Pathway to Japanese Literature

On the Kiyosu Conference

On the 18th day of the sixth month of Tenshō 10 (1582), the Oda clan's veteran generals gathered in the great hall of Uebara Jirōuemon in Kiyosu, Owari Province, and convened a grand council regarding their lord's succession.
This became known as the historic Kiyosu Conference.

On the second day of that same sixth month, Oda Nobunaga, the Minister of the Right who had been at Honnōji Temple in Kyoto, fell victim to rebellion by his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide, Governor of Hyūga. His eldest son Nobutada, Third Rank Lieutenant General, likewise shared his father's fate at Nijō Castle.
At that time, Oda's senior retainer Shibata Katsuie, Shuri-no-suke, had been encamped at Uozu in Etchū Province with Sassa Narimasa (Kura-no-suke), Maeda Toshiie (Matazaemon), Sakuma Morimasa (Genbanokami), and his adopted son Katsutoyo (Iga-no-kami), preparing to subjugate Uesugi Kagekatsu.
News of the Honnōji Incident reached them on the night of the fourth day of that month. Turmoil engulfed their encampment; mid-campaign, Shibata withdrew to Echizen while Morimasa retreated to Toyama.
Meanwhile, Takigawa Kazumasu (Sakon Shōgen), who had been battling Hōjō Ujimasa (Sakyō-no-daibu) in Musashino, hastily negotiated peace and returned to his stronghold at Nagashima Castle in Owari.
Furthermore, Mori Katsuzō Nagakatsu disengaged from conflict with the Uesugi clan and withdrew through Kawanakajima in Shinano and Matsumoto before retreating to Mino.
As for Hashiba Chikuzen-no-kami Hideyoshi—then besieging Mōri Terumoto (Daizen-dayū) at Takamatsu Castle in Chūgoku using flood tactics—the dire news from Kyoto arrived during the hour of the Rat on the third day of the sixth month. He concealed Nobunaga's death until dawn on the fifth day, successfully concluding peace with the Mōri.
Having secured this truce with avian swiftness, he raced to strike Mitsuhide's vulnerable position at Yamazaki Hōji Tennōzan, forcing the usurper to taste humiliation after his three-day reign.
This Battle of Yamazaki marked Hideyoshi's decisive campaign for national hegemony.
Through this victory, he gained paramount authority over Nobunaga's unfinished legacy.
Though Shibata Katsuie and his generals had planned to march on Kyoto following the incident, they proved unable to match Hideyoshi's godlike speed.
Yet with so many of Nobunaga's surviving heirs and vassals remaining, Hideyoshi could not immediately claim dominion over the realm.
The critical question became determining which of Nobunaga's descendants should inherit his mantle.
Those carrying Nobunaga and Nobutada's bloodline included the second son Nobukatsu, third son Nobutaka, and Nobutada's child Sambōshimaru.
The central purpose of the Kiyosu Conference was deciding which of these three would succeed as head of the Oda house.
In Uebara Hall's great chamber near where Nobukatsu and Nobutaka sat facing forward, Katsuie leaned against a corner pillar.
Three of Katsuie's nephews sat clustered near another pillar.
Hideyoshi positioned himself near the veranda edge while Ikeda Musashi Nyūdō Shōnyū, Niwa Gorōzaemon no Jō Nagahide, and their subordinates each took their designated seats.

The garden of the great hall was under heavy guard, with over eight hundred Oda clan samurai and more than three hundred of Katsuie's retainers.
The elder statesman of the assembly, Shibata Katsuie, was first to speak: “For the Oda succession, none surpasses installing the astute Lord Sanjū Nobutaka.”
As these were the words of Katsuie, who held paramount authority, even commanders harboring dissenting opinions found them difficult to voice.
Amidst the solemn silence blanketing the assembly, Hideyoshi calmly voiced dissent.
“While Lord Shibata’s counsel appears most reasonable,” he began, “though we acknowledge Lord Nobutaka’s astuteness, how prudent would it be to have him inherit the realm?”
“Given that Lord Nobunaga’s legitimate grandson Lord Sambōshi exists,” he continued, “I humbly believe installing this young lord would prove most proper. What say you?”
Though his words were courteous, opposition to Katsuie became inevitable.
The assembly’s stillness gradually dissolved into murmurs.
Katsuie’s recommended candidate Nobutaka was nominally considered the third son yet stood second by birthright.
Nobukatsu and Nobutaka had been born in the same month of Eiroku 1 (1560), Nobutaka arriving some twenty days earlier—yet as Nobukatsu shared his mother with heir-apparent Nobutada while Nobutaka sprang from a different consort, people honored Nobukatsu and promptly reported his birth to Nobunaga, securing his status as second son.
This swift reporting alone made Nobukatsu second son.
Nobukatsu possessed mediocre talents where Nobutaka showed considerable promise.
That Nobutaka secretly lamented his misfortune as he matured stood beyond reproach.
His reliance on Katsuie proved natural, as did Katsuie’s championing him to enhance personal prestige.
Yet Hideyoshi’s opposition unsettled the assembly despite containing valid reasoning.
“The Taikōki and similar chronicles allege homosexual relations between Nobutada and Hideyoshi in years past,” one might note, “and between Katsuie and Nobutaka—yet even if false, such pairings suggest enduring alliances.”
Supporters of Katsuie and advocates for Hideyoshi pressed their claims without concession, rendering debate interminable.
Katsuie’s bitter frustration flowed naturally.

