Tōdō Takatora

Tōdō Takatora (藤堂 高虎) was a Japanese daimyō of the Tōdō clan from the Azuchi–Momoyama to Edo periods. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru (a light foot soldier) to become a daimyō.

During his lifetime he changed his feudal master seven times and worked for ten people, but in the end he rendered loyalty to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who became his last master.

Tōdō Takatora is famous for excellence in castle design. He is said to have been involved in building as many as twenty castles, including Edo Castle, Wakayama Castle, Uwajima Castle, Imabari Castle, Iga Ueno Castle and Sasayama Castle.

It is mentioned in the historical records that Tōdō Takatora was a large man with around 190 cm in height. After his death, historical records stated that Takatora body were covered with lesions and battle scars, and some of his fingers were torn off and had no nails.

Biography
Tōdō Takatora was born in 1556 in Ōmi Province. The precise place of his birthplace was in Tōdō village, Inukami-gun, east of Lake Biwa.

Takatora were hailed from Tōdō clan branch which descended from a samurai named Kagemori Todo who served imperial court noble in 14th century.

Takatora started working for Azai Nagamasa at the age of 15. He participated his war in the battle of Anegawa in 1570 as a member of Kassho Isono's corps with his father, Torataka. He also played an active role in the attack on Usayama Castle and received a letter of commendation and was given a wakizashi from Nagamasa as reward.

Later, at sometimes after the destruction of Azai clan, Takatora then served Isono Kazumasa, the lord of Ogawa Castle, who was also a former vassal of the Asai clan. Takatora as a vassal for received a landholding worth of 80 koku.

Serving the Toyotomi clan
In 1576, Takatora served Hashiba Hidenaga, the younger brother of Hashiba Hideyoshi, a senior vassal of Nobunaga, and was granted a smallholding of fief worth of 300 koku. At this time, he changed his surname to Yoemon.

In October 1577, when Hidenaga led 3,000 soldiers to marched into Tajima, Takatora succeeded in a surprise attack on and subdued Takeda Castle with the help of a guide. Takatora immediately awarded with additional lands of 1,000 koku, and appointed to lead ashigaru infantry. However, when Takatora led 120 cavalry to attack against the resistance forces from Tochiya castle, Takatora units suffered heavy casualties.

In 1580, during the Siege of Miki, Takatora personally killed the commander of Bessho Nagaharu's 300 horsemen, Kago Rokuroemon. Takatora also recorded to seize the mount of Rokuroemon, a jet black colored horse.

In 1581, suppressing a rebellion of local clans in Tajima Province. His holding of domain was increased by 3,000 koku, and he was promoted as commander of musketeers unit.

in 1583, Takatora was participated in the campaign of Shizugatake on the side of Toyotomi. He fought in the Chugoku region where he manage to beat and rout the troops of Sakuma Nobumori. for his service in this campaign, Takatora were rewarded with additional holding of domains worth of 1,300 koku.

In 1585, Takatora participated in Toyotomi conquest of Kishu. He manage to defeat Yukawa Naoharu and Yamamoto Shuzen in October. After the war, Takatora was given more fiefs of Kokawa, Wakayama in Kii Province, which worth of 10,000 koku. He also was appointed as 'commissioner' for the construction of Saruokayama Castle and Wakayama Castle. In the same year, he made contribution in the Invasion of Shikoku, and was awarded further land domain worth of 5,400 by Hideyoshi.

In 1586, Hideyoshi, who became Kanpaku or regent, instructed Hidenaga to build a mansion in Jurakudai's residence for Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was to go to Kyoto for an audience with Hideyoshi, and Hidenaga appointed Takatora as Sakuji Bugyo. Takatora were assigned as chief designer to built the mantion. Then on his own initiative, Takatora changes the design as he cited the security concerns from the original blueprints he was given, and pay the additional cost of the project. Later, when Ieyasu inspected the design and asked him why the mansion residence were different than the original blueprint, Takatora answered that Ieyasu feel dissatisfied with the change he made, he was free to reconstruct the mansion. However, Ieyasu was said that he was instead satisfied with Takatora design.

In 1587, Takatora participated in Toyotomi Kyūshū campaign to subjugate the Kyushu island. he played distinguished role at the battle of Nejirasaka against the Shimazu clan, where he manage to rescue another Toyotomi general named Miyabe Keijun from a danger. for his military exploits at this battle, Takatora domains were increased to 20,000 koku. Later, Takatora further recommended by Hideyoshi and appointed to Sado no kami (Senior Fifth Rank Lower Grade).

In 1589, he built Akagi Castle (present-day Kiwa-cho, Kumano City, Mie Prefecture) as a base for suppressing the Kitayama Uprising. Many farmers were also beheaded at Tahirako Pass by Takatora.

In 1591, after Hidenaga died, Takatora served under Hideyoshi, participating in the invasions of Korea as a "Fleet Commander" of Toyotomi's navy. His fiefdom at that time was Iyo-Uwajima.

In 1595, after the death Hideyasu Toyotomi, Takatora decided to became a monk and went up to Mt. Koya. However, Hideyoshi does not want Takatora to waste his talent and ordered Chikamasa Ikoma to summon Takatora, so he returned to secular life, was given an additional 50,000 koku, and moved to Iyo. Soon, he also further given a land of in Kokuitajima (present-day Uwajima City), totalling his domain possession to be worth of 70,000 koku.

In 1597 during the second Korean campaign, Takatora participated in the Battle of Myeongnyang, where he was wounded in action.

Takatora also further his success in annihilating the naval force led by the Korean navy's military commander Won Gyun at the Battle of Chilcheollyang. After returning to Japan, he has added 10,000 koku to Ozu Castle, bringing it to 80,000 koku.

