The siege of Uto was a battle during the final years of the

Azuchi–Momoyama period The was the final phase of the in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nob ...

(17th century) of Japan.

Katō Kiyomasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama period, Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. His court title was . His name as a child was ''Yashamaru'', and first name was ''Toranosuke''. He was one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi's Seven ...

besieged

Uto castle was a Sengoku period flatland-style Japanese castle located in the present-day Furushiro-cho neighborhood of the city of Uto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 2020. Overview The castl ...

. Uto castle at the time had belonged to his old rival,

Konishi Yukinaga Konishi Yukinaga (小西行長, baptized under the Portuguese personal name Agostinho; 1558 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese daimyō who served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Known as a Kirishitan daimyo, he is notable for his role as the ...

who joined western forces under

Mōri Terumoto Mōri Terumoto (毛利輝元, January 22, 1553 – June 2, 1625) was a Japanese ''daimyō''. The son of Mōri Takamoto, and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mōri Motonari, he fought against Oda Nobunaga but was eventually overc ...

's and

Ishida Mitsunari was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...

side.

History

During this part of the Sekigahara campaign,

helped the cause of the Tokugawa under

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...

. As

was fighting with

, he left Uto Castle to his brother, Konishi Yukikage (Hayato). Yukikage sent a messenger to ask for reinforcement from

Konishi Yukishige Konishi (written: 小西) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese physicist *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese ukiyo-e artist *, Japanese gymnast * Hokuto Konishi (born 1984), Jap ...

and the

Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contr ...

in Mugishima Castle. However, the messenger was captured by Kiyomasa and a fake messenger was sent. The defender in Mugishima castle believed it and sent a reinforcement, which was defeated by

Kato Kiyomasa Kato or Katō may refer to: Places *Kato, Guyana, a village in Guyana *Katō, Hyōgo, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan * Katō District, Hokkaido, a district located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan *Katowice, a city in Southern Poland, ...

. As the result, the defenders of Uto failed to get reinforcement. However, they fought bravely and Yukikage managed to kill Kato senior vassal, Kajiwara Kagetoshi (梶原景俊). A month had passed since the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

and the castle still didn't fall. Kiyomasa sent two missionaries to persuade Yukikage to surrender, but Yukikage said "religion and military affairs are unrelated". Unfortunately, for the defenders, the Western Army had been defeated. Hearing the tragic news, Yukikage agreed to surrender and commit seppuku in exchange that Kiyomasa would spare the life of Konishi vassals and hired them with the same salary they got under Konishi. Kiyomasa agreed and sent some sake and appetizers as a thank you. The castle was surrendered and Yukikage committed seppuku.

References

''The Samurai Sourcebook'' 1600 in Japan Conflicts in 1600 Sieges of the Sengoku period Attacks on castles in Japan Sekigahara campaign Higo Province Uto, Kumamoto Military history of Kumamoto Prefecture {{Japan-battle-stub