Hideyoshi, observing this state of affairs, temporarily excused himself and withdrew to a separate room. There, he burned incense, prepared tea with a tranquil mind, and calmly assessed the situation.
However, before long, the words of Niwa Nagahide—the next most influential figure after Shibata Katsuie—guided the tumultuous assembly to a decision.
Niwa Nagahide declared: "If one were to establish a successor in this situation, determining whether to recommend Lord Nobukatsu or Lord Nobutaka would prove exceedingly problematic. Therefore, following Hideyoshi's proposal to install Lord Sambōshi as the legitimate grandson appears most congruent with proper authority."
“Moreover, the one who avenged our lord this time is Hideyoshi. In the present circumstances, should we not first heed the words of the meritorious individual who struck down our former lord’s enemy?”
“In the ways of warring states, a single military exploit outweighs a hundred arguments.”
With the resolution decided, the four generals—Shibata, Niwa, Ikeda, and Hashiba—each stationed their officials in Kyoto to govern the realm.
Accounts persist from this Kiyosu Conference: how Shibata Katsuie allegedly proposed assassinating Hideyoshi; how he raised his voice to rebuke Hideyoshi during his speech for opposing his will, denouncing him as scheming to control the realm through the young lord; how after Nobukatsu and others withdrew to inner chambers, they unabashedly brought pillows to lie upon while discussing all matters; how when banquets commenced, Hideyoshi mockingly contrasted himself as an effete capital-dweller against Katsuie's northern rusticity, then devoured fourteen or fifteen pickled plums while guzzling wine from an oversized bowl before collapsing in thunderous snoring—yet these accounts are likely legends.
However, as Shibata Katsuie’s resentment appeared entirely natural, Hideyoshi made every effort to maintain a courteous demeanor, preventing Katsuie’s anger from erupting.
Even during Nobunaga's land distributions, Hideyoshi did not actively dispute them.
Not only that.
Even when Shibata Katsuie demanded Hideyoshi’s domain of Nagahama in Ōmi Province for the convenience of his own journey to the capital, Hideyoshi obediently complied.
He merely refused to cede it to Shibata's nephew Sakuma Morimasa and set the condition of transferring it to Shibata's adopted son Shibata Iga-no-kami Katsutoyo.
However, this matter was where Hideyoshi's profound foresight resided—a reality Katsuie failed to perceive.
Amidst the looming crisis, the diplomatic battle between Shibata Katsuie and Hideyoshi ended in Hideyoshi's victory, but what remained unresolved was Katsuie's state of mind.
Immediately afterward, when a plot to assassinate Hideyoshi was set in motion, Niwa Nagahide learned of it, secretly informed Hideyoshi, and enabled him to evade the danger.
Realizing Shibata Katsuie's ambush, Hideyoshi fled from Tsushima through Nagamatsu to Nagahama.
Since Hideyoshi himself had taken such emergency measures, Shibata Katsuie—also fearing an attack by Hideyoshi—remained in Tarui on his return to Echizen Province and hesitated for several days.
However, Hideyoshi detested such petty schemes, so upon hearing this, he sent Hidenaga—Nobunaga’s fourth son and his own adopted child—as a hostage to Shibata.
After Shibata Katsuie finally felt reassured and passed through Kinomoto, he at last had Hidenaga returned.
From this moment onward, the two men were mutually wary of each other.

Such a state of affairs could not persist, and matters finally escalated into the decisive armed confrontation at Shizugatake.

Upon returning to Echizen Province, Shibata Katsuie immediately had his adopted son Iga-no-kami Katsutoyo, accompanied by Yamaji Shōgen and Kinoshita Hanemon, take over Nagahama Castle.
Shibata Katsuie had likely anticipated that Hideyoshi might refuse - potentially sparking war - but Hideyoshi ordered Yuasa Jinsuke to conduct repairs throughout before surrendering it without resistance.
To Hideyoshi's mind, a single minor castle meant nothing.
What truly mattered was contesting control of the realm.
By then Hideyoshi had established himself in Kyoto, building Yamazaki Hōji Castle as his base while cultivating ties with both the imperial court and Kinai-region daimyos through devoted governance - drawing all hopes of the realm to himself.
Though deputies from Shibata and other commanders came to Kyoto, their presence held no real authority.
In October he single-handedly conducted Nobunaga's memorial service at Murinō Daitoku-ji.
He extended invitations to Shibata and others, though none would attend.
The dramatic incense-offering scenes staged in plays were pure fiction.
Within the temple grounds he erected a hall named Sōken-in.
From this time onward Nobunaga would be posthumously honored as Sōken-in-dono.

Gazing upon Hideyoshi—whose influence flourished in the central provinces—it was Katsuie whose inner thoughts grew profoundly unsettled. Even he, who once held the highest seat among the generals, would ultimately be reduced to nothing more than a provincial lord given this state of affairs—those dissatisfied with Hideyoshi's ascendancy would gradually coalesce around Katsuie. Takigawa Kazumasu was also one of those opposed, but he restrained Shibata’s rashness and proposed a strategy. In other words, with the cold season approaching, conducting warfare now would be disadvantageous. Echizen Province being a northern region, snow lies deep from early November until around March of the following year. He therefore proposed avoiding the season when military horses would struggle to traverse the terrain, suggesting instead that they move the main army southward when the thawing snows swell the rivers. Katsuie, rejoicing at their agreement, had his retainers Kojima Wakasa-no-kami and Nakamura Bunka-sai summon Maeda Toshiie, Kanamori Nagachika, and Fuwa Hikozō. As Katsuie stated, “Because I am at odds with Hideyoshi, the world is in an uproar, acting as though war could break out at any moment.” “Henceforth, I intend to make peace with Hideyoshi and together ensure the realm’s stability—I humbly request your good offices in this matter.”

Acknowledging this as an exceptionally reasonable proposition, Maeda and his party were joined along the way by Iga-no-kami Katsutoyo of Nagahama, and upon reaching Hōji, they had an audience with Hideyoshi. Having heard the envoys' message through to the end, Hideyoshi responded: "How could I ever consider treating Lord Shibata—your clan's esteemed retainer—with neglect? Henceforth, let us interact like fish and water as I wish to safeguard the young lord while governing the realm's affairs," he answered.

