Fujita Nobuyoshi: The Catalyst of Sekigahara

When it comes to wars, people always look for the “how” and “why”. Most believe it is simple to pinpoint one exact thing that lit the first spark of war, and sometimes we are given a short explanation while in school, or just reading a history book that briefly touches on the subject. I have even done this on this website. While the succession dispute within the Ashikaga Shogunate in the 1460s is one of the major reasons for the start of the Ōnin War, it is not the only reason, as there had been problems boiling under the surface for years prior. Sekigahara is very similar. Regardless, all wars have that one singular moment, or person, in history that becomes the spark for war. For Sekigahara, that is Fujita Nobuyoshi.

Not much is known about Fujita Nobuyoshi here in the West, which is surprising considering the role he would play, but we do have enough to get a sense of what type of a man he was. Born in 1559, he was the second son to Fujita Yasukuni, a clan that served the Hōjō.(1) Little is known about his father and his childhood, but it is known that he was stationed at Numata Castle.(2) While there, it is believed that some of his relatives were killed off by order of the Hōjō, thus leading to Nobuyoshi surrendering the castle to Sanada Masayuki and joined the Takeda under Katsuyori. From there, he marries the granddaughter of Takeda Shingen.(3)

Once the Takeda fell in 1582, Nobuyoshi moved on and joined the Uesugi in Echigo, serving under Kagekatsu during campaigns such as Shizugatake, Sado Province and Odawara. When the Uesugi are given the lands of Aizu in 1598, Nobuyoshi is granted the territory of Omori, worth 15,000 koku.(4) Problems do not arise between Nobuyoshi and the Uesugi until around New Year’s 1600.

Nobuyoshi was sent to Kyōto on behalf of Kagekatsu for the New Year in 1600 and he was treated favorably by Tokugawa Ieyasu while there. He was given gifts, such as silver and a precious sword, making Nobuyoshi have a more positive outlook on Ieyasu than his superiors.(5) Once he returned, things began to escalate. In February 1600, Kagekatsu ordered the construction of Kazashigahara Castle in Aizu, with a total of 80,000 men stationed there and working on the castle day and night. Seeing that his lord was becoming somewhat hostile towards Ieyasu, Nobuyoshi tried to approach his lord about avoiding conflict with Ieyasu. He even went so far as to visit Ieyasu in Ōsaka to smooth things over, telling him that the Uesugi have no intentions to turn.(6) Ieyasu wanted to make sure that was the case and sent him back to Kagekatsu, having him ask the daimyō to come to Ieyasu personally and explain his actions. Naoe Kanetsugu believed that Nobuyoshi had become a spy for Ieyasu, and it is believed that it was him who began plotting for Nobuyoshi to be assassinated. Nobuyoshi found out about the plot to have him killed and left Aizu before it could be carried out. He first stopped in Ōsaka to report to Ieyasu about what had conspired, then double backed to Edo to report to Tokugawa Hidetada.(7) This is where things starting turning to war.

Hori Hideharu, who was stationed in the Uesugi’s old domain in Echigo, begins to confirm reports about the construction of Kazashigahara and various other activities, such as stockpiling weapons. Ieyasu sends yet another messenger to Aizu, asking for Kagekatsu to come and explain himself, and it is here that we get the famous response from Naoe Kanetsugu, known as the Naoe-jo.(8) Seeing that the Uesugi will not back down, Ieyasu declares war on them by the summer of 1600.

While it does look like that Uesugi are more at fault for starting the war than Nobuyoshi, he is seen more as the catalyst for Sekigahara because he was won over by Ieyasu’s charms at the beginning of the year, and he did not approve of the stance that both Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu took against Ieyasu, eventually betraying his clan. It is also possible that he was sent back to the Uesugi by Ieyasu because he knew that they might respond negatively to him, and the attempted assassination, followed by the construction at Kazashigahara and Kanetsugu’s damning letter was all Ieyasu needed to declare war. The army began moving out in June 1600.

From what I could find, Nobuyoshi did not participate in the Battle of Sekigahara at all, nor in the other campaigns around the country. Instead, he went to Daitoku-ji in Kyōto and took on the name Genshin. It has been recorded, however, that he did plead for Kagekatsu to be spared after the Western Army was defeated in 1600.(9) He was given the Nishikata Domain where he built a new castle called Nijo, which was located in what is now Tochigi.(10)

The end of Fujita Nobuyoshi’s life is complicated to say the least. We do know that he participated in the Ōsaka Campaigns years later, however, many sources claim that he was punished for his actions, which resulted in him losing the Nishikata Domain. Those sources that state this, claim that it could have been from his failure as an army superintendent to his insolent behavior due to dissatisfaction with his personal achievements in battle.(11) Another source states that he was gravely injured during the Summer Siege of Ōsaka, and was relieved from the battle, going to Shinshu Suwa Onsen to heal.(12)

Even the manner of his death and information on his burial is unclear. One source claims that he passed away on August 26, 1616 at the age of fifty-eight due to disease. It does mention that there is a growing number of historians that believe that he actually committed suicide, but as for the reason why remains a mystery.(13) Another source claims that he succumbed to his injuries but does not state when he passed, however, the language indicated that it could not have been too long after the Summer Siege of Ōsaka in 1615.(14) As for the burial location, one source claims that he is buried in Jisso-ji in Tochigi Prefecture, however, the official website for Narai-Chosenji in Nagano Prefecture states that he died at that temple and was buried there.(15) His tomb is one of the site’s highlights.

I have mentioned this in previous articles regarding Sekigahara, but it is interesting to learn about what happened outside of this battlefield, for unfortunately, I think the battlefield gets all the attention from historians. I am not saying it does not deserve the attention. On to contrary, I think there needs to be more focus on what happened before and around Sekigahara, rather than all the focus being on just the one battle itself. While Fujita Nobuyoshi might not be well-known to us here in the West, he played a huge role when it came to the tension that built up before Sekigahara even took place. Even he probably did not realize how significant his actions were at the time, yet he was the one that lit the match that would start the flames of war in Japan once again.

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