Kato Kiyomasa
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese daimyō
of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo period
.
to Katō Kiyotada. Kiyotada's wife, Ito, was a cousin of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
's mother. Kiyotada died while his son (then known as Toranosuke) was still young. Soon after, Toranosuke entered service with Hideyoshi, and in 1576, at age 14, was granted a revenue of 170 koku
. He fought in Hideyoshi's army at the Battle of Yamazaki
, and later, at the Battle of Shizugatake
. Owing to his distinguished conduct in that battle, he became known as one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake
. Hideyoshi rewarded Kiyomasa with an increased revenue of 3000 koku.
When Hideyoshi became the kampaku in the summer of 1585, Kiyomasa received the court title of Kazue no Kami (主計頭) and junior 5th court rank, lower grade (ju go-i no ge 従五位下). In 1586, after Higo Province
was confiscated from Sassa Narimasa
, he was granted 250,000 koku of land in Higo (roughly half of the province), and given Kumamoto Castle
as his provincial residence.
n dynasty of Joseon
. Together with Konishi Yukinaga
, he captured Seoul
, Busan
and many other crucial cities. He won the last Korean regulars in the Battle of Imjin River
and pacified Hamgyong
.
Kiyomasa was an excellent architect of castles and fortification. During the Imjin war, he built several Japanese style castles in Korea to better defend the conquered lands. Ulsan castle was one of these fortresses that Kiyomasa built, and it proved its worth when Korean-Chinese allied forces attacked it with far superior force, yet the outnumbered Japanese successfully defended the castle until the Japanese reinforcements arrived, which forced the Sino-Korean allies to retreat.
The Korean king Seonjo
abandoned Seoul in fear of Kiyomasa. Kiyomasa held two Korean princes who had deserted as hostages and used them to force lower-ranking Korean officials to surrender. He killed a tiger while hunting in the forest and presented to Hideyoshi the skin. Kiyomasa's most famous fight is the Siege of Ulsan
(蔚山城の戦い) on December 22, 1593. Kiyomasa bravely succeeded in the fight defense though Chinese general Yang Hao
(楊鎬) encircling Ulsan with 60,000 military forces. He defended frequent attacks from the Chinese army with Ulsan
until November 23, 1598. However, his brave fight was not reported to Hideyoshi by his rival's overseer Ishida Mitsunari
. After Hideyoshi's death, he conflicted with Ishida Mitsunari
, and approaches Tokugawa Ieyasu
.
William Scott Wilson
describes Kato Kiyomasa thus: "He was a military man first and last, outlawing even the recitation of poetry, putting the martial arts above all else. His precepts show the single-mindedness and Spartan attitudes of the man, (they) demonstrate emphatically that the warrior's first duty in the early 17th century was simply to "grasp the sword and die." Contemporary accounts of Kato describe him as awe-inspiring, yet not unfriendly, and a natural leader of men."
, Kiyomasa encouraged the building of Nichiren
temple
s. He did not see eye-to-eye with Ishida Mitsunari
, and Hideyoshi recalled him to Kyoto. He came into conflict with Konishi, who ruled the neighboring domain in Higo, and was a Christian. Kiyomasa was noted for brutally suppressing Christianity
. At the battle of Hondo, he ordered his men to cut open the bellies of all pregnant Christian women and cut off their babies' heads.
During the Battle of Sekigahara
, Kiyomasa remained in Kyūshū
, siding with the eastern army of Tokugawa Ieyasu
. For his loyalty to the Tokugawa, Kiyomasa was rewarded with the former territories of his rival Konishi (who had sided with Ishida), which when added to his existing territory, increased the Kumamoto domain to around 530,000 koku
.
In his later years, Kiyomasa tried to work as a mediator for the increasingly complicated relationship between Tokugawa Ieyasu
and Toyotomi Hideyori
. In 1611, en route by sea to Kumamoto after one such meeting, he fell ill, and died shortly after his arrival. He was buried at Honmyōji
temple in Kumamoto, but also has graves in Yamagata Prefecture
and Tokyo
. Kiyomasa is also enshrined in many Shinto shrines in Japan
, including Katō Shrine
in Kumamoto.