Serving the Tokugawa clan


Before the clash between Ieyasu Tokugawa and Ishida Mitsunari faction in Sekigahara, Takatora sent his family to Edo city as sign of allegiance to Ieyasu.

In 1600, at the Battle of Sekigahara, although he was one of Toyotomi's main generals, he sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu faction of Eastern army. During the battle, units of Takatora engage the units of Ōtani Yoshitsugu of the 'Western' army. However, when Kobayakawa Hideaki's army attacked Yoshitsugu from the west, Yoshitsugu lost his ground and is said to have committed suicide, with the Eastern army progressed, Takatora led his troops further to the high ground location where units of Western army supreme leader, Mitsunari, positioned. The Ietada Nikki records; Shima Sakon fourth son, Shima Kiyomasa within Yoshitsugu's ranks, tried to kill Takatora in one blow, however he was struck down and killed by an 'Eastern' general named Takagi Heizaburō.

After the victory of Tokugawa forces in Sekigahara, Takatora further advanced his troops for the mop up operations against daimyo lords which siding with the Misunari faction. First he suppress the vassals of Mōri Terumoto's resistances in Iyo Province, then he also manage to convince Ieyasu giving pardon to former Terumoto generals such as Wakisaka Yasuharu, Ogawa Suketada, Kutsuki Mototsuna, and Akaza Naoyasu. After the war, Takatora was given a larger fiefdom, Iyo-Imabari, assessed at 200,000 koku.

Edo period
During the Edo period, the wealth of each fiefdom was measured as a volume of rice production in koku. Iyo-Uwajima was assessed at 70,000 koku, Then starting from 1601, Takatora spent six years rebuilding Itajima Castle, which would later be called Uwajima Castle. Following that, Takatora also further increased his total possession with worth domains of 203,000 koku. Takatora landholds were further increased with additional territories in Iga Province, bringing his total worth of domains into 270,000 koku.

In 1604, Takatora and Date Masamune advised the Shogunate government to introduce a rule across Japan that each feudal lord were obliged to maintain residence in Edo, capital of Shogunate, which immediately accepted and implemented officially.

Later in 1608 Takatora was assigned control of Tsu (with landholdings in Iga and Ise), which at first worth of to the 220,000, then grow further in productivity to the total revenue of 320,000 koku. It was reported that the landholdings which Takatora received in Iga province were previously belongs to a lord named Tsutsui Sadatsugu, which Ieyasu stripped off and give the rights to Takatora. The initial pretext were because Sadatsugu's sloppy governance of the domain. However, historians arguing that the reason were because Sadatsugu behaved suspiciously visiting Toyotomi Hideyori at Osaka Castle, without the Shogunate approval, while the land which Sadatsugu occupied was considered as important military strategic location. Furthermore, it was more though that in Ieyasu perspective to strip the land and give it to the Todo clan as political strategy against the Toyotomi clan, as despite his patronage to the Toyotomi family, Tōdō Takatora were considered as a close ally of Ieyasu. Thus by making him to control the portions of Iga province, it could pushed more strategic locations to the influence of Shogunate without directly provoking the Toyotomi faction in Osaka.

Later in 1609, Takatora completed the renovation of Iga Ueno Castle into a newly built of layered tower-style castle. Takatora also entrusted to renovate the Kameyama Castle in Tanba domain, Kyoto. The constructions and renovation of numerous castles were though was a preparation of the incoming potential conflicts against Hideyori Toyotomi of Osaka Castle and any feudal lords who were potentially siding with him, including castle which built by Takatora.

In Iga province, It was reported that Tōdō Takatora employs the Iga-ryū Ninjas. Aside from Ninjas, he also employs local clans of Iga province as "Musokunin", which is a class of part time Samurai who has been allowed to retain their clan name but does not have land. The Musokunin also worked as farmer during peace, while they are obliged to take arms in the time of war.

in 1614, Takatora participated in the winter phase of siege of Osaka aiding the Tokugawa shogunate. He mobilize the Musokunin army from Iga province to besiege the Osaka castle.

In 1615, during the summer phase of the Osaka campaign, Takatora participated in the Battle of Yao where he crushed the army of Chōsokabe Morichika.

After the Osaka campaign, He gained another 50,000 koku in 1617 in southern Ise, to which he added 3000 koku in Shimōsa Province which were originally the patrimony of his younger brother. His total holdings of 323,000 koku were the ninth largest in Japan, excluding the shimpan Tokugawa and Matsudaira domains.

In 1619, Tokugawa Yorinobu was transferred to Wakayama Castle, and the 50,000 koku Tamaru region of southern Ise was transferred from Tsu to Kii Domain; however, Tōdō Takatora received equivalent holdings in Yamato and Yamashiro Provinces in compensation.

In 1630 of October 5th, Tōdō Takatora died on his residence in Edo. His age was 74 years old.

Films

 * Portrayed by Kim Myung-gon in the 2014 film The Admiral: Roaring Currents.

Comics

 * A fictionalized version of Todo (renamed "Todo Tokotora") appears in the 2009 comic miniseries Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender, where he is shown in a lover's relationship with fellow general Gurijima Michiyuki. Gurijima's death during the Battle of Hansando becomes Todo's primary motivation to eliminate Yi.

Video games

 * Takatora is a playable character in the Samurai Warriors franchise debuting in Sengoku Musou Chronicle 2nd. In Samurai Warriors 4, he is portrayed as an Azai retainer and a close friend of Ōtani Yoshitsugu before joining the Toyotomi.

Historical sources

 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)
 * Tōdō family information (25 Sept. 2007)