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Matsunaga Hisahide: Misunderstood Daimyo

Matsunaga Hisahide (松永久秀, c.1510–1577) remains one of the more enigmatic figures of the Sengoku Period. Rising from obscure origins, he became a daimyo, enforcer, cultural elite, and castle innovator. His sophistication, political aptitude and castle innovation won him respect — and perhaps jealousy — even from Oda Nobunaga. Yet he is more often remembered as one of the “Three Evil Daimyō” (三悪人), alongside Saitō Dōsan and Ukita Naoie. Today's historians, less colored by Edo Period chroniclers have painted a very different picture of this daimyo.

The Enforcer

Hisahide’s origins remain obscure, though recent research points to the Takatsuki area in Settsu, near the base of his later home Akutagawasan Castle, where maps record a “Matsunaga Yashiki.” When Miyoshi Nagayoshi returned to Settsu and began rebuilding his power base, he recruited promising samurai regardless of pedigree. Among them were Hisahide and his brother Nagayori, who would become key to the Miyoshi regime’s success.

Hisahide first appears in the records in Nagayoshi’s service in 1539/1540. Without a castle, domain, or hereditary vassals of his own, he relied entirely on ability. His earliest assignments involved relaying Nagayoshi’s orders to temples and merchants around Nishinomiya and the Hyogo ports, where he gained a reputation as an able negotiator and administrator. At the Battle of Eguchi (1549), his skill in combat earned him further distinction, and he was elevated to the rank of senior vassal, on par with members of the Miyoshi family such as Miyoshi Nagayasu.

By the early 1550s, Matsunaga Hisahide had become indispensable to the Miyoshi regime — not only as a battlefield commander but also in diplomacy and domestic governance. In recognition of his growing stature, he was granted Takiyama Castle (滝山城) and broad authority in Settsu Province around 1553. High on the mountains above the Kobe Port area, Takiyama commanded the trade routes and became Hisahide’s first power base. He renovated the fortress with advanced defenses such as double horikiri (moat cuts) and early stonework, while also cultivating his cultural side. he hosted Nagayoshi for renga (linked-verse poetry), Noh performances, and other refined gatherings as a warrior deeply attuned to high culture.

From this base, Hisahide emerged as the chief enforcer of the Miyoshi regime. He crushed Ashikaga attempts to retake Kyoto, mediated a succession dispute at Iwashimizu Hachimangū, and maintained uneasy peace with the Rokkaku in Ōmi (Ashikaga allies). He also worked tirelessly to build his own legacy. His marriage into the imperial family through the sister-in-law of the emperor gave him access to court circles, allowing him to act as a vital bridge between the court and the Miyoshi. He deepened his cultural pursuits under prominent scholars and hosted events that showcased his refinement. This carefully developed sophistication elevated his standing within the Miyoshi and gave legitimacy to his growing influence at court.

The Daimyo

Once the capital was secured in 1558 (see Miyoshi Nagayoshi), Miyoshi turned his attention to Yamato. To carry out this complex task he relied on his most trusted general and diplomat, Matsunaga Hisahide. At the time Yamato Province was a patchwork of powers: the warrior-monks of Kōfukuji and Tōdaiji dominated the land, the Tsutsui clan held nominal sway, and dozens of local samurai families held local autonomy. In 1559 Hisahide marched in with 20,000 Miyoshi troops. The campaign was swift. Many Yamato samurai including the Ochi, Furuichi, Fukuzumi, and Yagyu clans, who resented the Tsutsui, quickly allied with Matsunaga. The main target, Tsutsui Junkei at Tsutsui Castle, was also allied with Yasumi Munefusa, whom the Miyoshi were already attacking in Kawachi. By Hisahide neutralizing Tsutsui Junkei it both secured Yamato and prevented Tsutsui from supporting Yasumi.

With this victory Hisahide became the first warlord to bring Yamato under the unified control of a single daimyō. He ruled with a careful balance of force and diplomacy: forging ties with the wealthy merchants of Nara and Sakai, rewarding local allies, and coopting the military strength of Kofukuji’s warrior-monks. Under his governance, Nara shifted from a city dominated by temples to one governed by warrior authority — a change made visible in the rising silhouette of Tamon Castle, looming above the great temples.

After the invasion Hisahide fortified Shigisan Castle as his military base. The castle high up on the mountain range dividing Yamato and Kawachi allowed him to control both provinces while keeping his commercial networks intact. In 1561 he began work on his masterpiece: Tamon Castle. While Shigisan was the sword of his military, Tamon became the stage for his court, hosting tea ceremonies, poetry, and audiences with nobles.

This division of castles reflected Hisahide’s style of rule — military strength on one hand, cultured statecraft on the other. One might even see a parallel with his lord Miyoshi Nagayoshi, who divided his own power between courtly politics at Saiin Castle in Kyoto and the more practical governance centered at Iimori Castle.

That same year, Nagayoshi elevated him to the court rank of Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade (従四位下), and granted him use of the paulownia crest (桐紋) — honors normally reserved for the shogun or great lords. It was an extraordinary recognition, legitimizing Matsunaga Hisahide as a daimyō in his own right despite his uncertain and humble origins.

The Architect

Tamon Castle was constructed on the northern edge of Nara, overlooking the capital's great temples. Its architecture impressed contemporaries. The Portuguese missionary Luís de Almeida described its magnificent, white plastered walls and tiled roofs as something "not to be found in all of Christendom" and likened entering it to arriving in paradise.

Key innovations at Tamon included:

• Four-story tower (yagura): Often called the "Taka Yagura" (High Turret), this structure is considered a direct forerunner of the iconic castle keeps (tenshu) that would define later castles.