In 1910, Kiyomasa was posthumously promoted to junior 3rd court rank (jusanmi 従三位).
of the Korean Navy and Commander Li Rusong
of the Chinese Ming salvage force. At the disastrous Battle of Haengju
, Katō's army of 40,000 marched out of Seoul to capture nearby Haengju fortress where a small number of Korean soldiers and militia were holding. This turned into a disaster as the Japanese force was defeated by a Korean army of 2,800 (including 800 militia). Casualties were upwards of 10,000 men. (According to Japanese records, Kiyomasa was joined by Nabeshima Naoshige
, and entered Seoul in February, 1593. He was researching the negotiation of China with Ukita Naoie
at this time, which corroborates the Korean record.) This and many other defeats coupled with the breaking of supply lines from Japan by Admiral Yi Sun-sin
forced Kato's retreat from Korea.
During the Korean action, Konishi Yukinaga had also run into a fierce fighting and tried to negotiate a peace treaty with the Korean and Chinese forces surrounding him. "Kato was infuriated by the surrender attempt, and upon his return to Japan he ravaged the Konishi family's neighboring domain in retaliation."
, Samurai Warriors 2
, Samurai Warriors 3
, Mōri Motonari: Chikai no Sanya and Age of Empires III
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
.
Origins and early career
Kiyomasa was born in Owari ProvinceOwari Province
was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of present day Aichi Prefecture, including much of modern Nagoya. Its abbreviation is Bishū .-History:The province was created in 646....
to Katō Kiyotada. Kiyotada's wife, Ito, was a cousin of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
's mother. Kiyotada died while his son (then known as Toranosuke) was still young. Soon after, Toranosuke entered service with Hideyoshi, and in 1576, at age 14, was granted a revenue of 170 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
. He fought in Hideyoshi's army at the Battle of Yamazaki
Battle of Yamazaki
The was fought in 1582 in Yamazaki, Japan, located in current day Kyoto Prefecture. This battle is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Mt. Tennō ....
, and later, at the Battle of Shizugatake
Battle of Shizugatake
The was a battle in Sengoku period Japan between supporters of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Oda Nobutaka.In May, 1583, a former general of Nobunaga's named Shibata Katsuie coordinated a number of simultaneous attacks on Shizugatake, a series of forts held by Hideyoshi's generals among whom was Nakagawa...
. Owing to his distinguished conduct in that battle, he became known as one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake
Seven Spears of Shizugatake
The ' were mounted bodyguards for Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the battle of Shizugatake in 1583. At the decisive moment in the battle, Hideyoshi ordered them to leave the position and charge at the opposing army of Katsuie Shibata...
. Hideyoshi rewarded Kiyomasa with an increased revenue of 3000 koku.
When Hideyoshi became the kampaku in the summer of 1585, Kiyomasa received the court title of Kazue no Kami (主計頭) and junior 5th court rank, lower grade (ju go-i no ge 従五位下). In 1586, after Higo Province
Higo Province
Higo Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. It was sometimes called , with Hizen Province. Higo bordered on Chikugo, Bungo, Hyūga, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Provinces....
was confiscated from Sassa Narimasa
Sassa Narimasa
, also known as Kura-no-suke , was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi-Momoyama period. He became a retainer of Oda Nobunaga in 1550 and was granted Etchū Province as a reward for helping Shibata Katsuie fight the Uesugi clan. After Nobunaga's death, in 1584 he joined Tokugawa Ieyasu...
, he was granted 250,000 koku of land in Higo (roughly half of the province), and given Kumamoto Castle
Kumamoto Castle
is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Kumamoto in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and extremely well fortified castle. The is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle. Kumamoto Castle is considered one of the three premier...
as his provincial residence.
During the Seven-Year War
Kiyomasa was one of the three senior commanders during the Seven-Year War (1592–1598) against the KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n dynasty of Joseon
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
. Together with Konishi Yukinaga
Konishi Yukinaga
Konishi Yukinaga was a Kirishitan daimyō under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was the son of a wealthy Sakai merchant, Konishi Ryūsa...
, he captured Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
and many other crucial cities. He won the last Korean regulars in the Battle of Imjin River
Battle of Imjin River (1592)
The Battle of Imjin River was a battle during the Japanese invasions of Korea . It resulted in a Japanese victory.-The Retreat of the King and surrender of Hanseong:...
and pacified Hamgyong
Hamgyong campaign
The Hamgyong Campaign also known as Kato Kiyomasa's Northern Campaign, is Kato Kiyomasa's invasion of the North-Eastern part of Korea, during the Japanese invasions of Korea , which occurred mainly in the former Hamgyong Province but included his fight with the Jurchen in the South-eastern part of...
