was a Japanese

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of History of Japan#Medieval Japan (1185–1573/1600), medieval and Edo period, early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retai ...

of the

Sengoku period The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

, who was a member of 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 cont ...

Satsuma Province was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Satsuma" in . Its abbreviation is . History Satsuma's provincial capital was Satsumasendai. D ...

. He was the fourth son of

Shimazu Takahisa , the son of Shimazu Tadayoshi, was a ''daimyō'' during Japan's Sengoku period. He was the fifteenth head of the Shimazu clan. Biography In 1514, he is said to have been born in Izaku Castle. On 1526, Takahisa was adopted as the successor to Sh ...

. He served in a command capacity during his family's campaign to conquer Kyūshū. His sons were Shimazu Toyohisa,

Shimazu Tadanao Shimazu is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Esther Shimazu (born 1957), American/Hawaiian sculptor * Saeko Shimazu (born 1959), Japanese voice actress * Shimazu clan, ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han * Shimazu Hisamitsu ...

, and Shimazu Mitsuhisa. He was nephew of 'Ten'ei-in' (wife of Tokugawa Ienobu) from his mother side and later he married Kamehime and daughter of Shimazu Yoshitaka, Mitsuhime. He participated in the

Battle of Mimigawa The Battle of Mimigawa was a battle, fought in Japan, between the Ōtomo clan and the Shimazu clan in 1578. The Ōtomo force was led by Sorin's brother-in-law Tawara Chikataka, while the Shimazu clan was led by Shimazu Yoshihisa. Prelude In Ma ...

(1578),

Siege of Minamata Castle The siege of Minamata Castle was a short siege of the castle of Minamata. Minamata was the entry point for the Ōtomo lands in Higo province, the castle was guarded by Sagara Yoshihi with 700 soldiers. When Shimazu Toshihisa and Iehisa enc ...

(1582),

Battle of Okitanawate The , also known as the Battle of Shimabara, was fought on May 3 of 1584 between the combined forces of the Shimazu and Arima clans, and the Ryūzōji army. Ryūzōji Takanobu was attacking a number of independent clans close to his territories. ...

(1584), and in 1587 he fought against

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

forces at Battle of Hetsugigawa and

Battle of Takajo A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and forc ...

. In 1587, he suddenly died at

Sadowara castle is the earthly remains of a castle structure in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. It was the home castle of the Ito clan and later was controlled by the Shimazu clan. Shimazu Toyohisa was command of the castle. Current The castle is now only ruins, ...

. There is a theory that he was poisoned when he visited

Toyotomi Hidenaga , formerly known as . He was a half-brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the most powerful and significant warlords of Japan's Sengoku period The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 ...

's camp.

References

Samurai 1547 births 1587 deaths Shimazu clan 16th-century Japanese people People from Kagoshima Prefecture {{samurai-stub