was one of the leading

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

s of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

following the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

of the 16th century extending to 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 ...

. His preferred weapon was a

yari is the term for a traditionally-made Japanese blade (日本刀; nihontō) in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The martial art of wielding the is called . History The forerunner of the is thought to be a ...

and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左衛門) being his common name. He was a member of the so-called Echizen Sanninshu (Echizen Triumvir) along with Sassa Narimasa and Fuwa Mitsuharu. The highest rank from the court that he received is the Great Counselor ''

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'' ( 大納言).

Early life

His father was Maeda Toshimasa and his wife was Maeda Matsu. His childhood name was "Inuchiyo" (犬千代). Toshiie was born in the village of Arako (present-day Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya). He was the fourth of seven brothers, of Maeda Toshimasa, who held Arako Castle. Toshiie served

from childhood (first as a page) and his loyalty was rewarded by being allowed to be the head of the Maeda clan, very unusual for a fourth son with no apparent failures among his elder brothers. Just like Nobunaga, Toshiie was also a delinquent, usually dressed in the outlandish style of a kabukimono, they committed delinquent and deviated behaviors together. It is believed he also became a friend to Kinoshita Tokichiro (later

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: ...

) in their youth. Just as Hideyoshi was known as ''Saru'', 猴 or "monkey," it is believed that Toshiie was called ''Inu'', 犬 or "dog" by Nobunaga. Due to a long-standing belief that dogs and monkeys are never friendly to each other, Toshiie is often depicted as reserved and stern, in contrast to Hideyoshi's talkative and easy-going nature.

Military life

Statue of Maeda Toshiie in Kanazawa - Detail - 2016-04-16

Toshiie began his career as a member of the ''akahoro-shū'' (赤母衣衆), the unit under

's personal command. He later became an infantry captain (''ashigaru taishō'' 足軽大将) in the Oda army. Later, he become the leader of Oda's ., a military group that wore a red Horo (cloak) on their backs. During his military career, Toshiie made the acquaintance of many important figures, such as Hashiba Hideyoshi, Sassa Narimasa, Niwa Nagahide,

Ikeda Tsuneoki , also known as Ikeda Nobuteru (池田信輝), was an Ikeda clan ''daimyō'' and military commander under Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama periods of 16th-century Japan. He was a retainer of the famous warlords Oda No ...

, and others. Toshiie also was a lifelong rival of

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 ...

. After defeating the Asakura clan, Maeda fought under Shibata Katsuie in the Hokuriku area. In 1552 - 1554, he took part in the war for the first time in the Battle of Kiyosu Castle which was broken out between Nobunaga and Oda Nobutomo, of the Kiyosu Oda clan. In 1556, he fought in the Battle of Ino against Oda Nobuyuki, younger brother of Nobunaga. In 1558, he also took part in the Battle of Ukino which was a conflict with Oda Nobukata, a son of Oda Nobuyasu, of the Iwakura Oda clan. It is said that it was about the time of this battle that he began to be called by another name like "Yari no Matazaemon" or "Yari no Mataza". In 1560, he took part in the Battle of Okehazama against Imagawa Yoshimoto. Later he fought in the 1561 Battle of Moribe, the 1567 Siege of Inabayama, the 1570 Siege of Kanegasaki and Battle of Anegawa, the 1575

Battle of Nagashino The was a famous battle in History of Japan, Japanese history, fought in 1575 at Nagashino Castle, Nagashino in Mikawa Province (present-day Nagashino, Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture). The allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu (38,000) ...

, and the 1577 Battle of Tedorigawa. In 1580, he was granted the fief of Fuchu, and a han ( Kaga Domain) spanning the Noto and Kaga Provinces. Despite its small size, Kaga was a highly productive province which would eventually develop into the wealthiest ''han'' in

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

Japan, with a net worth of 1 million ''

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 ...