The envoys were greatly pleased and requested a written oath. However, Hideyoshi responded: “That is precisely what we ourselves desire to request. However, rather than limiting this to myself alone, we should circulate letters to Niwa, Ikeda, Mori, Sassa, and others as well. Come spring, once all have assembled, we can then exchange oaths.” “Especially if just we two were to exchange written oaths, imagine how that would be perceived by others,” he declared, ultimately refusing. As this was sound reasoning, the envoys could engage in no further debate and returned. Having received a detailed report, Katsuie rejoiced at the prospect of having the Monkey-Faced One’s head displayed on the execution grounds come spring. Yet even as he believed these maneuvers were lulling Hideyoshi into complacency, it was Katsuie himself who had fallen prey to Hideyoshi’s machinations. No sooner had Hideyoshi sent back the envoys than he turned to his retainers and laughed, declaring: “I see through Lord Shibata’s strategy as clearly as objects reflected in a mirror.” “I anticipated such a development, which is why he tied down his forces in Kiyosu.” He summoned Yuasa Jinsuke and commanded: “You shall go to Nagahama and use your eloquence to bring Iga-no-kami Katsutoyo and his retainers to our side.” “At the time of Nagahama’s handover, since you had grown close to them, there should be no complications,” he commanded. Jinsuke, understanding his mission, came to Nagahama and persuaded Tokunaga Iwami-no-kami, Katsutoyo’s chief retainer; Yamaji Shōgen; and Kinoshita Hanemon among others. Morning and night, he argued that if they aligned with Hideyoshi’s side this time, each of them would be elevated to daimyo, and Katsutoyo would eventually become supreme commander of the northern provinces. Thus, the chief retainers’ resolve gradually shifted until they began urging even Katsutoyo himself. At first, Katsutoyo naturally feared rebelling against his father and refused to consent, but in the end he agreed. Originally, Katsutoyo himself was Shibata’s adopted son, but since Shibata had a biological son Genroku—and Katsutoyo being in poor health while lacking any illustrious achievements—was neglected; thus he harbored resentment toward Shibata. There had even been an incident one year at a New Year’s banquet where Sakuma Morimasa, Shibata’s favored retainer, attempted to take the ceremonial cup dried by Katsuie before Katsutoyo could do so—only for Katsutoyo to pull Morimasa’s sleeve and force him to yield. These various resentments combined with Jinsuke’s persuasion became the foundation that led Katsutoyo to betray his father. Anticipating Katsutoyo’s betrayal, he had tactfully ceded Nagahama to Katsuie beforehand. Thus Hideyoshi’s battle preparations were steadily progressing without Shibata Katsuie’s knowledge.

Hideyoshi's Campaigns in Mino, Ise, and Ōmi

As a result of the Kiyosu Conference, Sambōshi-maru had been designated successor to the Oda clan with Nobukatsu and Nobutaka appointed as guardians; however, Hideyoshi intended to welcome Sambōshi-maru only after awaiting the restoration of Azuchi Castle.
However, Nobutaka of Gifu had no intention of entrusting Sambōshi-maru to Hideyoshi.
Allowing Hideyoshi to have Sambōshi-maru would ultimately render Nobutaka’s own existence inconsequential.

Hideyoshi finally marched into Mino Province at the head of thirty thousand troops, including Niwa Nagahide, Tsutsui Junkei, and Nagataka Tadaoki (later Hosokawa Tadaoki).
First, they surrounded Ujiie Naizen-no-kami, the lord of Ōgaki Castle, but when he surrendered without resistance, Hideyoshi’s main force entered Ōgaki Castle intact.
Hearing of this capitulation, nearby minor castles swiftly yielded like leaves before the wind, leaving Gifu Castle encircled in moments.
Though Nobutaka had urgently sought reinforcements from Katsuie, the ill-timed snows intervened.
Katsuie could only stamp his feet in impotent rage at being outmaneuvered by the Monkey-Faced One—his wooden sandals pounding frozen earth to no avail.
When Sakuma Morimasa brought word of Katsutoyo’s rebellion in Nagahama, Katsuie dismissed it as slander born of their mutual enmity and refused to act.
Yet reports of commotion in Maruoka—Katsutoyo’s former domain—as retainers’ families fled toward Nagahama forced even Katsuie’s stubborn denial to crumble like winter ice under spring sun.
Though shock and fury coursed through him like molten iron, the strategic initiative had already slipped through his fingers like melted snowwater.
With no hope of rescue from Katsuie’s snowbound forces, Nobutaka brokered peace through Nagahide’s mediation—a white flag woven from desperation rather than silk threads of diplomacy.
Hideyoshi accepted these terms upon receiving Nobutaka’s birth mother Lady Sakashi and Sambōshi-maru as hostages before withdrawing his armies to Yamazaki’s bloodstained fields once more.
He installed Sambōshi-maru within Azuchi Castle’s scorched ruins and summoned Nobuo from Kiyosu to serve as guardian—a puppet master seating one marionette while cutting another’s strings.

In December of Tenshō 10 [1582], the year drew to a close amidst growing unrest.

