learn/[id]

ERA

1 min read

九

ERA

Four Brothers on the Verge of Unifying Kyushu — The Shimazu and the Rise of Satsuma

In the Sengoku era, the four Shimazu brothers — Yoshihisa, Yoshihiro, and others — expanded from Satsuma to the brink of unifying Kyushu. They submitted to Hideyoshi's army in 1587 but kept Satsuma and Osumi until the end of the Edo period. The story of the Shimazu, famed for the valor of the Satsuma warriors.

A deep read

In the Sengoku era the four Shimazu brothers — Yoshihisa, Yoshihiro, Toshihisa, and Iehisa — expanded from Satsuma, defeating the Otomo at Mimikawa in 1578 and bringing most of Kyushu under their control. They submitted to Hideyoshi’s 200,000-strong army in 1587 but kept Satsuma. Yoshihiro’s daring frontal breakthrough of the Tokugawa lines at Sekigahara (1600) became legend as the ‘Shimazu Retreat.’ The clan survived to produce Meiji Restoration leaders like Saigo and Okubo.

Portrait of Shimazu Yoshihiro — second of the four Shimazu brothers and their military core, famed for the daring 'Shimazu Retreat' breakthrough at Sekigahara

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Terukuni Shrine, Kagoshima — linked to the Shimazu family, conveying the history of the clan that ruled Satsuma

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Battle of Sekigahara — stage of the 'Shimazu Retreat,' where Yoshihiro broke through the Tokugawa main force to escape amid the Western Army's defeat

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

── END ──

This article was

♡ Helpful

⤴

Key Figures

Shimazu Yoshihiro

Oni-Shimazu (Demon of Shimazu)