'' (百万石); thus, it was nicknamed ''Kaga Hyaku-man-goku'' (加賀百万石). Toshiie benefited from a core group of very capable senior vassals. Some, like Murai Nagayori and Okumura Nagatomi, were retainers of long standing with the Maeda. In 1582, after Nobunaga's assassination at Honnō-ji (本能寺) by

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period. Mitsuhide was originally a bodyguard of the last Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later, one of ...

and Mitsuhide's defeat by Hideyoshi, at the subsequent meeting in Kiyosu Castle where the future of the Oda clan was discussed, Toshiie supported Shibata Katsuie's claim. In 1583, he battled Hideyoshi under Katsuie's command in the

Battle of Shizugatake The took place during the Sengoku period of Japan between Toyotomi Hideyoshi (then Hashiba Hideyoshi) and Shibata Katsuie in Nagahama, Shiga, Shizugatake, Ōmi Province over a period of two days beginning on the 20th day of the fourth month of ...

, but later during the battle, he switched sides to Hideyoshi. In 1584, after Shibata's defeat, Toshiie become leading general for Hideyoshi in Komaki Nagakute Campaign and was forced to fight another of his friends, Sassa Narimasa at the Battle of Suemori Castle. Narimasa was greatly outnumbered and felled by Toshiie. In 1587, following the major Maeda victory, Toshiie sheltered his fellow daimyo Dom Justo Takayama after Justo was expelled from his position as representative of Christians by the shogun's Bantenren order. Later in 1590, Toshiie fought in the Odawara Campaign against

Later Hōjō clan The was one of the most powerful samurai families in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region. Their last name was simply , but were called "Later Hōjō" to differentiate between the earlier Hōjō clan who h ...

. Toshiie and Uesugi Kagekatsu led a detached force of 35,000 soldiers through Usui Pass. This army captured the Hōjō strongholds one-by-one: Matsuida Castle, Minowa Castle, Maebashi Castle, Matsuyama Castle and Hachigata Castle before finally taking Hachiōji Castle. In 1591, he helped suppress the Kunohe rebellion in many locations along with

and many generals from northern Japan.

Later years

In 1598, upon

's death,

proceeded with the "expansion of power through marriage alliances," which Hideyoshi had explicitly forbidden.

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 ...

and other magistrates relied on Toshiie, and tensions between the Tokugawa and Maeda clans reached a critical point. Many influential daimyo, including Mōri Terumoto, Uesugi Kagekatsu,

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 ...

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 ...

, and Hosokawa Tadaoki, supported Toshiie. As a result, Ieyasu apologized to Toshiie, and for the time being, the situation was defused.

Death

Before dying in 1598, Hideyoshi named Toshiie to the council of Five Elders to support Toyotomi Hideyori until he was old enough to take control on his own. However, Toshiie himself was ailing, and could manage to support Hideyori for only a year before he died as well in 1599.

After death

Toshiie was succeeded by his son Toshinaga.

saw this change of leadership as an opportunity and set a trap for Toshinaga. In 1599, Ieyasu announced that there was an assassination plot against him, and he identified Toshinaga as the mastermind. Toshinaga denied the allegations, but Ieyasu demanded, "If you are innocent, hand over your mother as a hostage." In the Maeda clan, there were two factions: one advocating for fighting against the Tokugawa and another advocating for submission. Intense debates took place, but ultimately, Toshinaga's mother, Matsu, persuaded everyone by saying, "For a samurai family, preserving the household is paramount. Do not destroy the family just for my sake." Toshinaga then sent Matsu as a hostage to the Tokugawa clan. From this point on, the Maeda clan effectively came under the umbrella of the Tokugawa clan and fought on the Tokugawa side in 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, ...

(1600).

