Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Samurai Commander and Lord of Iga Ueno, Forced to Commit Seppuku by the Shogun….
Daimyo of Iga Ueno, and noted warrior Tsutsui Sadatsugu was born on June 6, 1562, the second son of Tsutsui Junkoku. At the time, the head of the Tsutsui clan, and Lord of Yamato Province, Tsutsui Junkei was childless and required an heir, and so he adopted his cousin, Sadatsugu. Tsutsui Sadatsugu has been described as a master of military strategy who excelled in the arts. His handwriting, talent for painting, and his skill in Noh theatre were of exceptional quality.
In March of 1578, he married Oda Nobunaga's 14th daughter, named either Hideko or Fuji, and after being transferred to Iga Ueno she was known, as most samurai women were, by the name of the place in which she resided, becoming Ueno Gokata . According to Oda clan records, after Sadatsugu's death, she took the Buddhist name Nichiei.
After the death of Oda Nobunaga, he became a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was initially sent to Osaka Castle as a hostage. With the death of his adoptive father Tsutsui Junkei in 1584, he inherited the Tsutsui clan leadership and that same year, participated in the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, fighting under the Toyotomi banners. In 1585, during the Kii Conquest, he distinguished himself during the attack on Sengoku Hori Castle. The Tamonin Nikki chronicles mentions that the Tsutsui army fought bravely, but the loss of samurai was also great. In that same year, he was appointed to the vanguard in Hideyoshi’s attack on Shikoku along with Nakamura Kazuuji and Hachisuka Masakatsu, attacking Kizu Castle.
In 1585, Toyotomi Hideyoshi carried out a large-scale transfer of territory amongst his vassals, implementing a policy of consolidating the Kinai region with the Hashiba (Toyotomi) clan and his closest retainers. As a result of this, Hideyoshi's younger brother, Hashiba Hidenaga, entered Yamato Province, and Sadatsugu was transferred from Yamato Province to Kozuke in Iga Province.
Iga
The Edo period compilation Zouhou Tsutsui Keshita, explains that Sadatsugu was given 120,000 koku of land in Iga Province, 50,000 koku in neighboring Ise Province, and 30,000 koku in Yamashiro Province, for a total of 200,000 koku.
Following his transfer to Iga, Sadatsugu commenced construction of Iga Ueno Castle. Sadatsugu carefully considered the location, terrain and other conditions before choosing the most suitable site for a castle to protect Osaka. He built a modern styled castle with the main citadel on the hilltop, the second enclosure to the west, and the third bailey at the northern foot of the mountain. Iga Ueno Castle served as a base for monitoring, checking, and intercepting the Tokugawa forces from the Tokaido. Ueno, which was a dreary and cold village in Iga, developed greatly through Sadatsugu's development, and for this reason, Sadatsugu is still respected by the locals. Iga Province was a strategic location serving as a defense against the Kanto region (Eastern Japan) and the fact that Hideyoshi stationed Sadatsugu in such an important location is seen as evidence that he greatly valued and trusted Sadatsugu. Further evidence is that Hideyoshi also honoured him with the use of the surname Hashiba, Hideyoshi’s pre Toyotomi moniker, and appointed him as Iga no Kami.
While constructing Iga Ueno Castle, a dispute arose in 1586 between Sadatsugu’s close friend and chief vassal, Nakanobo Hidesuke and general Shima Sakon over an issue regarding irrigation. Being close to Sadatsugu, Nakanobo slandered Shima Sakon on numerous occasions, leading to an incident in which a greatly outraged Shima Sakon left the employ of the Tsutsui clan, and instead Sakon served Ishida Mitsunari, later to become the leader of the western forces at the Battle of Sekigahara. Other powerful retainers, such as Matsukura Shigemasa, Mori Yoshitaka, and Fuse Yoshiharu, also left the Tsutsui clan around the same time. (Incidentally, in 1608, the wily Hidesuke filed a complaint with Tokugawa Ieyasu at Sunpu Castle against his master’s Sadatsugu's supposed misconduct, which resulted in Sadatsugu being forced to forfeit his title.)
In the same year, Tsutsui Sadatsugu left Iga Province in the care of Shinjiro Toichi and led a force of 1,500 men to the Kyushu Expedition, serving under Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s younger brother, Hidenaga's troops and played an active role in the fierce siege of Hyuga Taka Castle in 1588.
Sadatsugi participated in Hideyoshi’s Siege of Odawara in 1590, by laying siege to Nirayama Castle. He later led a force of 3,000 men to Hizen Nagoya in Kyushu at the time of the Bunroku-Keicho War (Korean Invasion) that began in 1592, but stayed in Nagoya, Hizen, not going to Korea. During the Korean campaign, he is known to have sent a message to Kato Kiyomasa commending him for his outstanding military achievements. Rumors of Sadatsugu indulging in alcohol and sex while in Nagoya were said to have caused great concern for his “loyal” vassal, Nakanobo Hidesuke. According to records, Sadatsugu is said to have fallen ill shortly after, and with Hideyoshi's permission, returned to Iga Province.
