Konishi Yukinaga
Konishi Yukinaga (小西 行長
Konishi Yukinaga, born
1555 and died
November 6,
1600) was a
Japanese
Kirishitan (
Christian)
daimyo under
Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was the son of a wealthy merchant,
Konishi Ryosuke.
In
1587, during the
Invasion of Kyushu, he quelled the local uprising in
Higo province and was awarded a fief in that province.
Yukinaga led the initial forces under
Toyotomi Hideyoshi to invade
Korea in the
Seven-Year War. He was noted for his role in the capture of
Pusan and
Seoul and the defensive at
Pyongyang. Afterwards, his vassal,
Naitou Joan acted as the envoy to negotiate peace with
Ming China.
In order to achieve a truce, he negotiated a false surrender to China, although to Toyotomi Hideyoshi it was a truce between two equal states. Later, a
Ming envoy came to Japan to award Toyotomi the position of the King of Japan. This enraged Hideyoshi and exposed the truth behind Yukinaga's earlier diplomatic mission. Blamed for being disloyal, Yukinaga again led forces alongside
Kato Kiyomasa to invade Korea a second time.
After Hideyoshi's death, Yukinaga joined
Ishida Mitsunari's side during the
Battle of Sekigahara, but was ultimately defeated. He fled into
Mount Ibuki, but was captured by
Takenaka Shigekado's forces. Being a Christian daimyo, Yukinaga refused to commit suicide and was executed.