Family

* Father: Maeda Toshimasa * Mother: Nagayowai-in (d.1573) * Siblings: ** Maeda Toshihisa (d. 1583) ** Maeda Toshifusa ** Sawaki Yoshiyuki (d. 1572) * Half-Siblings: ** Maeda Yasukatsu (d. 1594) ** Maeda Hidetsugu (d. 1585) ** Maeda Masa (given in marriage to Takabatake Sadayoshi) Toshiie's wife, Maeda Matsu, was famous in her own right. Strong-willed from childhood, she was well-versed in the martial arts and was instrumental in Toshiie's rise to success. After her husband died, Matsu, then known by her Buddhist nun name of Hoshun-in, assured the safety of the Maeda clan after the year 1600 by voluntarily going as a hostage to Edo, capital of the new shōgun,

, whom she loathed throughout her life as she watched him, her husband, and Hideyoshi compete for power. * Wives, concubines, children: ** Wife: Maeda Matsu (1547-1617) *** First Daughter: Kohime (1559–1616) married Maeda Nagatane *** First Son: Maeda Toshinaga (1562-1614) *** Second daughter: Shohime married Nakagawa Mitsushige *** Third daughter: Maahime (1572–1605) become

's concubine later Madenokoji Atsufusa's concubine *** Fourth daughter: Gohime (1574–1634) married

, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's adopted son. *** Fifth Daughter: Yome, Asano Yoshinaga's fiancée *** Second Son: Maeda Toshimasa (1578-1633) *** Seventh Daughter: Maeda Chiyo (1580–1641) married Hosokawa Tadataka later married Murai Nagatsugu ** Concubine: Chiyobo (1570-1631) later Kinse-in *** Fourth son: Maeda Toshitsune (1594-1658) ** Concubine: Oiwa, later Ryujo-in *** Sixth daughter: Maeda Kikuhime (1578–1584) *** Ninth daughter: Yoshi, Takeda Nobuyoshi's fiancée, later married Shinohara Sadahide *** 3 boys (early life) ** Concubine: Ozai, later Kinse-in *** Eighth daughter: Fuku, married Cho Yoshitsura, later married Nakagawa Mitsutada *** Third son: Maeda Tomoyoshi (1591-1628) ** Concubine: Jufuku-in *** Fifth son: Maeda Toshitaka (1594–1637) ** Concubine: Kaishoin *** Sixth son: Maeda Toshisada (1598-1620) ** unknown *** girl (early life) ** Nephew: Maeda Toshimasu (1543-1612) Their sons all became ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

s'' in their own right. Their daughters married into prestigious families; the eldest, Kō, married Maeda Nagatane, a distant relative of Toshiie who became a senior Kaga retainer; Ma'a, was a concubine of

and later married Marikouji Mitsurubo, Gō was adopted by Hideyoshi and became the wife of

, and Chiyo, who was first wedded to Hosokawa Tadaoki's son Tadataka, later married Murai Nagayori's son Nagatsugu. Sho married Nakagawa Mitsushige. Toshi married Shinohara Sadahide. Fuku married Nakagawa Mitsutada.

Ōdenta sword

"Ōdenta" or "Great Denta" or "The Best among Swords Forged by Denta". Along with "Onimaru" and "Futatsu-mei", the sword was considered to be one of the three regalia swords of the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan. Later it was passed down to Maeda Toshiie. A legend says the sword healed a daughter of Toshiie and another legend says birds never try to approach a warehouse where this sword is stored.

In popular culture

He is a playable character in video game '' Sengoku Basara 2'' and an unplayable character in video game ''

Sengoku Basara 4 is the fourth main installment of the ''Sengoku Basara, Sengoku BASARA'' video game series, developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3. The game was released in Japan on January 23, 2014. An expanded version of the game for the Play ...

''. He wields a trident and fire-based attacks. In anime, they were initially servants of Oda Nobunaga, later turned to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He is a playable character in the video game ''Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends'' and appears in every major samurai warriors title following his first appearance. He wields a single sword and twin spears.

Honours

Junior First Rank The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese language, Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the Nation, state. ''Ikai'' as a system was the indication of the rank of burea ...

(24 March 1599; posthumously)

References

External links

Buke-kaden page on the Maeda clan (in Japanese)

* ttp://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~gokuh/ghp/busho/mbu_001.htm Biography (in Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Maeda, Toshiie samurai 1538 births 1599 deaths Daimyo Tairō Maeda clan People from Nagoya Oda retainers Toyotomi retainers Deified Japanese men