Mitsunari Ishida (2/2)A military commander who was an excellent bureaucrat and loyal vassal of Hideyoshi.

Terumoto Mori enters Osaka Castle at the request of the three magistrates, Geni Maeda, Nagamori Masuda, and Masaie Nagatsuka, to replace them. At the same time, a letter of impeachment (``Naifu Kagai no Articles'') containing 13 articles of charges against Ieyasu, signed by the three magistrates, was sent to the various daimyo. At this point, anti-Tokugawa forces led by Ishida Mitsunari raised an army in Osaka. Ieyasu's army headed for Aizu was called the Eastern Army, and the anti-Tokugawa army was called the Western Army because it raised troops in Osaka.
The western army rose up and besieged Fushimi Castle, which was protected by Mototada Torii, a vassal of Ieyasu, and Fushimi Castle fell (Battle of Fushimi Castle).
Furthermore, the Western army invaded Ise Province and captured Iga-Ueno Castle, Anotsu Castle, Matsuzaka Castle, etc., but as the Eastern army turned back and headed towards Osaka, they headed towards Mino. In this way, the eastern and western armies met at Sekigahara.

The two armies met at Sekigahara and clashed in the morning. Initially, the Western army advanced with the upper hand, and Mitsunari is said to have single-handedly taken on several times as many enemies as Kuroda Nagamasa, Hosokawa Tadaoki, and Kato Yoshiaki, but due to the betrayal of Kobayakawa Hideaki, Wakisaka Yasuharu, and others, the Western army It is said that it was completely destroyed.
Mitsunari, who was defeated in the battle, fled the battlefield by crossing Mt. Aikawa to the east of Mt. Ibuki, but was captured by Yoshimasa Tanaka's pursuit party who was searching for Mitsunari on orders from Ieyasu.
Afterwards, he was escorted to Otsu Castle and exposed alive in front of the castle gates. He met with Ieyasu and was taken to Osaka and Sakai as a criminal.
Ishida Mitsunari was beheaded at Rokujo Kawahara on October 1, 1987, at the age of 41, by order of Ieyasu.
After his head was exposed on the Sanjo River, it was taken in by Soen Haruya and Soen Takuan, with whom he had been friends during his lifetime, and was buried at Sangen-in Temple in Daitoku-ji Temple, Kyoto.

Mitsunari's anecdote

Sankencha

On his way home from falconry, Toyotomi Hideyoshi felt thirsty and stopped at a temple to request tea.
The temple page first serves lukewarm tea in a large bowl, then slightly hot tea in a slightly smaller bowl, and finally hot tea in a smaller bowl. This was a thoughtful gesture by the temple pagers, who first quenched their thirst with lukewarm tea, and then made sure to fully enjoy the hot tea that followed.
It is said that Hideyoshi was impressed by this consideration and made the temple page his vassal. The page name of this temple was later Ishida.
It was Mitsunari.

Mitsunari Ishida and Yoshitsugu Otani

One time, at a tea party, I was drinking one sip at a time and passing the bowl around. Yoshitsugu Otani, who was suffering from leprosy, tried to spin the teacup only pretending to drink, but the pus from his face fell into the tea. Later feudal lords were reluctant to touch the tea and only pretended to drink it, but Mitsunari drank the tea without hesitation. Since then, it is said that a strong friendship has formed between the two.

Ishida Mitsunari and his vassals

A story that took place in the Ishida family just before Sekigahara.
Mitsunari's vassal, Sakon Shima, advised him, ``Many people were on Ieyasu's side, and the timing was too late, so they should hold back and not raise an army.''
Mitsunari did not accept this, saying, ``More than temporary success, we should think about how to calm the situation after it happens.''
When Mitsunari left the venue to attend a guest, Mitsunari's vassal said to Sakon, ``What you say is valid.Hisahide Matsunaga and Mitsuhide Akechi were bad people, but their decision-making power was beyond average.'' I did.
After that, before the Battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu sent Munenori Yagyu, who was also from Yamato Province, to Sakon's side to find out what was going on with Sakon Shima. When their talk became a national trend, Sakon recalled the secret meeting and said, ``Right now, we don't have people like Matsunaga and Akechi who have the decisiveness and intelligence, so nothing will happen.'' It is. Although he was very good as a bureaucrat, he may have made some mistakes in his judgment as a leader.