When the new year of Tenshō 11 [1583] dawned, Hideyoshi dispatched a massive army to subdue Takigawa Kazumasu in Ise Province.
For Hideyoshi, with the realm’s circumstances growing more perilous by the day, there could be no leisurely indulgence in Kyoto’s early spring.
He had Niwa Nagahide and Shibata Katsutoyo prepare defenses against Katsuie to eliminate concerns at his rear; deployed his younger brother Hashiba Hidenaga and Inaba Ittetsu as the First Army (25,000 troops) advancing from Toki-Tara Pass in Ōmi’s Kōga District; positioned his nephew Miyoshi Hidetsugu and Nakamura Kazuuji as the Second Army (20,000 troops) crossing Ōkimi-Hata Pass; then personally led the Third Army (30,000 troops) through Anraku Pass to invade Ise Province.
At Anraku Pass, Takigawa’s forces had destroyed the mountain path beforehand, making it difficult to move their warhorses through.
In some places, the horses’ hooves found purchase on barely half their length.
When soldiers tried guiding them—one holding the bridle and another grasping the tail—all the horses ultimately fell.
Yet it’s said that when a man gripped only the bridle and pulled forward with hearty shouts of “Heave-ho!” without glancing back, not a single horse stumbled.
Horses perform best when trusted as they are.
Kazumasu had stationed himself at Nagashima, dividing his forces across fortified positions to mount a staunch defense.
Hideyoshi personally led an assault on Shōnosuke Saji at Kameyama Castle, but after fierce resistance, Saji finally yielded and withdrew to Nagashima.
As Hideyoshi pressed onward to capture more strongholds, urgent news arrived of Katsuie’s mobilization.
Having left strict surveillance over Ise’s castles, Hideyoshi raced straight to Nagahama.
The moment for decisive battle between Hideyoshi and Katsuie had finally come.

Though Shibata Katsuie had received Nobutaka’s urgent report, the snow prevented him from mobilizing his forces. Unable to wait for it to melt, he ordered laborers to clear mountain snow as far as Tsubosaka in Ōmi Province.
However, fresh snow buried their efforts as fast as they cleared it away.
They could not wait indefinitely. On March 7th, Sakuma Genbanokami Morimasa was appointed vanguard commander. Those accompanying him included his younger brother Yasumasa Hodai, Katsumasa Sakuma, Maeda Matazaemon no Jō Toshiie and his son Toshinaga Maeda, followed by Gohei Tokuyama, Hachirōnaga Kanamori, Sansauemon Katsushige Sakuma, Hikojirō Hara, and Hikozō Fuwa - eight thousand five hundred troops advancing through snow-choked mountain paths before encamping near Kinomoto in northern Ōmi.
Shibata Katsuie promptly led twenty thousand troops to Uchinakaoyama.
The Northern Army’s vanguard infiltrated Nagahama’s outskirts, setting fires indiscriminately.
Katsuie established his headquarters at Uchinakaoyama while deploying forces across strategic peaks: Maeda Toshiie and son at Bessho-yama; Tokuyama and Kanamori at Tsubutani-yama; Fuwa at Hayashi-dani-yama; Hara at Nakatani-yama; and the Sakuma brothers at Yukaiyama.
By Katsuie’s arrival, Hideyoshi’s defensive perimeter already encircled Lake Yogo.
Katsuie had to breach this line to realize his southern ambitions.
When news of Katsuie’s advance reached Hideyoshi at Nagahama, he marshaled thirty-five thousand cavalry into thirteen divisions by dawn and marched imposingly toward Lake Yogo.
Vanguard: Hashiba Hidesada.
Second Unit: Shibata Iga-no-kami’s forces.
Third Unit: Kimura Koshayuto and Kinoshita Shōgen.
Fourth Unit: Maeno Shōemon-no-jō and Ichiyanagi Ichisuke Naomori.
Fifth Unit: Ikoma Jinsuke Masakatsu, Koji Kanbei Takataka, Kinoshita Kageyu no Jō, Ōshio Kin’emon, Yamauchi Kazutoyo.
Sixth Unit: Miyoshi Hidetsugu and Nakamura Sonbee Harutaka.
Seventh Unit: Hashiba Mino-no-kami.
Eighth Unit: Tsutsui Junkei and Itō Kamon-no-suke; Ninth Unit: Hachisuka Koroku Ienari and Akamatsu Jirō Norifusa.
Tenth Unit: Mikoda Hansaemon-no-jō Masaharu and Akamatsu Yasaburō.
Eleventh Unit: Nagataka Tadaoki and Takayama Ukon.
Twelfth Unit: Hashiba Tsugimaru Hidenaga and Sengoku Genbei-no-jō.

Thirteenth Unit: Nakagawa Kiyohide.
The last was Hideyoshi's hatamoto.

The vanguard had already pressed close to Sakuma Morimasa’s encampment at Yukaiyama, where hundreds of ashigaru from both sides emerged to exchange arrows, but that day ended without further developments.
In the predawn hours of the twelfth day, Hideyoshi took Fukushima Ichimatsu and Nakayama Sadan with him, disguised as foot soldiers, to reconnoiter Morimasa’s encampment at Yukaiyama and returned with a sumi-e ink painting capturing their disposition.
Addressing his brother Hidenaga and nephew Hidetsugu, Hideyoshi declared: “Though I came today to inspect the enemy encampment after harboring doubts about Morimasa’s battle tactics yesterday, I must acknowledge Katsuie’s seasoned expertise. By prolonging engagement here while allowing Nobutaka and Kazumasu to assemble forces across Mino and Ise provinces, he appears intent on trapping me in a pincer attack.”
“To prevent him from easily advancing south to join forces with Nobutaka, Kazumasu, and their armies, we must make this stronghold utterly impregnable.”

