Chōsokabe forces · Chōsokabe
Chōsokabe Motochika
“The Prodigy of Tosa”
As a pale, quiet boy he was mocked as "the little princess," but in his first battle at 22 he wielded his spear so fiercely that he became feared as "the little demon." Leading the half-farmer, half-soldier "one-armour" troops he unified Tosa, then attacked into Awa, Sanuki and Iyo and became master of Shikoku. But in Tenshō 13 he could not resist the invasion of Shikoku by Hideyoshi, master of the realm, and surrendered; confirmed in Tosa alone, he became a vassal. In his last years he lost his heir Nobuchika at the battle of Hetsugigawa in Kyushu, and died leaving his house troubled over the succession.
- Epithet
- “The Prodigy of Tosa”
- Rank / office
- Junior Assistant Minister of the Imperial Household
- Domain / base
- Tosa (Okō Castle)
- Banner / crest
- Seven wood-sorrel leaves
- Side
- Chōsokabe forces
- Lived
- 1539–1599 (aged 61)
Life
- Eiroku 3 First Battle at Nagahama Fought his first battle at 22 and became feared as "the little demon."
- Tenshō 3 Unification of Tosa Drove out the Ichijō, pacified the whole of Tosa and set out to conquer Shikoku.
- Tenshō 13 Invasion of Shikoku; Surrender Lost Ichinomiya and other castles to Hideyoshi's great army, surrendered and was confirmed in Tosa alone.
- Tenshō 14 The Tragedy of Hetsugigawa Lost his heir Nobuchika at the Hetsugi River in Kyushu, a deep and lasting grief.
- Keichō 4 Death at Fushimi Died at his residence in Fushimi, as if having watched the course of the realm to its end.
Battles in this archive1 battles
Related sites
- Okō Castle ruins (Nankoku, Kōchi)
- Hata Shrine (Kōchi)
- Sekkei-ji (Kōchi)