.
Kiyomasa was an excellent architect of castles and fortification. During the Imjin war, he built several Japanese style castles in Korea to better defend the conquered lands. Ulsan castle was one of these fortresses that Kiyomasa built, and it proved its worth when Korean-Chinese allied forces attacked it with far superior force, yet the outnumbered Japanese successfully defended the castle until the Japanese reinforcements arrived, which forced the Sino-Korean allies to retreat.
The Korean king Seonjo
Seonjo of Joseon
King Seonjo ruled in Korea between 1567 and 1608. He was the fourteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty. He is known for encouraging Confucianism and renovating state affairs at the beginning of his reign, although political chaos and his incompetent leadership during the Japanese invasions of Korea...
abandoned Seoul in fear of Kiyomasa. Kiyomasa held two Korean princes who had deserted as hostages and used them to force lower-ranking Korean officials to surrender. He killed a tiger while hunting in the forest and presented to Hideyoshi the skin. Kiyomasa's most famous fight is the Siege of Ulsan
Siege of Ulsan
On September 22, 1598, Korean and Chinese allied forces made a second attack against Japanese forces. The alliance army formation was Commander Ma Gui, leading an army of 24,000 Chinese, and an army of 5,500 Koreans were led by general Kim Eung-seo...
(蔚山城の戦い) on December 22, 1593. Kiyomasa bravely succeeded in the fight defense though Chinese general Yang Hao
Yang Hao (Ming Dynasty)
Yang Hao was a scholar-official of the Ming Dynasty of China.Having started his political career as a county magistrate, Yang was appointed inspector-general to the Ming troops sent to support the Joseon Dynasty during its struggle to fend off the second Japanese invasion of Korea from 1596 to...
(楊鎬) encircling Ulsan with 60,000 military forces. He defended frequent attacks from the Chinese army with Ulsan
Ulsan
Ulsan , officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north and the Sea of Japan to the east.Ulsan is the...
until November 23, 1598. However, his brave fight was not reported to Hideyoshi by his rival's overseer Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...
. After Hideyoshi's death, he conflicted with Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...
, and approaches Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
.
William Scott Wilson
William Scott Wilson
William Scott Wilson is known for translating several works of Japanese literature, mostly those relating to the martial tradition of that country. He is recognized by as "today’s foremost translator of classic Samurai texts." Mr. Wilson is also described as the world's foremost expert on the...
describes Kato Kiyomasa thus: "He was a military man first and last, outlawing even the recitation of poetry, putting the martial arts above all else. His precepts show the single-mindedness and Spartan attitudes of the man, (they) demonstrate emphatically that the warrior's first duty in the early 17th century was simply to "grasp the sword and die." Contemporary accounts of Kato describe him as awe-inspiring, yet not unfriendly, and a natural leader of men."
Later life
A devoted member of Nichiren BuddhismNichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
, Kiyomasa encouraged the building of Nichiren
Nichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s. He did not see eye-to-eye with Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...
, and Hideyoshi recalled him to Kyoto. He came into conflict with Konishi, who ruled the neighboring domain in Higo, and was a Christian. Kiyomasa was noted for brutally suppressing Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. At the battle of Hondo, he ordered his men to cut open the bellies of all pregnant Christian women and cut off their babies' heads.
During the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
, Kiyomasa remained in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, siding with the eastern army of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
. For his loyalty to the Tokugawa, Kiyomasa was rewarded with the former territories of his rival Konishi (who had sided with Ishida), which when added to his existing territory, increased the Kumamoto domain to around 530,000 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
.
In his later years, Kiyomasa tried to work as a mediator for the increasingly complicated relationship between Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
and Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori
was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga....
. In 1611, en route by sea to Kumamoto after one such meeting, he fell ill, and died shortly after his arrival. He was buried at Honmyōji
Honmyōji
is a Buddhist temple of the Nichiren sect, Rokujōmonryū, in Kumamoto, Japan. It is the most high ranking temple of the sect in Kyushu. In Honmyōji is the grave of Katō Kiyomasa, , a Japanese daimyo, builder of Kumamoto Castle and a dedicated buddhist of Nichiren Buddhism.-The temple:Honmyōji...
temple in Kumamoto, but also has graves in Yamagata Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Kiyomasa is also enshrined in many Shinto shrines in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, including Katō Shrine
Katō Shrine
is a shrine in Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan, in which, daimyo or powerful territorial lord Katō Kiyomasa is enshrined. Alongside Ōki Kaneyoshi and Kin Kan, who made junshi, are enshrined.-History:...
in Kumamoto.
