Fukushima Masanori

The Rise & Fall of a Samurai Hero

Fukushima Masanori was an exceptionally brave and skilled warrior and daimyo. Stubborn, argumentative and straightforward are other words often used to describe the man who would work his way from a low level ashigaru foot-soldier to the rank of daimyo, only to lose it all in the end.

Fukushima Masanori was born in the Futatsudera area of Kaito, Owari Province (now Ama, western Aichi Prefecture) in 1561. Fukushima Masanori and Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s mothers are believed to have been sisters, making Masanori a cousin to Hideyoshi.