Kyogoku Takatsugu

• Birth: 1560
• Death: 1609
• Title: Wakasa no kami
• Sons: Kyôgoku Tadataka, Kyôgoku Tadamasa
• Distinction: Oda, Toyotomi retainer

Takatsugu first served Oda Nobunaga, whose niece he married. At the time of Akechi Mitsuhide's rebellion against Nobunaga in 1582, Takatsugu attempted to take advantage of the situation with an abortive attack on Nagahama castle in Ômi province. Mitsuhide was soon destroyed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the battle of Yamazaki, however, and Takatsugu found himself isolated. He therefore sought the protection of Hori Hidemasa, who conveyed him into the service of Shibata Katsuie. When Katsuie was defeated by Hideyoshi and committed suicide in 1583, Takatsugu fled to the estate of Takeda Motoaki (who was married to Takatsugu's sister). Motoaki was killed soon afterwards on Toyotomi Hideyoshi's orders, but Takatsugu was given a fief even as his sister was to taken as a concubine to Hideyoshi at Osaka castle. Perhaps due to this connection, Takatsugu enjoyed great favor by Hideyoshi and his income was progressively raised from 2,500 koku to 10,000, 28,000, and finally 60,000-koku and Ôtsu castle in Ômi Province. He was present for the Odawara Campaign (1590). In 1600 he sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu and as a result was besieged at Ôtsu by a 'western' army of 15,000 men. After a few days fighting he surrendered and fled to Mt. Kôya, though he was later granted a 92,000-koku fief in Wakasa province at Obama.

References

• Initial text from Sengoku Biographical Dictionary (Samurai-Archives.com) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005