(1577 – December 1, 1602) was the fifth son of

Kinoshita Iesada was a samurai of the Sengoku through early Edo periods. He was the son of . Born Sugihara Magobei (杉原孫兵衛), he later took the new family name Kinoshita ("under the tree"), possibly to show his support for his brother-in-law, the general ...

and a nephew of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

. He was gained the rank of ''Saemon no Kami'' (左衛門督) or in China ''Shikkingo'' (執金吾) at

genpuku is a public holiday in Japan held annually on the second Monday of January under the Happy Monday System. It is held in order to congratulate and encourage all those who have already reached the age of maturity between April 2 of the previou ...

and held the court title of ''

Chūnagon was a counselor of the second rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. The role was eliminated from the Imperial hierarchy in 701, but it was re-established in 705. This advisory position remained a part of the I ...

'' (中納言), Hideaki was also called ''Kingo Chūnagon'' (金吾中納言).

Biography

He was adopted by Hideyoshi and called himself ''Hashiba Hidetoshi'' (羽柴秀俊). He was then again adopted by

Kobayakawa Takakage was a samurai and daimyō (feudal military lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of ...

, becoming ''Kobayakawa Hidetoshi'' (小早川秀俊). He then renamed himself ''Hideaki'' (秀秋) after Takakage's death. Shortly after 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, ...

, he renamed one last time to ''Kobayakawa Hideaki'' (小早川秀詮). During the

Siege of Ulsan The siege of Ulsan () was an unsuccessful Ming-Joseon attempt to capture Ulsan from the Japanese. The siege lasted from 26 January to 19 February 1598. Background Yang Hao, Ma Gui, and Gwon Yul met up at Gyeongju on the 26 January 1598 and ...

he led reinforcements to rescue Ulsan Castle from Joseon-Ming allied forces that were besieging the castle. Fighting on the front line with a

spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

, he managed to capture an enemy commander and broke the siege. However, Hideyoshi chastised him for making a dangerous and reckless charge (as he was overall commander, an adverse outcome could have had severe consequences) and deprived him of his domain Chikugo when he returned to Japan. Angered by this, Kobayakawa believed the rumor circulated by

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 ...

that this had been the doing of a jealous

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 ...

. He never forgot nor forgave Mitsunari and worked to undermine his position.

Battle of Sekigahara

Before 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, ...

, Kobayakawa happened to be in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

and gave aid to Mitsunari in the

Siege of Fushimi The siege of Fushimi was a crucial battle in the series leading up to the decisive Battle of Sekigahara which ended Japan's Sengoku period. Fushimi Castle was defended by a force loyal to Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern army, led by Torii Mototada. Kn ...

. He acted as though he would go along with Mitsunari, even though he intended to betray him, having secretly communicated with Ieyasu. Knowing Kobayakawa held ill feelings, Mitsunari and

Ōtani Yoshitsugu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through the Azuchi-Momoyama Period. He was also known by his court title ''Junior Assistant Minister of Justice'' or . He was born in 1558 to a father who was said to be a retainer of either Ōtom ...

promised him two additional domains around Osaka and the position of kampaku (until

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who united all of Japan toward the end of the Sengoku period. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's sec ...

grew old enough to rule) if he helped them to victory. Even after the battle began, Kobayakawa kept his intentions hidden. Ieyasu's force (east) was not faring well against Mitsunari's force (west);

Ukita Hideie was the ''daimyō'' of Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces (modern Okayama Prefecture), and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Son of Ukita Naoie, he married Gōhime, a daughter of Maeda Toshiie. Having fought a ...

was winning against

Fukushima Masanori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period to early Edo period and served as the lord of the Hiroshima Domain. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583 and soon became known as one of the ...

and

was also winning against

Tōdō Takatora was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Tōdō clan from the Azuchi–Momoyama to Edo periods. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru (a light foot soldier) to become a ''daimyō''. During his lifetime he changed his feudal master ...

. Kobayakawa was hesitant to participate with either side. According to some later historial accounts of the battle, Ieyasu ordered troops to fire blanks against the Kobayakawa troops to force them into action. Kobayakawa then ordered an attack on the Otani troops, and while this attack was beaten back temporarily, his action forced the other armies who had pledged betrayal to also turn. However, more recently, some historians have argued that "the earliest accounts of Sekigahara show that Hideaki's so-called treachery happened when the battle began, not halfway through", and that the "story about Ieyasu ordering ‘probing shots’ to be fired into his ranks is therefore a complete myth." Historian Junji Mitsunari viewed the defection of Hideaki during the battle was not solely his decision, but it is also a collective intention of the entire

Kobayakawa clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Taira clan. Their holdings were in the Chūgoku region. They were a powerful clan during the Sengoku period but were disbanded during the Edo period after the Battle of Sekigahara. H ...

, as his vassals also urged Hideaki to change side to the Eastern Army. Kobayakawa also experienced success in the mopping up operations that followed, defeating Mitsunari's father,

Ishida Masatsugu was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku period who served the Azai clan and held Ishida castle in Omi province. He was the son of Ishida Seishin. He was the father of Ishida Mitsunari. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he and his other ...

in the Siege of Sawayama.

Death

Once the dust had settled, Kobayakawa was given the defeated Ukita clan's former fiefdoms of Bizen and Mimasaka, for a total of 550,000

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

. However, Kobayakawa drank himself to death two years later after supposedly going mad, and with no one to succeed him, the

disbanded, and his fiefdoms were absorbed by the neighboring

Ikeda clan was a Japanese clan that claimed descent from Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948-1021) of the Seiwa Genji. Minamoto no Yasumasa, the fourth generation descending from Yorimitsu, and younger brother of Minamoto no Yorimasa (1104-1180), was the first to ...

References

External links

samurai-archives.com
- page on Kobayakawa Hideaki; contains information on the Battle of Sekigahara as well

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kobayakawa, Hideaki 1577 births 1602 deaths Kobayakawa clan Toyotomi clan Daimyo People of the Imjin War People from Okayama Prefecture