Tachibana Muneshige (立花宗茂, December 18, 1567 – November 15, 1643), known in his youth as Senkumamaru (千熊丸) and alternatively called Tachibana Munetora (立花宗虎 or 立花統虎), was a samurai during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and an Edo-period daimyō.

Tachibana Muneshige
立花宗茂
Tachibana Muneshige
Head of Tachibana clan
In office
1581–1642
Preceded byTachibana Dōsetsu
Succeeded byTachibana Tadashige
Lord of Tanagura
In office
1603–1620
Succeeded byNiwa Nagashige
Lord of Yanagawa
In office
1620–?
Preceded byTanaka Tadamasa
Succeeded byTachibana Tadashige
Personal details
Born
Senkumamaru (千熊丸)

December 18, 1567
DiedNovember 15, 1643(1643-11-15) (aged 75)
NationalityJapanese
SpouseTachibana Ginchiyo
Parent
RelativesTachibana Dōsetsu (father-in-law)
Other nameTachibana Munetora (立花宗虎 or 立花統虎)
Military service
Allegiance Tachibana clan
Ōtomo clan
Toyotomi clan
Western Army
Tokugawa shogunate
UnitTakahashi clan
Battles/warsKyūshū Campaign
Siege of Odawara
Korean Campaign
Siege of Ōtsu
Siege of Yanagawa
Siege of Osaka
Shimabara Rebellion

He was the eldest biological son of Takahashi Shigetane, a senior retainer of Ōtomo clan.[1] He was adopted by Tachibana Dōsetsu,[1] and later married his daughter Tachibana Ginchiyo, succeeding the Tachibana clan.

In 1600, at Sekigahara campaign, he sided with the 'Western army'.[1] However, Muneshige surrendered during the Siege of Yanagawa under the assumption that he could then switch sides and aid the Tokugawa-loyal forces against the Shimazu clan of Satsuma. After the battle of Sekigahara, he was deprived of the Yanagawa Domain for punishment by Tokugawa Ieyasu.[1]

He participated in the Siege of Osaka (1614-1615) and later he was brought back to the former territory, Yanagawa.[1]

In 1637, Muneshige served in the shogunate army during the Shimabara Rebellion (1637-1638), a revolt involving mostly Japanese peasants, most of them Catholics. He was then given a small territory in Tanagura.[1]

Muneshige in popular culture edit

See People of the Sengoku period in popular culture.

Honours edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Tachibana Mueshige". kotobank. Retrieved 30 October 2021.

References edit

Further reading edit

  • Genjō Sanjin. Kyūshū sengokushi: Bekki gundan. Tōkyō: Rekishi Toshosha, 1978. OCLC 70792159
  • Kawamura, Tetsuo. Tachibana Muneshige. Fukuoka-shi: Nishi Nihon Shinbunsha, 1999. ISBN 4816704884 OCLC 44470864
  • Nakano, Hitoshi. Tachibana Muneshige. Tōkyō: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 2001. ISBN 4642052208 OCLC 46390748
  • Tachibana, Muneshige, and Tōun Hasegawa. Ehon hōkan. Setsuyō [Osaka]: Kankidō Shigeyuki, 1688. OCLC 26843338
Preceded by Tachibana family head
1581–1637
Succeeded by