• Roof tiles : Borrowing from the advanced building techniques of Nara's temples, Hisahide used tiles and thick plaster walls (shikkui), making his castle far more resistant to fire and firearms than the wooden fortifications of the past.

• Tamon-yagura: The castle featured long, house-like defensive structures built atop stone walls, a design so influential it became known as the Tamon-yagura ("Tamon turret") and a standard feature of later Japanese castles.

Hisahide’s defensive network in Yamato included Shigisan Castle and Tamon Castle as his two primary headquarters. This network was complemented by a dual strategy of control: he garrisoned key satellite castles such as Sawa Castle and Toichi Castle with his own trusted retainers, while also relying on the support of powerful local allies who remained in their own strongholds, such as the Yagyu clan at Yagyu Castle, long recognized as a key strategic position to control in Yamato. This system was further bolstered by fortifications like Kaseyama Castle, a brilliant mountaintop fortification (extensive yokobori and unejo tatebori) that was key to conflicts with the Miyoshi. Later, his son Hisamichi would fortify Ryuozan Castle as his base, and in the final conflict with Nobunaga, Kataoka Castle served as a key forward position. -- (good place for a table or map, maybe interactive map with mouseover highlights!?!)

The Survivor

Just as Matsunaga Hisahide seemed to have secured his place, his world collapsed. The deaths of several close retainers in the Miyoshi regime, including Nagayoshi's son and heir, Yoshioki, rocked the Miyoshi stability. Hisahide (Yoshioki's guardian) was so overcome with grief that he temporarily retired from public life. This was followed by Miyoshi Nagayoshi’s failing health and eventual death in 1564, forcing Hisahide into an unenviable role. For nearly two years he concealed Nagayoshi's decline, managing affairs in his name. Later chroniclers cast this as an attempted usurpation, but more likely it was Hisahide simply fulfilling his duty to preserve the regime. IF he really wanted to usurp Nagayoshi's role, he probably could have. The Miyoshi successors were weak. In truth, without Nagayoshi there would have been no Matsunaga Hisahide — and without Hisahide, Nagayoshi would never have become the first Tenkabito.

With Nagayoshi gone, the Miyoshi Triumvirate (see Miyoshi Nagayoshi) scrambled to assert control. Meanwhile the specter of Oda Nobunaga loomed larger on the horizon. In 1565 Hisahide’s son, Matsunaga Hisamichi, took part in the Eiroku Incident, the assassination of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru. Even though contemporary sources suggest Hisahide himself was not directly involved, later chroniclers attribute the death to Hisahide or his scheming.

The Three Crimes of Matsunaga Hisahide

This man committed three things no one else would dare do.
— Oda Nobunaga

According to later sources, Nobunaga once raised a cup at a banquet and toasted to Hisahide’s infamous deeds:

1. He overthrew his own lord
2. He killed a shogun
3. He burned the Great Buddha Hall

Nobunaga — destroyer of Enryakuji — admitted that these were acts beyond even his reach. It was a backhanded tribute to Hisahide’s reputation. In reality these myths are debunked and only reflect the fearful admiration of those who followed.

Relations with the Triumvirs soon soured. In 1567 Hisahide struck against them with a daring night raid on Tōdaiji, where they had taken refuge. During the fighting the Great Buddha Hall was engulfed in flames — almost certainly an accident, though later legend would brand Hisahide as the man who burned Nara’s sacred treasure. Ironically, he actually contributed to fundraising for its reconstruction.

In 1568 Hisahide pivoted from his uneasy ties with the Miyoshi, instead allying with Oda Nobunaga, who had entered Kyoto alongside Ashikaga Yoshiaki to drive the Miyoshi from power. To demonstrate his loyalty, he presented Nobunaga with the famed Tsukumo tea caddy, one of the prized utensils of the age. With Oda backing, Hisahide drove out the Miyoshi Triumvirs and reasserted his hold over Yamato. Even allied he remained uneasy, wary of Nobunaga’s tightening grip.

His first betrayal came in 1572, when he joined the anti-Nobunaga coalition formed as Takeda Shingen marched towards Kyoto. Shingen’s sudden death in 1573 shattered the alliance, and in a rare display of clemency Nobunaga pardoned Hisahide — likely because he still valued Hisahide’s remarkable talents. But the cost was high: he was forced to surrender Tamon Castle. Akechi Mitsuhide would become temporary castellan of Tamon Castle until Nobunaga had it dismantled in 157x. It is said the four story tower (main keep) and other structures were relocated to Azuchi Castle. (although historians like to claim many innovations by Nobunaga at Azuchi Castle, it is clear he also drew inspiration from others!)

By 1575 Hisahide had been stripped of Yamato altogether, humiliated further by Nobunaga’s promotion of his rival Tsutsui Junkei. When Uesugi Kenshin launched his own campaign against Nobunaga in 1577, Hisahide seized the chance and fortified himself in Shigisan Castle. But, Kenshin never advanced. Nobunaga’s army closed in. After his forward base at Kataoka Castle fell to Akechi Mitsuhide, Shigisan was besieged. On October 10, 1577, Hisahide set fire to the castle’s main tower and took his own life. A famous tale claims that he destroyed the priceless Hiragumo tea kettle, coveted by Nobunaga, in the flames. His sons Hisamichi and Nagayori also perished with him, along with and many retainers. The fall of Shigisan was not just the end of a rebellion, but the end of the Matsunaga clan.

Hisahide's death while in defiance of Nobunaga sealed his reputation as one of the great schemers of the age and later chroniclers vilified him for turning against his lord/ally. Yet, before the betrayal and rebellion, Matsunaga Hisahide had been something very different: a kingmaker, a deft politician, a renowned tea master, and a pioneer of castle architecture.