Katsushige Nabeshima

Japanese: 鍋島勝茂 - なべしま・かつしげ

Year of death: 24 March 1657 (7 May 1657)
Year of birth: Tensho 8.10.28 (1580.12.4)
A feudal lord in the early Edo period, and lord of the Saga Domain in Hizen Province (Saga Prefecture). His childhood name was Isematsu, and he was commonly known as Iheita. His real name was Kiyoshige, and he was Katsushige. He was a Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade Shinano no Kami. He was a Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade Chamberlain. He was the eldest son of Nabeshima Naoshige. His mother was the daughter of Ishii Tadatsune. He was born in Saga, Hizen Province. He was adopted by Ryuzoji Takanobu's second son, Egami Ietane, but returned to the Nabeshima family when Ietane was killed in battle during the Bunroku War. He later became close to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 (Keicho 5), he initially joined the Western Army, but with the mediation of Ii Naomasa and Kuroda Nagamasa, he apologized to Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was granted relief in Hizen Province for his achievements in attacking Tachibana Muneshige of the Western Army at Yanagawa Castle in Chikugo Province. In 1617, when the main Ryuzoji family was extinct, he inherited the family headship, and the Nabeshima Saga Domain was established. During the Shimabara Rebellion in 1637, his retainers were found to have violated military orders by trying to be the first to arrive at the rebellion, and were ordered to live in seclusion by the shogunate. The transfer of power from the Ryuzoji clan to the Nabeshima clan was later dramatized in kabuki and kodan as the Nabeshima Disturbance, with Katsushige portrayed as the villain who tried to take over the family.

(Chizuru Fukuda)

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

Japanese:

没年：明暦3.3.24(1657.5.7)
生年：天正8.10.28(1580.12.4)
江戸前期の大名,肥前国佐賀藩(佐賀県)藩主。幼名伊勢松,通称伊平太。諱清茂,勝茂。従五位下信濃守。従四位下侍従。鍋島直茂の長男。母は石井忠常の娘。肥前国佐賀生まれ。竜造寺隆信の次男江上家種の養子に入るが,文禄の役で家種が戦死し鍋島家に復帰。その後豊臣秀吉に接近,慶長5(1600)年関ケ原の戦では初め西軍に属したが,井伊直政や黒田長政の斡旋で徳川家康に謝罪。西軍立花宗茂を筑後国柳川城に攻めた功によって肥前国を安堵。同12年竜造寺本家の断絶により同家の家督を継承し,鍋島佐賀藩が成立した。寛永14(1637)年島原の乱では,家臣が一番乗りを果たそうと抜け駆けしたことが軍令違反とされ,幕府から蟄居を命じられるなどした。また竜造寺氏から鍋島氏への政権交代はのちに鍋島騒動として歌舞伎,講談で劇化され,勝茂はお家乗っ取りの悪役として描かれた。

(福田千鶴)

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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