Changes

After Hideyoshi died in [[1598]], both [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] and [[Ishida Mitsunari]] courted his support. Ishida's so - called Western forces might well have gotten themselves a formidable warrior were it not for two factors that decided Kiyomasa, otherwise a Toyotomi loyalist. Firstly - the Western forces were led by Ishida Mitsunari, whom Katô loathed as a civilian interloper and had quarreled with during the Korean campaign; secondly, the Western forces included [[Konishi Yukinaga]]. Although Konishi's navy had aided Kiyomasa quite a bit at the [[Siege of Ulsan]], the two men despised each other as much as ever. Katô joined with Tokugawa and during the [[Sekigahara campaign]] (August-October 1600) fought Ishida's allies on Kyushu and took a number of Konishi's castles. He was preparing to invade the Shimazu domain when the campaign ended and Ieyasu ordered him to stand down. For his service, Katô was awarded the other half of Higo (formerly owned by Konishi - executed in the wake of Sekigahara), bringing his income to nearly 500,000 koku.  

After Hideyoshi died in [[1598]], both [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] and [[Ishida Mitsunari]] courted his support. Ishida's so - called Western forces might well have gotten themselves a formidable warrior were it not for two factors that decided Kiyomasa, otherwise a Toyotomi loyalist. Firstly - the Western forces were led by Ishida Mitsunari, whom Katô loathed as a civilian interloper and had quarreled with during the Korean campaign; secondly, the Western forces included [[Konishi Yukinaga]]. Although Konishi's navy had aided Kiyomasa quite a bit at the [[Siege of Ulsan]], the two men despised each other as much as ever. Katô joined with Tokugawa and during the [[Sekigahara campaign]] (August-October 1600) fought Ishida's allies on Kyushu and took a number of Konishi's castles. He was preparing to invade the Shimazu domain when the campaign ended and Ieyasu ordered him to stand down. For his service, Katô was awarded the other half of Higo (formerly owned by Konishi - executed in the wake of Sekigahara), bringing his income to nearly 500,000 koku.  

Kiyomasa passed on in 1611, and it is often speculated that Tokugawa Ieyasu arranged his death. Katô was a friend to [[Toyotomi Hideyori]] - Hideyoshi's son - and this made him a potential stumbling block in Ieyasu's plan to undermine this last threat to the Tokugawa shogunate. At the same time, a disease-the 'Chinese pox', as it was called-was making the rounds, and had already claimed a number of well-known lords (such as [[Honda Masanobu]] and [[Kuroda Yoshitaka|Kuroda Kanbei]]). It is therefore difficult to even speculate on whether the disease provided the cause of Kiyomasa's death or a cover-story for it. His son, Tadahiro ([[1597]]-[[1653]]) was later on accused of treason against the Shogun [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]] and was banished-a possible clue to the fall of Katô Kiyomasa.  

[[Image:Kato_kiyomasa_tiger.jpg|thumb|left|Katô Kiyomasa fighting a tiger in the mountains of Korea.]]Kiyomasa passed on in 1611, and it is often speculated that Tokugawa Ieyasu arranged his death. Katô was a friend to [[Toyotomi Hideyori]] - Hideyoshi's son - and this made him a potential stumbling block in Ieyasu's plan to undermine this last threat to the Tokugawa shogunate. At the same time, a disease-the 'Chinese pox', as it was called-was making the rounds, and had already claimed a number of well-known lords (such as [[Honda Masanobu]] and [[Kuroda Yoshitaka|Kuroda Kanbei]]). It is therefore difficult to even speculate on whether the disease provided the cause of Kiyomasa's death or a cover-story for it. His son, Tadahiro ([[1597]]-[[1653]]) was later on accused of treason against the Shogun [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]] and was banished-a possible clue to the fall of Katô Kiyomasa.  

A ferocious fighter and often ruthless, Katô Kiyomasa was a warrior, nothing more, nothing less. He wrote to his followers later in his life that poetry and dancing were shameful pastimes for a samurai, and ordered anyone who found himself engaged in the latter to commit suicide. His cruelty and love of combat (for sport, he hunted tigers with a spear in Korea) earned him the nickname Kishokan, or, 'Devil General'.  

A ferocious fighter and often ruthless, Katô Kiyomasa was a warrior, nothing more, nothing less. He wrote to his followers later in his life that poetry and dancing were shameful pastimes for a samurai, and ordered anyone who found himself engaged in the latter to commit suicide. His cruelty and love of combat (for sport, he hunted tigers with a spear in Korea) earned him the nickname Kishokan, or, 'Devil General'.  

[[Category:Samurai]]

[[Category:Samurai]][[Category:Sengoku Period]]