Who was this person?
A warlord from the Sengoku to the early Edo period and the first lord of the Tosa domain. Born in Owari, he served Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi and became lord of Kakegawa Castle in Tōtōmi. His offer at the Oyama council before Sekigahara to hand his castle over to Tokugawa Ieyasu was rewarded with the whole province of Tosa, where he built Kōchi Castle. He is also known for the support of his wife Chiyo.
| Name | Yamauchi Kazutoyo (山内一豊) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1545 – 1605 |
| Period | Sengoku–Edo |
| Birthplace | Owari Province |
| Main achievements |
|
He is said to have been born at Iwakura in Owari Province (Aichi) as the third son of Yamauchi Moritoyo, a senior retainer of the Iwakura branch of the Oda, which ruled northern Owari (another account places his birth at Kuroda castle). His common name was Iemon. The Yamauchi were a small warrior family, and from his youth Kazutoyo would walk a hard road.
His lords, the Iwakura Oda, were in conflict with their kinsman Oda Nobunaga. His elder brother Jūrō lost his life when Kuroda castle was attacked, and in this year Iwakura castle fell to Nobunaga and his father Moritoyo also died (the years are debated). Having lost both their lord and their head, the Yamauchi scattered, and Kazutoyo lived by serving various warlords in different places.
Around this time he is thought to have entered Nobunaga's service and come under Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi. At the Battle of Tonezaka, in pursuit of the Asakura, he struck down an enemy commander even though an arrow had badly wounded him in the face. For this he was granted 400 koku in Ōmi, finally gaining a foothold to make his way as a warrior.
By around this time he is thought to have married Chiyo (also called Matsu), later known as Kenshō-in (the date is debated). Chiyo is known as a wife who supported her husband well, and a story tells how she had Kazutoyo buy a fine horse with money she had brought at her marriage, which won him fame at Nobunaga's cavalry parade. This story, however, appears only in books written much later.
He was granted 2,000 koku in Harima (Hyōgo) and joined Hideyoshi's campaigns in the Chūgoku region. He took part in Hideyoshi's main battles, including the sieges of Miki and Tottori castles and the flooding of Bitchū Takamatsu castle. He was not a dashing general, but as a retainer who reliably carried out his orders he steadily increased his lands.
When Hideyoshi's nephew Hashiba Hidetsugu was given large domains, Kazutoyo was chosen as one of his senior advisers. He became lord of Nagahama castle in Ōmi, a daimyō ruling 20,000 koku. The next year brought sorrow: Nagahama castle collapsed in the Tenshō earthquake, and he lost his young only daughter Yone.
After joining the campaign against the Hōjō of Odawara, he became lord of Kakegawa castle in Tōtōmi (Shizuoka), ruling more than 50,000 koku. At Kakegawa he repaired the castle, built up the castle town and worked on levees along the flood-prone Ōi River. Even when Hidetsugu later fell from power and died, Kazutoyo was not punished and kept his lands.
After Hideyoshi's death he followed Tokugawa Ieyasu on the campaign against Uesugi Kagekatsu of Aizu. When news came that Ishida Mitsunari and others had raised troops, he is said to have been the first, at the war council held at Oyama in Shimotsuke, to offer his own Kakegawa castle to Ieyasu. This statement helped rally the hesitant lords along the Tōkaidō to Ieyasu's side.
He did not take part in heavy fighting at the Battle of Sekigahara, but his statement at Oyama was recognized as a great service. After the battle he was granted the whole province of Tosa (Kōchi), whose former lords the Chōsokabe had lost their lands, and became a daimyō of 98,000 koku (later surveys set it at over 200,000 koku).
He moved from Kakegawa to Tosa and entered Urado castle. The former Chōsokabe retainers strongly resisted their new lord and rose in revolt, and Kazutoyo put them down harshly. At the same time he employed useful former retainers. He began building a new castle, Kōchi castle, on Mount Ōtakasaka and laid out its castle town.
He died of illness at Kōchi castle. Having no son of his own to succeed him, he was followed by Tadayoshi, the son of his younger brother Yasutoyo, whom he had adopted. The Yamauchi family went on ruling the Tosa domain until the end of the Edo period. His wife Chiyo moved to Kyoto and spent her last years praying for her husband's soul.
A. A warlord from the Sengoku to the early Edo period and the first lord of the Tosa domain. Born in Owari, he served Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi and became lord of Kakegawa Castle in Tōtōmi. His offer at the Oyama council before Sekigahara to hand his castle over to Tokugawa Ieyasu was rewarded with the whole province of Tosa, where he built Kōchi Castle. He is also known for the support of his wife Chiyo.
A. Period: Sengoku–Edo. Born in 1545, died in 1605.
A. Yamauchi Kazutoyo was born in Owari Province.
A. Kazutoyo's wife Chiyo (Kenshōin) is known for her devoted support of her husband. A famous story says she used money from her dowry to let him buy a fine horse, but it appears in later writings and its truth is debated.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Oda NobunagaTokugawa IeyasuUesugi KagekatsuIshida MitsunariNonaka KenzanYoshida Tōyō
Furuta OribeKennyoTakenaka Shigeharu (Hanbei)Azai NagamasaKuroda Yoshitaka (Kanbei)Takeda KatsuyoriMogami YoshiakiOichi
People of the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.