Amako Hisayuki

• Born: ?
• Died: 1541
• Son: Amako Ujihisa
• Titles: Shimotsuke no kami (下野守)
• Japanese: 尼子 久幸 (Amako Hisayuki)

Hisayuki was the 2nd son of Amako Kiyosada and the younger brother of Amako Tsunehisa. He was considered a capable if cautious leader.

When Amako Tsunehisa was banished from Gassan-Toda Castle in 1486 after plotting to split from the Kyogoku clan, Hisayuki, who had not yet come of age, was at length placed under the protection of the Takeda at Kanayama Castle, where he was given his manhood ceremony. When Tsunehisa retook Gassan-Toda, Hisayuki returned and went on to become a valuable asset to his brother. In 1516 he married the daughter of Takeda Motoshige when the latter broke off ties to the Ôuchi and allied with the Amako. In 1525, eight years after the death of Motoshige, Hisayuki led a force to assist the Takeda when they were threatened by the Ôuchi.

In 1518, Tsunehisa's son Masahisa was killed attacking the castle of the rebellious Amako retainer Sakurai Soteki [桜井宗的]. Tsunehisa became grief-stricken when he heard the news and considered retiring in favor of Hisayuki. When Hisayuki protested, Tsunehisa at length changed his mind.

In 1540, after Tsunehisa had retired in favor of his grandson Haruhisa, the latter concieved of a great campaign to destroy the Môri of Aki Province. When a council of the Amako retainers was called to discuss the planned expedition, almost all spoke in favor of the attack. Hisayuki, however, considered the risks to be too great and spoke out against it, arguing that a more methodical approach would need to be taken to defeat Motonari. For his troubles he was derided by Tsunehisa as a coward and publicly humiliated. He and his nephew Kunihisa were dispatched against the Shishido clan of Aki Province in what was a secondary operation of the coming campaign against the Môri's capital at Yoshida-Koriyama. At the end of what became Haruhisa's failed Battle of Yoshida- Koriyama, the Môri and Ôuchi troops attacked the Amako as they were withdrawing and caused such chaos in the ranks that Haruhisa himself was threatened. Hisayuki threw himself into the fray and was killed.

His body was buried at Koriyama by the Môri. His gravestone bears the name Yoshikatsu [義勝].

References

• Initial text from Sengoku Biographical Dictionary (Samurai-Archives.com) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005
• Abe; Nishimura, eds. Sengoku Jinmei Jiten Shinjinbutsu Oraisha 1990
• Amako Hisayuki Japanese Wikipedia