The foremost senior retainer and supreme military advisor of Ishida Mitsunari. Originally a retainer of Tsutsui Junkei, he had become a ronin when his master's house declined — and the famous story goes that Mitsunari recruited him by offering half of his own stipend (20,000 koku). He was praised: "There are two things too good for Mitsunari — Shima Sakon and Sawayama Castle." At the Battle of Sekigahara he fought at the vanguard of Mitsunari's forces, clashing fiercely with Fukushima Masanori's army, but was seriously wounded by gunfire and disappeared without trace. Because his body was never found, legends of his survival sprang up in later generations.

A first-rate warrior combining martial valor and strategic intelligence. He gave absolute loyalty to the lord he served and sought no reward — a pure embodiment of the samurai spirit.

The phrase "there are two things too good for Mitsunari" remains a celebrated saying. As a symbol of loyal warriors, his relationship with Ishida Mitsunari has a special brilliance in the stories of the Sengoku period.