In 1910, Kiyomasa was posthumously promoted to junior 3rd court rank (jusanmi 従三位).
In Korean records
According to Korean records, The Japanese advance did not last long, however, for General Kato met heavy resistance the following year in the form of General Kwon Yul of the Joseon Army, Admiral Yi Sun-sinYi Sun-sin
Yi Sun-shin was a Korean naval commander, famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty, and is well-respected for his exemplary conduct on and off the battlefield not only by Koreans, but by Japanese Admirals as well...
of the Korean Navy and Commander Li Rusong
Li Rusong
Li Ru-song was a Chinese general of Ming empire who is from the town of Tieling , LiaoDong Li Ru-song (1549–1598) was a Chinese general of Ming empire who is from the town of Tieling (Chinese:鐵嶺衛), LiaoDong Li Ru-song (1549–1598) was a Chinese general of Ming empire who is from the town of...
of the Chinese Ming salvage force. At the disastrous Battle of Haengju
Battle of Haengju
The Battle of Haengju took place on February 12, 1593 during the Japanese invasions of Korea . Approximately 3,000 Korean defenders led by general Kwon Yul successfully repelled more than 30,000 Japanese forces...
, Katō's army of 40,000 marched out of Seoul to capture nearby Haengju fortress where a small number of Korean soldiers and militia were holding. This turned into a disaster as the Japanese force was defeated by a Korean army of 2,800 (including 800 militia). Casualties were upwards of 10,000 men. (According to Japanese records, Kiyomasa was joined by Nabeshima Naoshige
Nabeshima Naoshige
a retainer of the Ryūzōji clan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Naoshige was the son of Nabeshima Kiyosada and was known as Nobumasa throughout half of his career under the Ryūzōji. Naoshige proved himself as being one of the greatest generals under Ryūzōji Takanobu...
, and entered Seoul in February, 1593. He was researching the negotiation of China with Ukita Naoie
Ukita Naoie
was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period. He was born in Bizen Province, to Ukita Okiie, a local samurai leader. After the assassination of Naoie's grandfather Yoshiie in 1534, he was left homeless along with his father, but both were soon taken in by Murakami Munekage, the lord of Tenjinzan...
at this time, which corroborates the Korean record.) This and many other defeats coupled with the breaking of supply lines from Japan by Admiral Yi Sun-sin
Yi Sun-sin
Yi Sun-shin was a Korean naval commander, famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty, and is well-respected for his exemplary conduct on and off the battlefield not only by Koreans, but by Japanese Admirals as well...
forced Kato's retreat from Korea.
During the Korean action, Konishi Yukinaga had also run into a fierce fighting and tried to negotiate a peace treaty with the Korean and Chinese forces surrounding him. "Kato was infuriated by the surrender attempt, and upon his return to Japan he ravaged the Konishi family's neighboring domain in retaliation."
In popular culture
Katō Kiyomasa is a character in the Koei's video games KessenKessen
is a PlayStation 2 launch title produced by Koei and published by Electronic Arts. This was the first DVD-ROM format game for the PS2. It was initially the only real-time wargame game available for the PlayStation 2....
, Samurai Warriors 2
Samurai Warriors 2
is a sequel to the original Samurai Warriors, created by Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, and received a port to Microsoft Windows in 2008....
, Samurai Warriors 3
Samurai Warriors 3
is the third installment in the Samurai Warriors series, created by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in Japan on December 3, 2009, Europe on May 28, 2010, Australia on June 10, 2010, and in North America on September 27, 2010 for the Wii....
, Mōri Motonari: Chikai no Sanya and Age of Empires III
Age of Empires III
Age of Empires III is a real-time strategy game developed by Microsoft Corporation's Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The Mac version was ported over and developed by Destineer's MacSoft Games and published by Destineer and MacSoft Games...
.
Further reading
- Kitajima Manji 北島万次 (2007). Katō Kiyomasa Chōsen shinryaku no jitsuzō 加藤清正: 朝鮮侵略の実像. Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan 吉川弘文館.
External links
- The Precepts of Kato Kiyomasa
- Kato Kiyomasa’s wiki bio at Samurai Archives