Ōtomo Sōrin
Ōtomo Sōrin | |
|---|---|
大友 宗麟 | |
 | |
| Head of Ōtomo clan | |
| In office 1550–1587 | |
| Preceded by | |
| Succeeded by | Ōtomo Yoshimune |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 31, 1530 Bungo Province |
| Died | June 11, 1587 (aged 57) Tsukumi, Bungo Province |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Spouse(s) | Ōtomo-Nata Jezebel |
| Relations | Ōtomo Chikasada (brother) Ōuchi Yoshinaga (brother) |
| Children | Ōtomo Yoshimune Ōtomo Chikaie |
| Father | Ōtomo Yoshiaki |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Ōtomo clan Toyotomi clan |
| Unit | Ōtomo clan |
| Battles/wars |
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Ōtomo Sōrin (大友 宗麟, January 31, 1530 – June 11, 1587), also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige (藤原 義鎮) and Ōtomo Yoshishige (大友 義鎮), was a Japanese feudal lord (daimyō) of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Roman Catholicism (Christianity). The eldest son of , he inherited the Funai Domain, on Kyūshū, Japan's southernmost main island, from his father. He is perhaps most significant for having appealed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi to intervene in Kyūshū against the Shimazu clan, thus spurring Hideyoshi's Kyūshū Campaign of 1587.
Early life[]
He married Lady Nata (Jezebel) in 1545 who became one of the leading personalities against the spread of Christianity in western Japan. In addition to unifying much of Kyūshū under his control, and securing a significant gain in his clan's power and prestige therefore, Sōrin is also quite significant as one of the daimyōs to meet personally with the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier in 1551, one of the first Europeans in Japan. Though he later formally converted to Christianity, it is likely that Sōrin saw this as a strategic move, politically, and was not religiously motivated towards this position[citation needed]. Referred to as the "King of Bungo" in the Jesuit records, Sōrin sent political delegations to Goa in the 1550s, and the Tenshō embassy to Rome in 1582.
In addition to fostering relations with the Christians, Yoshishige fought a number of battles over the course of the 1550s, both gaining and consolidating territory. He defeated in 1551, and the warrior monks of Usa five years later; in 1557 he defeated and seized Chikuzen Province.
In 1562, Yoshishige adopted the name "Sanbisai Sōrin" upon becoming a Buddhist monk, but remains best known as Ōtomo Sōrin, despite converting to Christianity under the baptismal name Francisco in 1578.
Conflict with Mori[]
In 1557, Ōuchi Yoshinaga (Sorin's younger brother) was forced to commit suicide by Mōri Motonari, and in 1558 Mori captured Moji castle from the Ouchi.
In September 1559, Otomo Sorin then turned against the Mōri clan. He recaptured Moji castle. The Mōri, led by Kobayakawa Takakage and , quickly took the castle again.[1]
In 1561, Ōtomo Sōrin, in alliance with the Portuguese, laid siege to Moji. Ōtomo led an all-out assault on the castle but failed, and the castle finally remained in Mōri possession.[2][3]
The head of the Mōri at that time, Mōri Takamoto, was assisted by the Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, which led to a peace treaty between the clans. To secure peace, Sōrin proposed that his daughter marry Takamoto's son, Mōri Terumoto. It is not clear, however, if this offer was ever followed through.
In 1564, Sōrin was forced to quell a rebellion of the Akizuki clan of Chikuzen province, and then moved against the Ryūzōji clan of Hizen Province, which prompted the interference of the Mōri.
In 1569, Tachibana Dosetsu, a notable vassal of the Ōtomo, was attacked by the Mori. He was defeated and lost his castle. After Sōrin heard of this, he threatened the Mōri foothold in Buzen Province and attacked them at Tatarahama, forcing the Mōri to retreat and allowing him to retake Tachibana castle.
By this time, Sōrin controlled Bungo, most of Buzen, Chikuzen, and Chikugo, and had influence over Higo and Hizen. The Ōtomo soon became known as the "Seven-Province Host of the Ōtomo".
Conflict with Shimazu[]
In 1578, Sōrin came into conflict with the Shimazu family led by Shimazu Yoshihisa, the only major daimyō family remaining in control of significant portions of Kyūshū. Sōrin attacked Shimazu Takajo castle, but failed to capture the castle and lost at the Battle of Mimigawa.
In 1585, after Shimazu invasion of Chikuzen Province, Shimazu advanced and captured Iwaya Castle from Otomo's. Later, Sōrin along with the daimyō of the Ryūzōji clan, they appealed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi to aid in holding back the Shimazu, who were beginning to extend their influence over Ōtomo and Ryūzōji lands. Though at first unsuccessful in enlisting Hideyoshi's aid, eventually the Shimazu took up arms against the Ōtomo, Shimazu seize Toshimitsu Castle, Funai Castle and defeated Sōrin at Battle of Hetsugigawa in 1586.
In 1587, Hideyoshi began his Kyūshū Campaign, in which he overtook the entire island, with the help of the Ōtomo and other families which voluntarily entered his service.
Death[]
Within roughly a year of his arrival, Hideyoshi left Kyūshū, restoring the Ōtomo to their domains, taken from them by the Shimazu, and arranging a peace, with all three families officially subject to Hideyoshi and holding the domains, now officially Toyotomi lands, in trust. Ōtomo Sōrin died before this campaign was complete, and so it was his son, Ōtomo Yoshimune, who held the ancestral lands upon the defeat of the Shimazu.
Notable retainers[]
See also[]
References[]
Citations[]
Bibliography[]
- Frederic, Louis (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
- Sansom, George (1961). A History of Japan: 1334–1615. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
- Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & Co.
External links[]
Media related to Ōtomo Sōrin at Wikimedia Commons
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- 1530 births
- 1587 deaths
- Daimyo
- Samurai
- Japanese Roman Catholics
- Converts to Roman Catholicism from Buddhism