was a Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

 daimyo

Daimyo

is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. He was the 21st chief of the Chōsokabe clan

Chosokabe clan

The was a Japanese samurai clan of the Sengoku period, that controlled Tosa Province , and later Shikoku Island. The clan is sometimes also known as...

 of Tosa Province

Tosa Province

is the name of a former province of Japan in the area that is today Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku. Tosa was bordered by Iyo and Awa Provinces. It was sometimes called .-History:The ancient capital was near modern Nankoku...

 (present-day Kōchi Prefecture

Kochi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...

). He was the son and heir of Chōsokabe Kunichika

Chosokabe Kunichika

was a powerful warlord in Tosa Province, Japan. He is the son of Chōsokabe Kanetsugu. His childhood name was Senyumaru .His father was killed by the Motoyama clan in 1508. Therefore, Kunichika was raised by the aristocrat Ichijō Husaie in Tosa Province. Kunichika was reconciled with the Motoya clan...

 and his mother was a daughter of the Saitō clan

Saito clan

The was a Japanese clan in Mino Province during the Sengoku period in the 16th century. According to records, the Saitō clan descended from the Fujiwara clan...

 of Mino Province

Mino Province

, one of the old provinces of Japan, encompassed part of modern-day Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mino Province bordered Echizen, Hida, Ise, Mikawa, Ōmi, Owari, and Shinano Provinces....

.

In 1575, Motochika was victorious at the Battle of Watarigawa, gaining control of Tosa Province. Over the ensuing decade, he extended his power to all of Shikoku

Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...

. However, in 1585, Hashiba (later Toyotomi) Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

 invaded that island with a force of 100,000 men, led by Ukita Hideie

Ukita Hideie

was the daimyo of Bizen and Mimasaka provinces , and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Son of Ukita Naoie, he married Gohime, a daughter of Maeda Toshiie...

, Kobayakawa Takakage

Kobayakawa Takakage

was a samurai retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi during Japan's Sengoku period, and the son of Mōri Motonari. Adopted by the head of the Kobayakawa clan, Takakage took his name, and succeeded his adoptive father to become head of the Kobayakawa clan following his death in 1545.As head of the Kobayakawa...

, Kikkawa Motonaga, Hashiba Hidenaga

Toyotomi Hidenaga

, formerly known as was a half-brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the most powerful warlords of Japan's Sengoku period. He was also known by his court title, . After participating in and helping Hideyoshi win the battle at Kii, Hidenaga oversaw the construction of Wakayama Castle in 1585,...

, and Hashiba Hidetsugu

Toyotomi Hidetsugu

was a nephew and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who lived during the Sengoku period of the 16th century of Japan.A practitioner of the shudō tradition, Hidetsugu had a number of Wakashū...

. Motochika surrendered, and forfeited Awa

Awa Province (Tokushima)

was an old province of Japan in the area that is today a part of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku. Awa was bordered by Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo Provinces. It was sometimes called .-References:...

, Sanuki

Sanuki Province

was an old province of Japan on the island of Shikoku, with the same boundaries as modern Kagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .It faced the Inland Sea and bordered on Awa and Iyo Provinces. Across Naruto strait it bordered Awaji Province too. Administratively it was included as a part of...

, and Iyo Province

Iyo Province

was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku. Iyo bordered on Awa, Sanuki, and Tosa Provinces. It was sometimes called ....

s; Hideyoshi permitted him to retain Tosa.

Under Hideyoshi, Motochika and his son Nobuchika

Chosokabe Nobuchika

was the eldest son of samurai lord Chōsokabe Motochika, and lived during the late Sengoku Period of Japanese history. After the subjugation of Shikoku by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nobuchika and his father followed the Toyotomi into Kyushu. Nobuchika was caught in an ambush during the campaign against the...

 participated in the invasion of neighboring Kyūshū

Kyushu

is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....

, in which Nobuchika died. In 1590, Motochika led a fleet in the Siege of Odawara

Siege of Odawara (1590)

The third ' occurred in 1590, and was the primary action in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign to eliminate the Hōjō clan as a threat to his power. The months leading up to it saw hasty but major improvements in the defense of the castle, as Hideyoshi's intentions became clear...

, and also fought in the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592.

Motochika died in 1599 at age 61 at his mansion in Fushimi

Fushimi-ku, Kyoto

is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Famous places in Fushimi include the Fushimi Inari Shrine, with thousands of torii lining the paths up and down a mountain; Fushimi Castle, originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with its rebuilt towers and gold-lined...

. His successor was Chōsokabe Morichika

Chosokabe Morichika

was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Once the ruler of Tosa Province, his fief was revoked by Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara....

.