Muneharu Shimizu

Japanese: 清水宗治 - しみず・むねはる

Year of death: June 4, 1582 (June 23, 1582)
Year of birth: Tenbun 6 (1537)
A military commander during the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was known by the nickname Saitaro, and later called himself Chozaemon-no-jo. He was a local lord based in Shimizu Castle (Shimizu, Soja City) in Bitchu, and married the daughter of Ishikawa Hisataka, the lord of Takamatsu Castle, and became subordinate to him. After Hisataka's death, his heirs also died one after the other, and the samurai under his command fought over the succession, with Muneharu winning and becoming the lord of Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu. At that time, the power of the Mori clan was growing in Bitchu from the west and the Oda clan from the east, but Muneharu took the path of coming under the control of the Mori clan and became subordinate to Kobayakawa Takakage. In April 1582, Hashiba Hideyoshi's messengers, Hasegawa Iemasa and Kuroda Takataka, who were ordered by Oda Nobunaga, invited him to become an ally on the condition that he would be given the two provinces of Bitchu and Bingo. On this occasion, Muneharu declined the invitation, and after the envoys had left, he had Nobunaga's oath delivered directly to Mori Terumoto. In the end, Hideyoshi's forces decided to attack Takamatsu Castle, and after considering the terrain, they came up with the idea of damming the Ashimori River and sieging the castle with water, which they put into action. As it was the rainy season at the time, Takamatsu Castle was partially submerged, and Kobayakawa Takakage and Kikkawa Motoharu, who had come to reinforce the castle, were unable to make any moves when news of Nobunaga's sudden death reached Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi hid this fact and urged the Mori envoy, the monk Ankokuji Ekei, to hurry up with peace, and a hasty peace was concluded with only Muneharu committing seppuku.

(Tetsuo Owada)

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

Japanese:

没年：天正10.6.4(1582.6.23)
生年：天文6(1537)
戦国・安土桃山時代の武将。通称才太郎,のち長左衛門尉と称した。備中の清水城(総社市清水)に拠る国人領主で,高松城主石川久孝の娘を娶り,その幕下に属した。久孝没後,嗣子も相ついで没したため幕下の侍たちが跡目を争い,宗治が勝って,備中高松城主に収まった。そのころ備中には,西からは毛利氏,東からは織田氏の力が伸びてきていたが,宗治は毛利氏の支配下に入る道をとり,小早川隆景に属した。天正10(1582)年4月,織田信長の命を受けた羽柴秀吉の使者蜂須賀家政,黒田孝高の両名が,備中・備後2カ国を与えることを条件に味方になることを誘ってきた。このとき宗治はその誘いを断わり,使者が帰ったあと,信長からの誓詞をそのまま毛利輝元のもとに届けさせている。結局,秀吉軍は高松城を攻めることになり,地形などを勘案した結果,足守川の流れを堰とめて水攻めにする方法を考え実行に移している。折から梅雨どきということも手伝って,高松城は一部水中に没しはじめ,後詰にきた小早川隆景,吉川元春も手を出せないでいたところに,秀吉のもとに信長横死の報が届けられたのである。秀吉はその事実を隠したまま毛利の使僧安国寺恵瓊に講和を急がせ,宗治ひとりを切腹させることで急遽講和が結ばれた。

(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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