Ishida Mitsunari and Sawayama Castle

Sawayama Castle was ruled by Mitsunari Ishida.
Sawayama Castle dates back to the Kamakura period when a fort was built by the Sasaki family, who served as the guardians of Omi. In the latter half of the Sengoku period, the Azai family, a rising power in northern Omi, expanded its power, and Sawayama Castle came under its control, becoming one of the branch castles of Odari Castle, the castle of the Azai family.
When the Asai family was destroyed by the Oda family, it was ruled by Nagahide Niwa. In the era of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the castle changed hands several times before Mitsunari Ishida entered the castle.
Mitsunari significantly renovated Sawayama Castle, which was in ruins at the time, and built a modern castle with a five-story (some say three-story) castle tower towering atop the mountain.
The majesty of the castle was so great that it was said at the time that there are two castles that rival Mitsunari: Sakon on the island and Sawayama Castle. However, the interior of the castle was extremely simple, and the living rooms of the castle were mostly made of wood, and the walls were left unfinished. The gardens were simply built, the trees were commonplace, and the wash basins were made of rough stones. It is written in "Koshi Yawa" that the people of the time who saw the inside of the castle also felt that it was very unexpected, unlike the majesty it looked from the outside.
Immediately after the Battle of Sekigahara, Mitsunari's residence, Sawayama Castle, fell under attack by the Eastern Army, and many members of the Ishida clan, including Mitsunari's father, Masatsugu, died in the battle.
After the fall of the Ishida family, Ii Naomasa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa, entered the castle, but when he died from wounds sustained in the Battle of Sekigahara, his son Naotsugu took over, but moved to Hikone Castle, and Sawayama Castle was abandoned. I did.
The buildings of Sawayama Castle were completely destroyed, except for those that were relocated to Hikone Castle, so almost nothing remains of the current castle ruins, but only some parts, such as the stone walls and earthworks, remain. There is also a stone monument at the top of the mountain that says "Sawayama Castle Ruins", and you can see a panoramic view of Lake Biwa.

Ishida Mitsunari's relationship

Ishida Kaikan and Utsuyu no Ido

In Ishida-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, there is a museum about Mitsunari Ishida, ``Ishida Kaikan,'' on the site of the mansion where he was born. Inside the museum there are materials related to Ishida Mitsunari, and outside the museum there is also a stone monument inscribed with ``Birthplace of Ishida Jibu Shosuke'' and a bronze statue of Mitsunari. Also, near Ishida Hall, there is a well that was used for Mitsunari's birth.

Ohara Kannonji Temple and the statue where Hideyoshi and Mitsunari met

This is a temple located in Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture. It is said that Kannon Gokokuji Temple, which was originally located on Mt. Ibuki, was moved to its current location during the first year of the Shogun era (1259-1260) and the temple was renovated. Ohara Kannonji Temple is said to be the place where Ishida Mitsunari and Hashiba Hideyoshi met. There is an anecdote that Mitsunari, who was a temple boy, offered tea to Hideyoshi, who stopped by on a falconry trip, and was discovered as ``talented with three bowls.'' There is also an old well that is said to have been used by Mitsunari to draw water for the tea he presented to Hideyoshi. If you walk towards Kurokabe Square from the east exit of Nagahama Station, you will see this statue of Hideyoshi and Mitsunari meeting.

Tsutsumi Ishida

The Ishida Tsutsumi was created when Mitsunari Ishida and others attacked Oshi Castle in Musashi Province, which was the castle of the Narita clan on the Odawara side, as part of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's efforts to pacify the Kanto region. This is the embankment built during the Battle of Oshi Castle. In 2017, the remains of the embankment that remain today were added as one of the constituent assets (cultural assets) of the Japan Heritage story ``Gyoda, the town of tabi storehouses that continues to support the foundations of Japanese clothing culture'' recognized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. I did.

Ishida Mitsunari Festival

The Ishida Mitsunari Festival will be held in Ishida-cho, Nagahama City, the birthplace of Ishida Mitsunari. In addition to the ``Ishida Mitsunari Memorial Service'' held in the morning, a commemorative lecture will be held in the afternoon. On stage, from after the memorial service until the evening, there will be Japanese drum performances by local students, dance and live performances by historical artists, a stamp rally, and a mochi-throwing event.