Having long resided in Ōmi Province since his campaign against Asai Nagamasa, Hideyoshi was thoroughly familiar with both the geography and local conditions; therefore, an impregnable fortress was swiftly constructed.
Morimasa, observing Hideyoshi's intensified fortifications at every strategic point, reported to Katsuie that unless they breached this formidable position at the earliest, their forces would ultimately be cornered; but it was already too late.
At Shizugatake stood Kuwana Shuri-no-suke (1,000 troops); at Higashinoyama, Hori Kyūtarō Hidesada (5,000 troops); at Ōiwayama, Nakagawa Sebei Kiyohide (1,000 troops); at Shinmeiyama, Ōgane Tōhachi (500 troops); at Dōkiyama, Yamaji Shōgen (500 troops); along the Hokkokukaidō road, Ogawa Tosa-no-kami (1,000 troops); and with Kinomoto serving as headquarters, they fortified their positions using Hashiba Hidenaga's force of 15,000.
Moreover, by positioning Niwa Gorōzaemon-no-jō Nagahide as the vanguard at Kaizuguchi and deploying Nagao (later Hosokawa) Yoichirō Tadaoki’s naval forces to assault the Echizen coast, it was a meticulously crafted battle strategy.
Having completed his thorough deployment, Hideyoshi stationed swift horses at each post station from Kinomoto to Ōgaki and personally departed Shizugatake to take command of the forces besieging Nobutaka.
Having his own strategic calculations firmly in mind, he charged off to another battlefield even with his formidable enemy Shibata Katsuie before him—such was his reasoning.
In other words, he had shown an inviting gap in his defenses.
Nobutaka of Gifu, who had previously concluded peace with Hideyoshi, no sooner heard of Hideyoshi heading to Ise Province than he abruptly broke the agreement and rebelled, compelling Hideyoshi’s forces to once again lay siege to Gifu.
To Katsuie’s encampment came urgent pleas for relief from Nobutaka, arriving one after another as his situation grew dire.
Shibata Katsuie grew increasingly frantic, yet this position offered no easy passage.
Thereupon, after consulting with Morimasa, they decided to have Yamaji Shōgen—who had formerly served as a deputy under Shibata Iga-no-kami and was now a key defensive commander—betray Hideyoshi and disrupt his formations.
They secretly instructed Uno Tadazaburō, who was close to Shōgen, to convey confidential orders.
Tadazaburō immediately stole into Shōgen’s encampment at midnight and requested an audience.
Shōgen refused to meet him, stating that they were now enemies and that this was a military encampment.
Tadazaburō discarded his swords and pleaded earnestly, so Shōgen granted him an audience.
When Shōgen learned of Katsuie’s secret message delivered by Tadazaburō, he responded that his master Katsutoyo had already allied with Hideyoshi and he himself had been entrusted with a key defensive position—to betray them now would bring shame upon him as a samurai—and refused to consent.
Tadazaburō pressed further: "Though you call Katsutoyo your master, you were assigned by Katsuie as Katsutoyo’s deputy—your true liege relationship lies with Katsuie. Who here could call this disloyalty? Moreover, as reward for returning to our side, you shall receive Katsutoyo’s domain of Maruoka Castle with its 120,000 koku." Thus persuaded, Shōgen’s vision clouded by greed; he consented to betrayal.
Indeed, he had even demanded a written oath promising 120,000 koku.
He had once betrayed the Shibata faction to join Hideyoshi and now betrayed Hideyoshi to return to Shibata.
He had no principles—like certain modern politicians.

In that case, it was only natural his wife and children were crucified by Hideyoshi.

Sakuma Morimasa summoned Yamaji Shōgen, who had surrendered, and inquired about methods of attack. Shōgen replied: “All strongholds remain impregnable—they won’t fall easily. Yet Ōiwa-yama fortress defended by Nakagawa Sebei was hastily built, its walls not yet dried through. Launching a surprise attack there should breach them.”

Morimasa rejoiced and petitioned Katsuie for assault permission. Katsuie—fully comprehending Hideyoshi’s cunning—disapproved plans to penetrate deep into enemy territory. Morimasa grew furious: “If we don’t strike decisively now, when shall victory ever come?” Compelled thus, Katsuie reluctantly consented yet repeatedly cautioned against overextension after success, urging immediate withdrawal if victorious.

Given Morimasa’s combative nature, Katsuie’s permission left him deaf to warnings. When Ōiwa-yama’s assault finalized on April 19th night, Morimasa advanced solemnly along Lake Yogo’s shores with eight thousand cavalry—including brother Katsumasa, Tokuyama Goemon-no-jō, Fuwa Hikozō, Yamaji Shōgen—in disciplined ranks.

The Maeda father-son duo monitored Dōkiyama-Shinmeiyama-Shiotsu with two thousand troops while Katsuie personally led seven thousand cavalry to Higashinoyama’s front. At dawn’s first light amid village birdsong, Morimasa’s army marched lakeside.

Discovering Kuwana Shuri-no-suke’s foot soldiers cooling horses at water’s edge, Morimasa ordered their slaughter as war-god offerings from horseback—several instantly cut down. Fleeing survivors alerted Shizugatake; when Shuri-no-suke received scouts’ report, Ōiwa-yama’s battle already loomed.

Urged via messenger to withdraw given the fortress’ vulnerability, Sebei acknowledged its frailty yet refused: “With Takayama Ukon holding Iwasakiyama ahead, I cannot retreat alone.” Amidst commotion, Morimasa’s forces raised war cries and charged.

Sebei—a proven warrior—used a three-shaku embankment as shield against Fuwa Hikozō’s vanguard assault, ultimately repelling them. Enraged Morimasa personally commanded relentless attacks until defenses crumbled. Sebei massed five hundred troops for frontal charge through assailants—slashing left-right until attackers faltered under momentum.

Morimasa summoned Tokuyama Goemon-no-jō and ordered him to follow the precedent set during the Battle of Nagashino by setting fire to Tsuchiyama Fortress.
Tokuyama—that is, Kambe Hyōdayū—had one thousand cavalry added to his force and directed them toward the enemy’s rear.
Sebei’s troops had also been reduced by Morimasa’s fresh forces when fires broke out among the huts along the retreat path at the foothills.
As Sebei attempted to charge into enemy ranks and die fighting—now having reached this extremity—Nakagawa Kurōjirō seized his armor sleeve and persuaded him: “It would be disgraceful to fall by nameless hands! Retreat to the main keep and end yourself honorably.”
Sebei answered that having fought fully in today’s battle, he felt no regret even dying at common soldiers’ hands; yet ultimately yielding to Kurōjirō’s counsel, he committed suicide while Kurōjirō—wielding a three-shaku spear and a bamboo-jointed sword measuring three shaku six sun—fought to death defending him.
Takayama Ukon of Iwasakiyama abandoned his castle without engaging in battle and withdrew to Kinomoto upon hearing Ōiwa-yama had fallen.
Having seized Ōiwa-yama and Iwasakiyama, Morimasa brimmed with pride.
He promptly reported victory to Katsuie.
For Katsuie alone was this outcome entirely satisfactory.
He ordered him to return immediately to camp—but Morimasa was not one to heed such commands now.
Morimasa declared: “Shōsaku—I never knew you’d grown so senile!”
“Leave military matters to me! You’d best prepare to march on Kyoto tomorrow!” he boasted, refusing all entreaties from Katsuie’s messengers.
Katsuie sighed: “Truly you’re impossible! This fine scheme seeks my belly-slitting! Why ever did I think Chikuzen our foe? Today’s true enemy stands before me!”

