the Battle of Ulsan Castle in Korea which became the major source of this incident, and had his second son, Yūki Hideyasu, to escort Mitsunari to Sawayama Castle.[13]

Historians viewed this incident were not just simply personal problems between those seven generals against Mitsunari, as it was viewed as an extention of the political rivalries on greater scope between Tokugawa faction and anti-Tokugawa faction which led by Mitsunari, since by this incident, the seven generals including Nagamasa would support Ieyasu later during the conflict of Sekigahara between Eastern army led by Tokugawa Ieyasu and Western army led by Ishida Mitsunari.[11][14] After this incident, Nagamasa and his father, Kuroda Yoshitaka, even made contact with Ii Naomasa, a Tokugawa general, and forming a pact of alliance. through the Kuroda clan, Naomasa successfully swayed the other military commanders to support the Tokugawa clan.[15]


Battle Of Sekigahara[edit]

Main article: Battle Of Sekigahara
Kuroda Nagamasa Battle Standard

Nagamasa was one of the daimyo who were on bad terms with Ishida Mitsunari, due to the latter supposedly not rewarding all those who took part in the Korean invasions for his own benefits.

On August 21, The Eastern army alliance which sided with Ieyasu Tokugawa attacked Takegahana castle which defended by Oda Hidenobu, who sides with Mitsunari faction.[16] They split themselves into two groups, where 18,000 soldiers led by Ikeda Terumasa and Asano Yoshinaga went to the river crossing, while 16,000 soldiers led by Nagamasa, Fukushima Masanori, Hosokawa Tadaoki, Kyogoku Kochi, Ii Naomasa, Katō Yoshiaki, Tōdō Takatora, Tanaka Yoshimasa, and Honda Tadakatsu went downstream at Ichinomiya.[17] The first group led by Terumasa crossed the Kiso River and engaged in a battle at Yoneno, causing the Hidenobu army routed. On the other hand, Takegahana castle were reinforced by a Western army faction's general named Sugiura Shigekatsu. The second Eastern army group led by Nagamasa and others crossed the river and directly attacked Takegahana Castle at 9:00 AM on the August 22nd. Shigekatsu himself setting the castle on fire and committed suicide as a final act of defiance.[16]

In October 21, Nagamasa took part in the Battle of Sekigahara on Tokugawa Ieyasu's side.[2] At the final phase of the battle, as the Eastern army victorious, Nagamasa turn his attention towards Shima Sakon.[18] In the end, Sakon was shot and fatally wounded by a round from an arquebus[19] One of His men manage to kill Shima Sakon, thus securing a part of the Eastern Army's eventual victory. As a reward for his performance at the battle, Ieyasu granted Nagamasa Chikuzen [2] – 520.000 koku – in exchange for his previous fief of Nakatsu in Buzen.[citation needed]

Later in 1614-1615, he participated in the Osaka Castle campaigns.[2]

Family[edit]

  • Father: Kuroda Yoshitaka
  • Mother: Kushihashi Teru (1553–1627)
  • Wives:
    • Itohime (1571-1645)
    • Eihime (1585-1635)
  • Concubine: Choshu’in
  • Children:
    • Kikuhime married Inoue Yukifusa's son by Itohime
    • Kuroda Tadayuki (1602-1654) by Eihime
    • Tokuko married Sakakibara Tadatsugu by Eihime
    • Kameko married Ikeda Teruoki by Eihime
    • Kuroda Nagaoki (1610-1665) by Eihime
    • Kuroda Masafuyu by Choshu’in
    • Kuroda Takamasa (1612-1639) by Eihime

In popular culture[edit]

Nagamasa is a playable character from the Eastern Army in the original Kessen.

Kuroda is also a popular historical figure. His life, and his relationship to Tokugawa, has been dramatized many times in the annual NHK Taiga Drama series.

Preceded by
none
 Daimyō of Fukuoka
1601–1623 		Succeeded by
Kuroda Tadayuki

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ 福岡藩 (in Japanese). 1998. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e Turnbull 2000, p. 53.
  3. ^ Louis Frédéric (2002). Japan encyclopedia. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 578. ISBN 9780674017535. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b Turnbull 2002, p. 240.
  5. ^ Hawley 2005, p. 224-227.
  6. ^ Hawley 2005, p. 227.
  7. ^ Swope 2009, p. 248.
  8. ^ Hawley 2005, p. 467.
  9. ^ Kiernan, Ben; Madley, Benjamin; Blackhawk, Ned; Taylor, Rebe Taylor (eds.). The Cambridge World History of Genocide. Cambridge University Press. p. Nadegiri campaign. ISBN 9781108806596. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  10. ^ 参謀本部 編 (1925). 日本戦史 朝鮮役 （本編・附記） (in Japanese). 偕行社. p. 204. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Mizuno Goki (2013). "前田利家の死と石田三成襲撃事件" [Death of Toshiie Maeda and attack on Mitsunari Ishida]. 政治経済史学 (in Japanese) (557号).
  12. ^ Kasaya Kazuhiko (2000). "豊臣七将の石田三成襲撃事件―歴史認識形成のメカニズムとその陥穽―" [Seven Toyotomi Generals' Attack on Ishida Mitsunari - Mechanism of formation of historical perception and its downfall]. 日本研究 (in Japanese) (22集).
  13. ^ Kasaya Kazuhiko (2000). "徳川家康の人情と決断―三成"隠匿"の顚末とその意義―" [Tokugawa Ieyasu's humanity and decisions - The story of Mitsunari's "concealment" and its significance]. 大日光 (70号).
  14. ^ Mizuno Goki (2016). "石田三成襲撃事件の真相とは". In Watanabe Daimon (ed.). 戦国史の俗説を覆す [What is the truth behind the Ishida Mitsunari attack?] (in Japanese). 柏書房.
  15. ^ Noda 2007.
  16. ^ a b 竹鼻町史編集委員会 (1999). 竹鼻の歴史 [Takehana] (in Japanese). Takehana Town History Publication Committee. pp. 30–31.
  17. ^ 尾西市史 通史編 · Volume 1 [Onishi City History Complete history · Volume 1] (in Japanese). 尾西市役所. 1998. p. 242. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  18. ^ Morgan Pitelka (2016, p. 118-42)
  19. ^ Bryant 1995, p. 51.

References[edit]

  • Hawley, Samuel (2005), The Imjin War, The Royal Asiatic Society, Korea Branch/UC Berkeley Press, ISBN 978-89-954424-2-5
  • Swope, Kenneth M. (2009), A Dragon's Head and a Serpent's Tail: Ming China and the First Great East Asian War, 1592–1598, University of Oklahoma Press
  • Turnbull, Stephen (2000). The Samurai Sourcebook. Cassell. ISBN 1854095234.
  • Turnbull, Stephen (2002). Samurai Invasion : Japan's Korean War 1592–1598. Cassell & Company. ISBN 9780304359486.
  • Noda, Hiroko (2007). "徳川家康天下掌握過程における井伊直政の役割" [The role of Ii Naomasa in the process of Tokugawa Ieyasu taking control of the country]. 彦根城博物館研究紀要. 18. Hikone Castle Museum.
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