was a Japanese 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...

 of the Sengoku

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...

 and Azuchi-Momoyama period

Azuchi-Momoyama period

The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...

s. The heir and son of Gamō Katahide

Gamo Katahide

was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period through Azuchi-Momoyama Periods. Katahide, the eldest son of Gamō Sadahide, was a retainer of the Oda clan. His son, Gamō Ujisato, became daimyo of the Aizu Domain....

, lord of Hino Castle in Ōmi Province

Omi Province

is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...

, he later held Matsusaka (Ise Province

Ise Province

or was a province of Japan including most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces.The ancient provincial capital was at Suzuka...

) and finally Aizuwakamatsu Castle

Aizuwakamatsu Castle

, also known as Tsuruga Castle is a traditional castle in northern Japan, at the center of the city of Aizuwakamatsu, in Fukushima Prefecture.- History :The castle was constructed by Ashina Naomori in 1384, and was originally named...

 in Mutsu Province

Mutsu Province

was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...

. He also controlled Obama Castle

Obama Castle (Mutsu)

is a mountain castle in the former Iwashiro , Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The ruins of the inner tower are now part of a historical park.-History:...

 through one of his retainers, Gamō Chūzaemon.

Early life

Ujisato, known in his childhood as , was born in Hino, in the Gamō district of Ōmi Province

Omi Province

is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...

 in 1556. In 1568, Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

, who was en route to Kyoto, defeated the Rokkaku clan

Rokkaku clan

The was a Japanese samurai clan which wielded considerable power in the Muromachi period under the Ashikaga shogunate.-Rise and Fall:Founded by Sasaki Yasutsuna of Ōmi province in the 13th century, the name Rokkaku was taken from their residence within Kyoto; however, many members of this family...

, who were the masters of Tsuruchiyo's father, . Upon the Rokkaku clan's defeat, Katahide as a former influential vassal, pledged loyalty to Nobunaga, and became an Oda retainer. However, the price of Katahide's pledge was giving up his son as a hostage, and so Tsuruchiyo was taken to Gifu

Gifu, Gifu

is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...

, then the Oda clan

Oda clan

The was a family of Japanese daimyo who were to become an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, several branches of the family would continue on as daimyo...

's headquarters.

Tsuruchiyo's sagacity impressed Nobunaga, and soon, the young man had his manhood rite in Gifu, taking the name . In the summer of 1569, Utahide took part in his first campaign, during Nobunaga's subjucation of Kitabatake Tomomasa of Kizukuri Castle. For his distinction in battle, Nobunaga gave his daughter Fuyuhime in marriage to Utahide, affectionately referring to Utahide as "my little son-in-law." At the same time, he was allowed to return to his father's castle at Hino. Though Fuyuhime was still young at this point, she is said to have later matured into a stunningly beautiful woman.

Major campaigns under Nobunaga

In 1570, Utahide fought at the Battle of Anegawa

Battle of Anegawa

The 1570 came as a reaction to Oda Nobunaga's sieges of the castles of Odani and Yokoyama, which belonged to the Azai and Asakura clans. It was also referred to as the Battle of Nomura by the Oda and Azai clans and the Battle of Mitamura by the Asakura clan.As warriors sallied forth from the...

, and later that same year, joined his father in the Oda assault on the Asakura clan

Asakura clan

The ' are descendants of Prince Kusakabe , son of Emperor Temmu .The family was a line of daimyō which, along with the Azai clan, opposed Oda Nobunaga in the late 16th century...

 of Echizen Province

Echizen Province

was an old province of Japan, which is today the northern part of Fukui Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Etchū and Echigo Provinces.Echizen is famous for washi . A text dated AD 774 mentions the washi made in this area. Echizen-produced Washi is still the most commonly sold traditional...

. The two led a force of 1,000 men as the vanguard of Shibata Katsuie

Shibata Katsuie

or was a Japanese military commander during the Sengoku Period who served Oda Nobunaga.-Biography:Katsuie was born in the Shibata family, a branch of the Shiba clan . Note the differences between , , and the .Katsuie was the retainer of Oda Nobukatsu...

's army. The total number of men under Katsuie's overall command at that battle totaled 5,000. Of those 5,000, the number under Katsuie's command totaled 600, so this may give some impression of the importance of the Gamō family. Following the betrayal of Azai Nagamasa

Azai Nagamasa

was a Daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japan. His clan, the Azai, were located in northern Ōmi Province, east of Lake Biwa. He was both the brother-in-law of Oda Nobunaga, starting in 1564, and one of Nobunaga's enemies from 1570-1573. Nagamasa and his clan were utterly destroyed by Oda...

, Utahide assisted in Nobunaga's withdrawal by taking him into his own Hino Castle, and facilitating his escape to Gifu from there. In recognition of this feat, Nobunaga gave Utahide and his father a stipend increase, and posted them to southern Omi, under the command of Shibata Katsuie

Shibata Katsuie

or was a Japanese military commander during the Sengoku Period who served Oda Nobunaga.-Biography:Katsuie was born in the Shibata family, a branch of the Shiba clan . Note the differences between , , and the .Katsuie was the retainer of Oda Nobukatsu...

. The Gamō would see action against the Asakura once more, in 1573. In 1575, upon Katsuie's posting to Kitanoshō Castle

Kitanosho Castle

was a hirashiro . Its remains are located in current-day Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. As the castle lasted merely eight years, few records survive about it. It is known, though that it was built by Shibata Katsuie in 1575...

