Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari (石" 三成
Ishida Mitsunari 1560 -
November 6,
1600) was a
samurai who led the West side in the
Battle of Sekigahara following the
Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. His childhood name was
Sakichi (佐吉).
He was born in the south of
Omi province (which is now
Shiga prefecture) second son of
Ishida Masatsugu, who was a retainer for the
Asai family and, in 1573 at the Asai's defeat, retreated from service. According to legend, he was a monk in a Buddhist temple before he served
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but the accuracy of this legend is today doubted, since it appeared first in the
Edo period.
From when he was very young, he served
Toyotomi Hideyoshi. When they first met, Hideyoshi was the
daimyo of
Nagahama. When Hideyoshi engaged in a campaign in the
Chugoku region, Mitsunari assisted his lord in attacks against castles like the
Tottori castle and
Takamatsu castle (in present-day
Okayama).
After Hideyoshi seized power, Mitsunari was known as a talented financial manager. He was known for his knowledge and skill at calculation. From 1585 on, he was made administrator of
Sakai province, role he took together with his elder brother
Ishida Masazumi. He was appointed one of the
five bugyo, top administrators of Hideyoshi's government. Hideyoshi made him a
daimyo of
Sawayama (now a part of
Hikone),
Omi province, a five hundred thousand
koku fief (now a part of
Hikone).
Sawayama Castle was known as one of the best-fortified castles in those days.
Mitsunari was known for his rigid character. He was a leader of bureaucrats in Hideyoshi's government and though had many friends he was on bad terms with some daimyo known as good warriors, including Hideyoshi's relative
Fukushima Masanori. After Hideyoshi died, their conflict grew. The central point of their conflict was the question whether
Tokugawa Ieyasu could be relied on as a supporter of the Toyotomi government, whose nominal lord was the child
Toyotomi Hideyori.
In
1600 the
Battle of Sekigahara was fought as a result of this political conflict. Mitsunari succeeded in organizing the army led by
Mori Terumoto. But the coalition following
Tokugawa Ieyasu was greater, and the battle resulted in the defeat of Mitsunari.
After his defeat, he sought to escape, but was caught by villagers. He was executed by
decapitation in
Kyoto, along with other daimyos of the West army, like
Konishi Yukinaga and
Ankokuji Ekei. Mitsunari's execution was particularly brutal: he was buried in the ground up to his neck and beheaded using a blunt saw.
Mitsunari had three sons (
Shigeie,
Shigenari and
Sakichi) and three daughters (only the younger girl's name is known,
Tatsuko) from his wife and another child from a mistress.
The story of
James Clavell's novel
Shogun is based on the strife between Ishida (Ishido, in the novel) and
Tokugawa (Toranaga) (although in the end the wooden saw is not as effective) over the
Taiko's son.
In
Capcom latest saga
Shin Onimusha: Dawn Of Dreams, Mitsunari was depicted wielding a
tessen. Just like the history facts stated, he, in the public, acted as the head loyalist & confidant of
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but secretly made Hideyoshi his puppet, and absolutely obeyed his demonic master,
Fortinbras, doing everything in his bidding. Mitsunari/Claudius was the one who is responsible of all the insidious plots and chaos that took place recently. He was actually signing a pact with Claudius the Genma/Demon Chancellor, who was a member of the Genma
Triumvirate, allowing his soul and flesh been taken over completely by Claudius as a guise, whose ultimate goal was to resurrect his evil master, the Genma God-Fortinbras by using Hideyoshi as his vessel. Towards the end of the epic, Mitsunari almost annihilated the protagonists, before his trusted vassal
Shima Sakon, who was previously possessed, jumped into the scene and stabbed him, forcing Claudius to get out of Mitsunari's body in his true form, a demonic
centipede Genma. However, he was eventually vanquished by a
Tendai warrior buddhist monk of
Mount Hiei named
Nankobo Tenkai (
Samanosuke Akechi) (Playable Character Of The Epic).
Mitsunari is also a playable character in
Koei's
Samurai Warriors 2. He wields a folded fan, similar to his depiction in Shin Onimusha : Dawn of Dreams, although he is slightly good instead of totally evil when compared with his Capcom counterpart (He is still a rather arrogant strategist). He is also seen to be forming a friendship bond with
Sanada Yukimura and
Naoe Kanetsugu*
SengokuDaimyo.com The website of Samurai Author and Historian
Anthony J. Bryant**Anthony J. Bryant is the author of
Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle for Power, Praeger Publishers;(September, 2005)
*
SamuraiArcives.com