Sadatsugu and Christianity
Sadatsugu is said to have converted to Christianity aged around 31, but the date of his baptism and his baptismal name are unknown. He had assisted a persecuted Christian named Mika Mansho, and Mansho’s stories made him interested in Christianity. In 1592, through Mansho's intermediation, he became acquainted with Father Alessandro Valignano and was baptized as a Christian. Luis Frois was present at the meeting between Sadatsugu and Valignano and described Sadatsugu as "a man of excellent character." Frois' notes mention that the Christian daimyo Takayama Ukon also spoke highly of Sadatsugu. Frois' records state that at the time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was increasing pressure against Christianity, yet despite this, Sadatsugu had expressed his intention to spread Christianity throughout Iga.
Sekigahara
The Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 saw Sadatsugu siding with the Tokugawa led Eastern Armies. He left his brother Tsutsui Genbayoshi in charge of Iga Ueno Castle while he accompanied Ieyasu’s troops to Aizu, but during that time the castle was attacked and taken by Shinjo Naoyori and his son Naosada, who were allied with the Western forces. Tsutsui Genbayoshi, it appears, was afraid of the enemy samurai laying siege to Iga Ueno, and so he flung open the main gates and fled to holy Mt. Koya, the place of exile for many of Japan’s former defeated and disgraced lords. This incident reached soon the ears of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Sadatsugu was forced to turn back from Aizu, and re-entered Iga Province from the Tarao Pass. Samurai and servants began to gather in response to their lord's appeal, and the Tsutsui raised a considerable army. The Shinjo father and son realized that they had no chance of winning, so they made peace by taking Sadatsugu's eldest son, Juntei, as a hostage and released him at Shimagahara. Once settled, Sadatsugu rushed to Sekigahara to assist Ieyasu.
Edo Period
In 1603, Ieyasu was appointed Shogun and established the Edo bakufu or shogunate, and the Tsutsui clan became Daimyo of Iga Province, with Sadatsugu appointed as the governor of Iga.
In 1608, Sadatsugu's chief vassal Nakanobo Hidesuke complained to Ieyasu about Sadatsugu's mismanagement and misconduct, and Sadatsugu was stripped of his title by order of the shogunate, thus destroying the Tsutsui clan as a daimyo. The reasons for the stripping were that Sadatsugu was accused of being opportunistic, not clearly demonstrating his loyalty to the shogunate by visiting Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s son, Hideyori at Osaka Castle to pay his New Year's greetings, which was considered important for samurai families, and that the shogunate considered him a risk, as he was originally a daimyo under the Toyotomi's patronage and ruled Iga province, a strategically important area protecting Osaka. The Tsutsui were ousted from Iga Ueno and replaced by the Todo clan. This was part of Ieyasu's overall strategy against the Toyotomi, and the daimyo indebted to the Toyotomi, such as the Tsutsui, were targeted. This also ensured that the Tokugawa forces penetrated into the Kansai region without provoking Osaka.
Despite his removal, Tsutsui Sadatsugu remained loyal to the Tokugawa, raising arms and fighting against the Toyotomi in the Winter Siege of Osaka Castle.
Seppuku
On April 2, 1615, he was ordered to commit seppuku aged 54, along with his eldest son, Tsutsui Juntei, for supposedly colluding with the Toyotomi clan during the Siege of Osaka.
The story goes that during the siege, one of the arrows shot from within the castle was claimed to be one of those used by the Tsutsui clan, and this arrow raised suspicions of collusion, leading to Sadatsugu being ordered to commit seppuku. While it is possible that an arrow shot by the Tsutsui troops into Osaka castle may have been re-used and shot back, it is believed that this arrow may have been from the Tsutsui armory scattered amongst warriors — some of whom supported the Toyotomi — when the Tsutsui clan was stripped of its title, hence ending up in Osaka Castle. Yet another personal theory is that a Tsutsui arrow was somehow obtained, with the claim that it was shot from Osaka Castle in a deliberate effort to embarrass and destroy Tsutsui Sadatsugu. That a single arrow among the many thousands fired would be discovered, noted as a type used by the Tsutsui, brought forward and used as “proof” against Sadatsugu seems a little too, …shall we say,… convenient, don’t you think?
The head priest of Denko-ji Temple is said to have buried Sadatsugu, and his son’s remains at the Daian-ji Temple, and erected a stone memorial at the Denko-ji.
Ieyasu handed control of the Tsutsui clan to Sadatsugu's cousin, Tsutsui Sadayoshi, who was given 10,000 koku of land at Yamato Koriyama Castle. During the Summer Siege of Osaka, the Toyotomi forces captured Yamato Koriyama Castle, and the clan lost everything.
The Tsutsui clan are said to have ended as a result of this, but other members of the clan continued to serve as the head priest of Todai-ji Temple, as magistrates, and hatamoto (direct retainers to the Tokugawa), and the family name remains to this day.
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