Sengoku Hidehisa
The Samurai Vilified by Priests, but Praised by Warlords
In the 16th century Portuguese missionary Luis Frois’ History of Japan, warrior Sengoku Hidehisa and his retainers were described as; "The worst pirates and thieves rampant in Bungo Province." Frois described them as "(Having) no human feelings such as shame or mercy, interested only in stealing as much as they could," and "Although he (Sengoku Hidehisa) was sent by the regent (Hideyoshi) to rescue the Bungo forces from the enemy, he committed crimes, insulted the people of Bungo, and ruled tyrannically. He was so deeply hated there was a danger that the people of the land would kill him. Sengoku-dono abandoned his belongings, and like a coward fled with 20 people,”
So why was Sengoku Hidehisa so vilified?