The Shimazu Clan — Warlords Who Swept Kyushu During the Warring States Period
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The Shimazu clan were prestigious western lords controlling Satsuma, Osumi, and Hyuga from the Kamakura period. During the Warring States period, the 'Four Brothers' — Yoshihisa, Yoshihiro, Toshihisa, and Iehisa — greatly expanded their power in pursuit of Kyushu unification. Defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Kyushu campaign in 1587 and reduced in domain, they maintained Satsuma and Osumi and continued as outer lords after Sekigahara. As the Satsuma domain in the late Edo period, they became a driving force of the Meiji Restoration.
Shimazu Yoshihisa and Kyushu Unification — The Eldest of the Four Brothers at the Shimazu Peak
Shimazu Yoshihisa, known as the eldest of the 'Four Brothers' with Yoshihiro, Toshihisa, and Iehisa, came close to controlling Kyushu — defeating Otomo Yoshimune at the Battle of Mimikawa in 1578 and sweeping through Bungo. However, overwhelmed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's great army in 1587, he surrendered with his domain reduced to Satsuma and Osumi. He then devoted himself to internal affairs and established the foundations of the Satsuma domain, supporting his brother Yoshihiro's famous stand at Sekigahara as family head.
Invasion of the Ryukyus — Shimazu Iehisa's Conquest of the Ryukyu Kingdom (1609)
Shimazu Tadatsune (Iehisa) invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1609 with a force of 3,000, forcing King Sho Nei to surrender. Thereafter, Ryukyu maintained a 'dual subordination' status, under Satsuma domain's control while also maintaining tributary relations with China (Ming then Qing). The Shimazu clan thereby benefited from China trade profits, strengthening Satsuma domain's economic power. This gave Satsuma an exceptional position of maintaining independent foreign relations even under Edo shogunate authority.