Mizuno Katsunari's Sekigahara Armour to be Displayed
Special Exhibition Starts October 1 at Fukuyama Castle.
The armour worn at The Battle of Sekigahara by Mizuno Katsunari, the first lord of Fukuyama Castle, will be displayed in a special exhibition starting in October.
Fukuyama City’s Kenchu-ji Temple is dedicated to Mizuno Katsunari (1564–1651) the first feudal lord who built Fukuyama Castle, and has a large collection of materials related to the Mizuno clan. The items are rarely exhibited, and for this special exhibition two items have been selected. One is a painting depicting Mizuno Katsunari in his later years. The scroll is said to be in excellent condition.
The other is a historically valuable piece of armour actually worn by Mizuno Katsunari. The side of the armour has what appears to be matchlock gun shot marks. The helmet and other items together weigh approximately 10.2 kg. It was first worn by Mizuno Katsunari during his attack on Ogaki Castle at the time of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. From examining the armour it was determined that Mizuno stood approximately 160 cm tall.
The armour and scroll will be exhibited in a special exhibition starting in October at the Fukuyama Castle Museum, which recently re-opened following extensive renovations of the castle’s tower keep.
The curator of Fukuyama Castle Museum, Mr. Hiroki Sarakai, said: ' Mizuno Katsunari is the reason Fukuyama Castle exists today, so it's great that so many people can see these items”
Katsunari was the head of the Mizuno family and the master of Kariya Castle (Aichi Prefecture). On October 19, 1600, Western allied Shimazu Yoshihiro's troops attacked Sone Castle. Ii Naomasa and Honda Tadakatsu personally requested Katsunari send his samurai against the Shimazu immediately. Katsunari went on to defend Sone Castle with his younger brother Mizuno Tadatsune. When the Mizuno troops fired on the Shimazu camp, the Shimazu immediately withdrew.
The following day, Katsunari asked Ieyasu for permission to join the battle at Sekigahara, but Ieyasu wanted him to protect the eastern forces rear flank, and asked him to lay siege to Ogaki Castle. At midnight on the 20th, just after the bulk of the Western Forces had departed Ogaki, he attacked the remaining garrison of Ogaki Castle with Matsudaira Yasunaga Nishio Mitsunori, Tsugaru Tamenobu, and Matsushita Shigetsuna. He soon occupied the San-no-maru section of the castle, and then attacked the castle’s second citadel, the Ni-no-maru, which he set fire to before withdrawing. For his valiant efforts, Mizuno was awarded Fukuyama Castle.
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