was a Japanese samurai and daimyo of the Sengoku-through late-Azuchi–Momoyama periods, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Torii died at the siege of Fushimi, where his garrison was greatly outnumbered and destroyed by the army of Ishida Mitsunari. Torii's refusal to surrender had a great impact on Japanese history; the fall of Fushimi bought Ieyasu time to regroup his army and eventually win the Battle of Sekigahara.

Early life

Torii was born in Okazaki, the son of Torii Tadayoshi. As a boy, he was sent as hostage to the Imagawa clan. and The Battle of Anegawa in June of 1570.

In 1573, He fought at the Battle of Mikatagahara and Battle of Suwahara Castle the following year and was wounded in the legs, which rendered walking difficult for him from then on.

In 1582, Tenshō-Jingo War broke out between the Tokugawa clan and Hōjō clan in a contest to gain control of the area of Shinano Province, Ueno region, and Kai Province (currently Gunma Prefecture), which had been vacant since the destruction of Takeda clan and the death of Oda Nobunaga. Ieyasu lead an army of 8,000 soldiers entering Kai, Shinano Province, and Ueno, to annex it. In the battle of Wakamiko, 8,000-10,000 Tokugawa soldiers fought against around 50,000 soldiers of Hojo soldiers led by Hōjō Ujinao. In the final phase of this conflict, Naomasa participated in the battle of Kurokoma. At some point of this war, Hōjō Ujikatsu led a detachment of 10,000 soldiers in encircling the rear of Tokugawa army to entrap them. Sensing this, Torii Mototada led a raid group of 2,000 to repel their attempt, leading to the battle of Kurokoma. The Hōjō army failed to launch trap Tokugawa's army from the rear.

During the conflict between Toyotomi against Hōjō clan, Mototada participated in the siege of Iwatsuki Castle.

In a last statement addressed to his son Torii Tadamasa, Mototada described how his family served the Tokugawa for generations and how his own brother had been killed in battle. In the letter, Torii stated that he considered it an honor to die first so that he might give courage to the rest of the Tokugawa warriors. He envisioned Tokugawa's reign would remain far off into the future. He requested that his son raise his siblings to serve the Tokugawa clan "In both ascent and decline" and to remain humble desiring neither lordship nor monetary reward. When the order was given, the two lifelong friends, Torii Mototada and Tokugawa Ieyasu parted ways sadly knowing that they would never see each other again:

: "It is not the Way of the Warrior to be shamed and avoid death even under circumstances that are not particularly important ... For myself, I am resolved to make a stand within the castle and to die a quick death. It would not take much trouble to break through a part of their numbers and escape, no matter how many tens of thousands of horsemen approached for the attack or by how many columns we were surrounded. But that is not the true meaning of being a warrior, and it would be difficult to account as loyalty. Rather, I will stand off the forces of the entire country here, and ... die a resplendent death."

Notable Action

Torii Mototada's actions had a great impact on the course of Japanese history. Tokugawa Ieyasu would raise an army of 90,000 and confront Ishida Mitsunari's forces at Sekigahara in what would be one of the bloodiest battles in the Sengoku period. 40,000 heads would be taken in the first hours of battle and 70,000 would perish in the next two days as the remnants of Mitsunari's vanquished army were hunted down and executed. The Battle of Sekigahara was a decisive one, resulting in the unification of Japan. Tokugawa's family would rule the entire country for the next 268 years.

Mototada's suicide at the fall of Fushimi is one of the most celebrated acts of seppuku in Japanese history.

Descendants

Among his descendants, Ōishi Yoshio (1659-1703), Karō (Chief retainer) of the Akō Asano clan, leader and hero of the Forty-seven Rōnin's revenge against Kira Yoshinaka, was his great-great-grandson, through Yoshio's father Ōishi Yoshiaki, maternal grandson of Torii Tadakatsu, fourth son of Torii Mototada.

Notes

References

  • Totman, Conrad. Tokugawa Ieyasu: Shogun.
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20091002235330/http://www.city.okazaki.aichi.jp/museum/DB/KIKAKU/E/e001%20toriimototada.htm
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20080307054400/http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~history/sub2.html
  • http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~echigoya/jin/ToriiMototada.html
  • The Last Statement of Torii Mototada Written on the eve of his castle's destruction (1600 AD)