Katagiri Katsumoto

• Birth: 1556?
• Death: 1615
• Distinction: Toyotomi, Tokugawa retainer, one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake

Katsumoto was the son of Katagiri Naomasa. He first distinguished himself as one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake, where he fought for Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1584). He participated in the Kyushu Campaign (1587)and was given a fief at Ibaraki in Settsu province. Following the death of Maeda Toshiie in 1599 Katsumoto became Toyotomi Hideyori's official guardian and received a 28,000 koku fief in Yamato province at Tatsuta. He remained neutral during the Sekigahara Campaign, but was nevertheless one of the first warlords to be granted a larger domain by Ieyasu following Sekigahara; on 1601/1/28, he was moved from a 12,000 koku domain to a 28,000 koku one.

Katsumoto later attempted to negotiate a peace between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori. When his efforts proved in vain, he retired to his home, though his men fought for Ieyasu at the sieges of Osaka Castle. Out of regret that he could not bring peace between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi, Katsumoto committed suicide after Osaka fell.

References

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