The Seven Spears of Shizugatake

Kuwana Shuri-no-suke's courier arrived at Hideyoshi's location in Ōgaki around noon on April 20th.
Hideyoshi addressed the courier and asked whether Morimasa had immediately withdrawn.
No—upon hearing they remained encamped at the occupied position, he stomped heavily on the grass, drew his short sword and pressed it to his forehead, shouting five or six times: "We have triumphed in battle! Far swifter than anticipated!"
It had all unfolded exactly as planned.

Leaving Ujiie Naizen-no-kami and Horio Mosuke as the rear guard in Gifu, he himself departed around two o'clock, accompanied by Iitomi Naosue and Katō Mitsuyasu with two cavalry units. Between four and five o'clock, the fifteen thousand troops also departed Ōgaki. Hideyoshi drove his horse to its limit, frequently being thrown from his mount along the way, but having stationed fresh horses at inns in advance, he swiftly remounted each time and spurred onward with stirrups clashing. Furthermore, he ordered those positioned along the route: one detachment was to have villages along the way prepare torches to aid the following army's movement, while another detachment was to proceed to Nagahama's townhouses to procure one shō of rice and one shō of soybeans per unit—the rice to be cooked into gruel for provisions and the soybeans immediately transported as fodder to the main camp at Kinomoto. The thoroughness and swiftness of the preparations were truly astonishing. By around nine o'clock at night, he had already arrived at Kinomoto.

Meanwhile, Morimasa had positioned his hatamoto at Ōnoji Mountain, set up camp at Shimizudani Niwahama, and surrounded Shizugatake. However, trusting Kuwana Shuri-no-suke’s words, as the sun began to set, he pressed for the castle’s surrender.
Yet Lord Shuri-no-suke and his men, declaring that reinforcements must surely be near, immediately challenged them with firearms.
Morimasa, enraged, pressed the attack as war cries echoed across Lake Yogo.

At this very moment, Niwa Nagahide had departed from Ōmizo Castle in Takashima District and arrived by small boat to observe the battle conditions at Shizugatake. However, upon hearing the intense clamor of war cries and gunfire around Shizugatake, he determined that enemy forces were launching an imminent assault and urgently ordered his vessel brought ashore.
When the retainers said they couldn’t possibly fight with so few men, Nagahide rebuked them, declaring, “A true commander does not abandon the field where he must fight!”
He then ordered one man to row back and redirect one-third of the seven thousand cavalry at Kaizu-omote to this position.
In this critical moment, when asked whether a messenger rowing back five ri across the lake could arrive in time, he responded, “No—there’s no particular urgency.
If I declare reinforcements for Shizugatake now,” he reasoned, “the enemy will assume a large force approaches and hesitate.”
Having declared, “We just need to arrive in time,” he immediately ascended to Shizugatake.
At Shizugatake, where they were currently locked in desperate battle, hearing that Nagahide was coming to their aid forced even their shattered courage to rally.
On Morimasa’s side, hearing that Nagahide was approaching sapped their fighting spirit, leaving them struggling to maintain control of Shizugatake.
By this time, Hideyoshi's massive army had also filled the area around Kinomoto.
The vanguard was ascending Tagamiyama when, without anyone in particular announcing it, panic suddenly erupted in Morimasa’s camp at the cry of “Hideyoshi approaches!”
When Haigō Gozaemon-no-jō reported this to Morimasa, he dismissed it with, “What panicked nonsense! Even if Hideyoshi were a bird, could he cover over ten ri and arrive here now?”
However, when messengers from his brother Katsumasa and Fuwa Hikozō’s positions reported that the Mino Highway appeared thick with continuing torches and the Kinomoto area seemed filled with Hideyoshi’s forces, even the stubborn and willful Morimasa couldn’t help but be stunned.
Since maintaining this position was impossible, he attempted to quickly break camp and begin a gradual withdrawal.
Morimasa’s troops, already demoralized by Nagahide’s reinforcements earlier, now teetered on the brink of panic at the news of Hideyoshi’s pursuit.
Past eleven o'clock, as the late-rising moon cast its pale light upon the lake surface, Morimasa's army commenced a full retreat.
By 2:00 AM on the 21st, Hideyoshi’s army had descended from Tagamiyama, passed through Kuroda Village, and ascended Kannonzaka Slope, the pursuit by the two-thousand-strong vanguard growing increasingly urgent.
Haigō Gozaemon-no-jō turned back and fought without sparing his life to hold the line, but his allies were beginning to collapse.
Morimasa barked harshly—“Why aren't you holding back the enemy?!”—prompting Gozaemon-no-jō to sneer: “Behold! Not a single foe approaches within half a chō of our position.”
It was simply that their forces could not hold their ground against the enemy's fierce momentum.
With no other recourse, they resolved to demonstrate their resolve by dying in battle. Together with Aoki Kanshichi and Hara Kanbei, they charged into the midst of their pursuers.

