Tadamoto Niiro - Niiro Tadamoto

Japanese: 新納忠元 - にいろ・ただもと

Year of death: December 3, 15 of Keicho (January 16, 1611)
Year of birth: 1526
A military commander during the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. Son of Sukehisa. Childhood name Yasumanmaru. Jiro-Shirou. Served as Osakabe no Taifu and Musashi no Kami. After becoming a monk he took the names Sessai and Tamefune. Descended from a branch of the Niiro clan of the Shimazu clan, he served the Shimazu clan under four generations of the clan, Takahisa, Yoshihisa, Yoshihiro and Iehisa, from 1538 (Tenbun 7). He distinguished himself in the siege of Yokokawa Castle (Yokokawa-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture) in 1562 (Eiroku 5) and Magose Castle (Hishikari-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture) in 1562 (Eiroku 11), and was given the title of "Yoshihisa's Four Heavenly Kings" and "Demon Musashi." He fought in the army year after year, and from 1585 to 1588 (Tensho 15) he fought in the Chikushi region and Bungo (Oita Prefecture), but was attacked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and resisted from Oguchi Castle (Oguchi City, Kagoshima Prefecture), until he was encouraged by Yoshihisa to leave and shave his head. It is said that Hideyoshi was impressed by his attitude of surrender, which was not the slightest bit servile, and his last instructions to his household, "Nisai Togata Kakushiki Teimoku," were long considered a model for Satsuma samurai.

(Akira Imaya)

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

Japanese:

没年：慶長15.12.3(1611.1.16)
生年：大永6(1526)
戦国・安土桃山時代の武将。祐久の子。幼名安万丸。次郎四郎。刑部大輔,武蔵守。入道して拙斎,為舟。島津氏一族新納氏の支流の出で島津氏に仕え,天文7(1538)年以来貴久,義久,義弘,家久の4代に仕える。永禄5(1562)年横川城(鹿児島県横川町)攻め,同11年馬越城(同菱刈町)攻めに戦功を上げ,「義久の四天王」「鬼武蔵」などの武名を称された。以後連年のように従軍し,天正13(1585)年から同15年にかけて筑紫地方や豊後(大分県)に転戦したが,豊臣秀吉の征討にあい大口城(同大口市)に拠って抵抗,義久の勧めでようやく下り剃髪した。降伏の態度は微塵の卑屈なく秀吉を感服させたといい,家中への遺訓『二才咄格式定目』は長く薩摩武士の規範とされた。

(今谷明)

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

<<: Bicameral system - Niinsei

>>: Niiro-shi