, the Gamō, ruling from their castle at Hino, came under Nobunaga's direct command, serving as hatamoto

Hatamoto

A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...

. That year, Utahide fought at the Battle of Nagashino

Battle of Nagashino

The ' took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa province of Japan. Forces under Takeda Katsuyori had besieged the castle since the 17th of June; Okudaira Sadamasa , a Tokugawa vassal, commanded the defending force...

.

Nobunaga's assassination and Hideyoshi's rise

When Nobunaga was assassinated in 1582, Utahide was with his father, who had been posted as warden of Azuchi Castle

Azuchi Castle

' was one of the primary castles of Oda Nobunaga. It was built from 1576 to 1579, on the shores of Lake Biwa, in Ōmi Province. Nobunaga intentionally built it close enough to Kyoto that he could watch over and guard the approaches to the capital, but, being outside the city, his fortress would be...

. Together, the two sheltered Nobunaga's wife and children in Hino Castle, saving their lives. In the same year, Utahide submitted to Hashiba Hideyoshi. The following year, he joined Hideyoshi's attack on Takigawa Kazumasu

Takigawa Kazumasu

, also known as Sakonshōgen , was a samurai retainer to Oda Nobunaga, and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi, during Japan's Sengoku period. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa and later served Nobunaga alongside Kazumasu and Toshimasu's adopted uncle, Maeda Toshiie.Originally from...

, as well as the Battle of Shizugatake

Battle of Shizugatake

The was a battle in Sengoku period Japan between supporters of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Oda Nobutaka.In May, 1583, a former general of Nobunaga's named Shibata Katsuie coordinated a number of simultaneous attacks on Shizugatake, a series of forts held by Hideyoshi's generals among whom was Nakagawa...

, and received the title of . In this year, his son Tsuruchiyo (Gamō Hideyuki

Gamo Hideyuki

was a Japanese daimyo who ruled the Aizu domain. He was the son of Gamō Ujisato. A Christian, Hideyuki was moved to Utsunomiya in Shimotsuke after his father died in 1595. In 1600, he was given Aizu, worth 600,000 koku. This had been part of his father's fief.Hideyuki's eldest son Tadasato...

) was born.

Following his siege of Oda Nobukatsu

Oda Nobukatsu

was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He was the second son of Oda Nobunaga. He survived the decline of the Oda clan from political prominence, becoming a daimyo in the early Edo period.-Kitabatake clan:...

 during the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute

Battle of Komaki and Nagakute

The consisted of two battles in 1584 between the forces of Hashiba Hideyoshi and the forces of Oda Nobukatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hideyoshi and Ieyasu had both served Oda Nobunaga and had not previously come into conflict; this would in fact be their only period of enmity...

 in 1585, he received Matsusaka, in the southern section of Ise Province

Ise Province

or was a province of Japan including most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces.The ancient provincial capital was at Suzuka...

, as his fief (rated at 120,000 koku

Koku

The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...

). (The main castle of this fief was .). After taking part in the subjugation of Kii Province

Kii Province

, or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. The Kii Peninsula takes its name from this province....

 in 1585, Utahide took the name of "Ujisato." Soon after, due to the influence of Takayama Ukon, he received a Christian baptism in Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

, and took the baptismal name of Leo.

Career under Hideyoshi, and later life

In 1588, construction was completed on , where he immediately moved. Ujisato took part in all of Hideyoshi's subsequent campaigns: the Siege of Odawara (1590)

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...

, the pacification of Ōshū (Mutsu

Mutsu Province

was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...

 and Dewa Province

Dewa Province

is an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:...

s) (1590), and the Japanese invasions of Korea. For his role in the pacification of Ōshū, he received a 420,000 koku

Koku

The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...

fief with its headquarters at Kurokawa Castle in Aizu

Aizu

is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...

. He renamed the castle Wakamatsu, the name which even the town retains to this day.

In preparation for the Japanese invasions of Korea, Ujisato proceeded in 1592 to Hideyoshi's base in Nagoya

Nagoya, Saga

was the location of a castle in Matsuura District, Hizen Province. Today, the area is part of Chinzei in the city of Karatsu in Saga prefecture.Toyotomi Hideyoshi made Nagoya his base for directing the invasion of Korea.-References:...

 in Hizen Province

Hizen Province

was an old province of Japan in the area of Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō...

. He fell ill there, coughing up blood in early 1593. From Nagoya, he headed first to Aizu, and then to Fushimi, where the Gamō family's mansion was almost complete. Hideyoshi himself would visit the mansion twice after its completion Ujisato died at age 40, at Fushimi Castle

Fushimi Castle

', also known as Momoyama Castle or Fushimi-Momoyama Castle, is a castle in Kyoto's Fushimi Ward. The current structure is a 1964 replica of the original built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.-History:...

. Though his family would lose Aizu soon after with Hideyuki

Gamo Hideyuki

was a Japanese daimyo who ruled the Aizu domain. He was the son of Gamō Ujisato. A Christian, Hideyuki was moved to Utsunomiya in Shimotsuke after his father died in 1595. In 1600, he was given Aizu, worth 600,000 koku. This had been part of his father's fief.Hideyuki's eldest son Tadasato...

's transfer to Utsunomiya, the Gamō would later be returned to Aizu by Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu

 was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...

.

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