Aoki Kanshichi was a young, hot-blooded warrior who charged ahead at the forefront and swiftly struck down five opponents. This Aoki later served Aoki Kii-no-kami Kazunori in Echizen Province, but on one occasion during a gathering at the residence of Ogino Kawachi—a fellow retainer of the same house—he was urged by those present to recount his memories of the Battle of Yogo Lakeside. "I crossed spears with a warrior adorned with golden side crests and vermilion-lacquered armor—his martial bearing was splendid," he recounted. It was then discovered that this warrior was none other than his lord Kawachi, leading them to marvel at this strange twist of fate.

This is the tale found in middle school textbooks.
Be that as it may, Morimasa's army somehow managed to continue their retreat through the efforts of Haigō, Aoki, and others.
Past four in the dim light of dawn, Hideyoshi had a camp stool placed at Sarugababa and settled himself to direct the command.
Now that Yasui Sakonno-taifu and Hara Hikojirō had finally retreated and joined forces with Morimasa, he gained some strength and attempted to withdraw to Shimizudani Pass to reorganize his defenses. However, Hideyoshi’s forces pressed their pursuit with arrows and gunfire, leaving him no time to regroup before his formation collapsed.
Hikojirō and Sakonno-taifu attempted to retreat while taking turns serving as rear guard, setting up ten gunners and five or six archers in ambush every chō. However, Hideyoshi’s vanguard pressed in so swiftly that they had no time to fire their firearms.
Having no choice, they attempted to make a stand at Iinoura.
Katō Toranosuke and Sakurai Sakichi stepped forward and petitioned Hideyoshi to crush Morimasa’s forces before they could reorganize their formation.
Hideyoshi laughed and refused, ordering his standard to be planted on the mountain behind Morimasa’s forces before leisurely eating sweets and drinking tea.
Shibata Katsumasa had been fighting a rear-guard action with over three thousand cavalry near the moat cuts along Shizugatake’s ridges when, having received repeated orders from his brother Morimasa to withdraw, his retreating forces encountered the bows and firearms of Hideyoshi’s army, scattering in disarray across all directions.
As they fell back, Hideyoshi’s thousand-gourd standard suddenly caught the morning sun ahead of them, blazing brilliantly—throwing them into panicked disarray.
Hideyoshi had been observing this situation. "Now is the time!" he commanded his troops to charge and personally sounded the war conch.
Around seven o'clock, when day had fully broken, Hideyoshi commanded a full-scale attack.
The hatamoto forces also charged forth with spears all at once; at the forefront where Ishikawa Hyōsuke and Haigō Gozaemon clashed, it was Gozaemon who prevailed.
As he was about to take Hyōsuke's head, Morimasa's messenger arrived and delivered a command: "There is a matter requiring consultation—come at once."
Gozaemon paid no heed. Morimasa—the fool who had failed to withdraw from positions he should have abandoned—declared, "What consultation could there be now? The day of the northern provinces' demise has already come!" and resumed fighting.
Kasuya Sukeemon spotted a worthy foe and grappled with Gozaemon.
As Sukeemon finally gained the upper position and attempted to take his head, Gozaemon promptly thrust upward twice from below with a dagger, but the armor proved too sturdy to penetrate, and he was ultimately struck down.
Sakuma Katsumasa had also been fighting at Niwahama when Katō Toranosuke and Samezō charged straight in and effortlessly routed him.
Asai Kihē and Yamaji Shōgen, now powerless to defend themselves, were retreating toward Shimo-Yogo when Watanabe Kanbei and Asai Kihachirō bellowed at the top of their lungs, "We know you two! Turn and fight!" challenging them—but both men missed their footing on the mountain cliff and tumbled down into the valley.
It is said that Hachigatsu-ichi Gozaemon, a retainer of Ōshio Kin'emon passing through the foothills, struck him down; another account relates that after grappling with Katō Toranosuke and tumbling down a cliff some twenty to thirty ken in height, Shōgen’s head was finally taken.

Naoki Sanjūgo criticized Katō Kiyomasa for having little military merit beyond defeating Yamaji Shōgen; however, even the claim of his defeating Yamaji was itself near-legendary.
At Torii-zaka’s southern slope, Shukuya Shichizaemon-no-jō clashed with Sakurai Sakichi and managed to inflict grievous wounds upon him. Yet with Kasuya Sukeemon’s arrival, both men were ultimately cut down.
Sakuma Katsumasa also fought at Iinoura against valiant warriors—Fukushima Ichimatsu, Katagiri Sukeaku, Hirano Gonbei, Wakizaka Jin’nai, and others—who leveled their spears at him. Though he cut down four soldiers in battle, he was ultimately slain.
Morimasa too fought valiantly, but the entire army had now dissolved into a chaotic retreat, each soldier fleeing as they saw fit.
Morimasa raised his thunderous voice as was his wont, berating them—“Have cowardly demons possessed you samurai?!”—to which Hara Hikojirō retorted: “The troops flee precisely because you, Commander, let cowardice possess you instead of ordering us to regroup!”
“There can be no victory in retreat!” he declared.
Morimasa had nothing to say.
Maeda Toshiie and his son had prepared with two thousand cavalry, but upon seeing the defeated army, they promptly withdrew to Fuchu without any glorious display.
Toshiie’s deployment stemmed not from any particular allegiance as Shibata’s vassal, but rather from their shared border—and given his actually favorable relations with Hideyoshi, he maintained a plausible neutrality.
Prior to this battle, it was believed there had existed some form of agreement between Hideyoshi and Toshiie.

Niwa Nagahide saw this development and ordered all fortresses to sally forth.
The northern forces completely collapsed, retreating north and west.
Obara Shinshichi and seven or eight horsemen attempted to cover Morimasa's escape by charging down from elevated ground against pursuing Hideyoshi troops when Iki Hanshichi spearheaded an advance that finally routed Obara's group.

