Kuroda Nagamasa

Japanese: 黒田長政 - くろだ・ながまさ

Year of death: August 4, 1623 (August 29, 1623)
Year of birth: December 3, 1568 (December 21, 1568)
A military commander in the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. The eldest son of Kuroda Takataka. His mother was the daughter of Kushihashi Ijo. His childhood name was Matsuju, and he was commonly called Yoshibei. In 1577, when his father Takataka allied with Oda Nobunaga, he was sent to Nobunaga as a hostage, and he spent his childhood under Hashiba Hideyoshi at Nagahama Castle in Omi. His first battle was in 1581, when he joined Hideyoshi's invasion of the Chugoku region, and he accompanied him in most of Hideyoshi's battles thereafter. After the Battle of Shizugatake the following year, he was assigned a stipend of 450 koku in Tanboku County, Kawachi Province, for his military achievements, and in 1582, during the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, he was based at Kishiwada Castle in Izumi, where he was awarded an additional 2,000 koku for his achievements in repelling the Negoro and Saika Rebellions. In the 15th year of the same year, he moved to Buzen Province due to his achievements in the Kyushu campaign, and in the 17th year of the same year, he succeeded his father Takataka as head of the family, receiving a fief of 120,000 koku in Nakatsu, Buzen Province, and was appointed as the Governor of Kai, with the rank of Junior Fifth Rank. He crossed the seas during both the Bunroku and Keicho Wars, and distinguished himself in the Battle of Hekiteikan and the Battle of Ulsan Castle. He did not get along well with Ishida Mitsunari, and after Hideyoshi's death, he approached Tokugawa Ieyasu, taking Ieyasu's adopted daughter, Sakaehime (the daughter of Hoshina Masanao), as his second wife. In the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 (Keicho 5), he belonged to the Eastern Army, and was particularly successful in scheming for the internal betrayal of Kobayakawa Hideaki, and for these achievements he was awarded over 523,000 koku in the entire Chikuzen Province, and built Fukuoka Castle. In the 8th year of the same year, he accompanied Ieyasu on his visit to the Imperial Palace, where he was appointed as the Governor of Chikuzen, with the rank of Junior Fourth Rank. During the Winter Siege of Osaka in the same year, he was kept in Edo Castle, but during the Summer Siege of the following year, 1615, he joined Tokugawa Hidetada's troops and went into battle.

(Tetsuo Owada)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：元和9.8.4(1623.8.29)
生年：永禄11.12.3(1568.12.21)
安土桃山・江戸前期の武将。黒田孝高の長男。母は櫛橋伊定の娘。幼名を松寿,通称を吉兵衛といった。天正5(1577)年,父孝高が織田信長に属したため人質として信長のもとに送られ,近江長浜城の羽柴秀吉のもとで少年期をすごした。同10年,秀吉の中国攻めに従軍したのが初陣で,以後,秀吉の主な戦いに従っている。翌年の賤ケ岳の戦のあと,戦功によって河内国丹北郡で450石をあてがわれ,同12年の小牧・長久手の戦のときには和泉の岸和田城に拠って,根来・雑賀一揆を撃退した功により2000石の加増を受けている。同15年の九州攻めの功によって豊前国に移り,同17年,父孝高から家督を継いで豊前中津に12万石の所領を得,従五位下・甲斐守に叙任された。文禄の役,慶長の役,ともに渡海し,碧蹄館の戦,蔚山城の戦で戦功をあげている。石田三成とは折り合いが悪く,秀吉死後は徳川家康に接近し,家康の養女栄姫(保科正直の娘)を継室に迎えていた。慶長5(1600)年の関ケ原の戦においては東軍に属し,特に小早川秀秋の内応工作に成果をあげ,それらの功によって筑前一国52万3000余石を与えられ福岡城を築いた。同8年,家康の参内拝賀に供奉し,そのとき従四位下・筑前守に叙任。同19年の大坂冬の陣には江戸城に留められたが,翌元和1(1615)年の夏の陣のときには徳川秀忠隊に属して出陣した。

(小和田哲男)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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