In this battle, the seven men—both Katō, Kasuya, Fukushima, Katagiri, Hirano, and Wakizaka—displayed exceptional valor. Hideyoshi therefore awarded each commendation letters and elevated their stipends uniformly from several hundred koku to three thousand koku.
This became renowned as the Shizugatake Seven Spears.
The deeds of Ishikawa Hyōsuke, Iki Hanshichi, and Sakurai Sakichi proved no less remarkable than those of the Seven Spears; they came to be called the Three Strikes Blade and are said to have received generous rewards.

Now, Shibata Katsuie, commander-in-chief of the Northern Army, had established his headquarters at Kitakitsunezuka north of Imachi, but when news of Morimasa’s defeat reached them, the camp fell into disarray. Before long, many troops had slipped away unnoticed until barely two thousand remained.
Katsuie lamented—Morimasa’s headstrong rush into battle without heeding his command had brought about this regrettable outcome—but with no use for remorse now, he steeled himself to commit seppuku after achieving one glorious clash.
Keju Shōsuke stepped forward and said, “For you, hailed as a great commander of our time, to perish in battle among these mountains would bring shame upon your name for generations to come.”
“Please retreat to Kitano-shō Castle and end your life with a tranquil heart,” he urged, then requested permission to remain behind with Katsuie’s battle standard to hold off the enemy.
Katsuie accepted Shōsuke’s loyal counsel, bestowed upon him the golden sacred staff battle standard, and turned his horse toward Kitano-shō Castle.
Shōsuke, together with his brother Mosaemon and three hundred cavalry, retreated to Tsukatani in Ōtani Village where they fought fiercely against the advancing enemy, only to be struck down by Tsutsui retainer Shima Sakon.

Shibata Katsuie had retreated toward Kitano-shō Castle during this time, but by the moment he reached the precincts of Maeda Toshiie’s Fuchu Castle, his retinue had dwindled to a mere eight horsemen and thirty or forty foot soldiers.
When Maeda Toshiie invited him in, Shibata Katsuie expressed gratitude for their years of camaraderie and was moved to tears.
Shibata Katsuie said to Maeda Toshiie, "Since you have long been close with Hideyoshi, henceforth follow him and devote your efforts to protecting the young lord."
Toshiie, seeing that Katsuie had not eaten since morning, served him rice gruel and offered sake to console him.
As evening fell, he requested a fresh horse and departed the castle town, but the retreating figure of Shibata—once known as the Pot-Breaker and Demon of the North—must have cut a desolate sight.

On April 23rd, Kitano-shō Castle in Echizen Province stood thoroughly encircled by Hideyoshi's forces.
Resolved to perish with the fortress, Shibata Katsuie had adorned every space from audience halls to private chambers, hosting a final banquet.
His wife was Lady Oichi—Nobunaga's sister.
She had first married Asai Nagamasa, lord of Odani Castle, bearing him two sons and three daughters before conflict erupted between Oda and the Asakura-Asai alliance. When Nagamasa—defeated at Anegawa—vanished like morning dew from Odani Castle, she accepted her brother Nobunaga's protection.
Until the Kiyosu Conference period, she lived quietly in Gifu with her three daughters until political necessity saw this aunt—renowned for beauty—remarried to Katsuie to cement ties between Nobutaka and the Shibata faction.
Having joined Katsuie less than a year prior, she now faced another castle's fall.
Though Katsuie urged her to seek Hideyoshi's mercy with her daughters—"What hope remains now?" she wept—"To perish together is my true wish," refusing compliance.
The dusk-born banquet lingered into deepest night when Lady Oichi caught a cuckoo's cry.

"Even before drifting to sleep," she composed, "the cuckoo calls us to summer night's dream paths."

When she voiced this verse, Katsuie too answered:

"O mountain cuckoo - lift our fleeting names,
Traces of summer night's dream paths,
To the cloud-woven skies."

At dawn on the twenty-fourth day, fire was set to the castle as Shibata Katsuie and thirty-nine men and women committed ritual suicide together in one hall, perishing in the smoke.
Shibata Katsuie was fifty-four years old.
Lady Oichi was an unfortunate Sengoku-era woman who endured two castle falls in her lifetime.
There is also a theory that Hideyoshi, having long been obsessed with Lady Oichi, carried some romantic bitterness into his conflict with Katsuie.
Lady Oichi's third daughter was safely delivered to Hideyoshi; later, the eldest became his consort Yodo-dono, the second wed Chancellor Takatsugu Kyōgoku, and the youngest became wife to Shogun Hidetada.
The fate of women in this age of warring states remained truly mysterious.

Morimasa was captured alongside Shibata Katsuie’s son Gonroku and, bound in ropes before Kitano-shō Castle’s fall, was forced to confront Katsuie from outside the castle walls.
Gonroku was executed at Sawayama, and Morimasa (age 30) at Rokujōgawara.
Nobutaka (age 26) also committed suicide along the banks of the Kiso River.

Having triumphed in the diplomatic battle of the Kiyosu Conference, Hideyoshi had now seized control of the realm entirely through sheer force.

Afterword

In creating this battle chronicle,

The Yogoro Battle Memorandum and Alternate Version Yogoro Battle Memorandum (Volumes 1 and 2) were taken as primary reference texts; while various sources show discrepancies in personal names, all were now made to conform to this memorandum.

Other reference materials consulted are as follows.

*Shibata Subjugation Chronicle*

This work was authored by Ōmura Yoshimi in November of Tenshō 11 (1583), the year of the battle, and as it was closest to the truth, there were corrections made based on it.

*Battle of Shizugatake Chronicle*

*Taikōki*

*Kawazumi Taikōki*

*Hōkan* (Mirror of Abundance)

*Toyotomi Chronicle*

*Gamō Ujisato Chronicle*

*Sakuma Military Chronicle*

*Kiyomasa Chronicle*

*Wakizaka Family Chronicle*

And

*Early Modern Japanese National History*

*History of the Toyotomi Era*

*Japanese Military History*

*Yanase-gawa Yaku*