The Sengoku period daimyo Matsunaga Hisahide has historically been portrayed as a nefarious, elderly, and devious scheming character, who ravages lives and property: an archetypal villain. Despite these performances, frequent in modern plays, television series, films, and traditional woodcuts, he was in fact a tall, handsome, well-educated man and patron of the arts when he died at the age of 68.
Born in 1508 in what is now Nishikyo-ku, in the city of Kyoto, Hisahide served as a servant of Miyoshi Nagayoshi, also known as Chokei, the Lord of Awa and Settsu, and one of the most influential figures of his time. Hisahide enjoyed the trust of the Miyoshi clan and served as the clan’s representative and, later, governor at the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Between 1561 and 1564, three of Chokei’s brothers and his son and heir Yoshioki died under mysterious circumstances, paving the way for Hisahide to claim power and dominance in 1564, although his involvement in these deaths remains speculative.
The Miyoshi clan exerts great influence on the shogunate, manipulating the Ashikaga shoguns, but tensions escalate, causing the death of Shogun Yoshiteru. Matsunaga Hidehisa, under the influence of the Miyoshi, played a role in this event, which resulted in the installation of the child Yoshihide as a new shogun.
Hisahide later allied himself with the warlord Oda Nobunaga when he extended his influence in Kyoto, offering him a renowned tea. Despite his initial loyalty, Hisahide conspired against Nobunaga in 1573 alongside the Miyoshi. However, the alliance with Miyoshi Yoshitsugu collapses, bringing Hisahide back to Nobunaga’s side. He participated in the siege of Ishiyama Hongan-ji, but eventually left his post and returned to his lands at Yamato and Shigisan Castle.
Accused of treason, Nobunaga demanded Hisahide’s head and the precious “Hiragumo” tea vessel. Faced with Oda’s troops, Hisahide breaks the tea utensil and commits seppuku in the dungeon of Shigisan Castle. Afterward, the castle was destroyed by Oda’s forces.
Although Hisahide faced vilification for alleged acts such as undermining his former masters and the alleged burning of Todai-ji, it is crucial to consider the prejudices of the victors and foreign missionaries of the time, who vilified him. His discreet tomb is located in the Daruma-ji temple, Oji-cho, Nara.
Biography
He was raised by Miyoshi Nagayoshi in the 1540s. He led the conquest of Yamato province in the 1560’s and by 1564 had built a power base sufficient to be effectively independent. He is believed to have conspired against Nagayoshi during this period; from 1561 to 1563, three of Nagayoshi’s brothers and his son, Yoshiaki, died. This left Miyoshi Yoshitsugu as the adopted heir when Nagayoshi died in 1564, too young to reign. Three men share his tutelage: Miyoshi Nagayuki, Miyoshi Masayasu, and Iwanari Tomomichi.
Then he invaded the palace of the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, who later committed suicide.
His brother Ashikaga Yoshiaki flees and the shōgun is replaced by his younger cousin, Yoshihide.
In 1566, clashes began between Hisahide and Miyoshi. Initially, Hisahide’s forces failed and his apparent destruction of the Buddhist Tōdai-ji in Nara was considered an act of infamy.
In 1568, Oda Nobunaga, with figurehead Yoshiaki, attacked Hisahide. Nobunaga captured Kyoto in November and Hisahide was forced to submit.
Yoshiaki became a shōgun, a position he held until 1573, when he attempted to remove himself from Nobunaga’s power. Hisahide maintained control of Yamato and served Nobunaga in his prolonged campaigns against Miyoshi and others, for a time. In 1573, Hisahide briefly allied himself with Miyoshi, but when the hope of success was not realized, he returned to Nobunaga to fight Miyoshi.
In 1577, Nobunaga laid siege to Shigisan castle. Defeated but defiant, Hisahide committed suicide. An eminent tea master destroyed his tea bowl by denying it to his enemies.
He ordered Hisahide’s head destroyed to prevent it from becoming a trophy (in which his son, Matsunaga Kojiro, grabbed Hisahide’s head and jumped off the castle wall with the sword at his throat). His son Hisamichi also committed suicide during the siege.
Hisahide often appears as a wrinkled, scheming old man.
Hisahide Matsunaga in Culture
- Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide presents himself as a character in Sengoku Basara 2: Hero, in which he portrays himself as a man of treachery who enjoys any course of action that would later present him with a greater sum of pleasure. He takes a lead role in the Katakura Koj ⁇ rō story, and at the end of such a scenario, he sets his initial fire with explosives as a sign of defeat. Hisahide has been announced as a 14 character to be playable in the next expansion to Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes.
- Hisahide Matsunaga appears as a character in the Samurai Warriors Series. Before being playable in Samurai Warriors 4, Matsunaga appeared as a bodyguard character in Samurai Warriors 2 then reappeared in Samurai Warriors 3 as a generic non-playable character. After his previous playable debut, Matsunaga also appeared as a playable character in Orochi Warriors 4.
- In Samurai Warriors 5Matsunaga returns as a playable character dubbed by Kouji Ishii.
- Interior Sengoku Basara also appears during the challenge, involving his mercenaries to destroy two gates. If the player has repelled all attempts, he appears. If he failed, we would show him waving his sword as it exploded. He excels in sword fighting, blending with his fascination for explosives and fire techniques.
- In L’atmosphere d’Oda Nobuna Matsunaga Hisahide is played by a girl who is also known as Venomous Scorpion. She is a co-conspirator of the Miyoshi Tres who removed the Ashikaga shogunate from power, but later betrays them and is eventually forced out of Kyoto by Oda. She is the Daimyo of Yamato province and a famous turncoat, often teaming up with a group, betraying them, manipulating them, and reuniting them at their convenience.
- Masumi Asano votes Matsunaga Hisahide in Japanese and by Shelley Calene-Black in English.
- In the 2014 anime Concerto Nobunaga2015 – Matsunaga Hisahide is portrayed as a member of the Yakuza before being transported back in time, Hisahide relishes the chaos of the Sengoku period, believing that this is a battle where only the strongest win. Meeting Nobunaga after his rejection of the Shogun’s letter to attack Oda, Hisahide offers his allegiance to Nobunaga until he can rebel. In the anime, he is voted by Takaya Kuroda and played by Arata Furuta in the film adaptation.
- In the 2014 Taiga drama Gunshi KanbeiMatsunaga Danjo Hisahide is played by actor Mickey Curtis.
In the 2020 anime TV series Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga, with the voice of Ry ⁇ sei Nakao. Reincarnated as a Chihuahua in modern Japan. - In the drama Taiga 2020 Kirin ga KuruMatsunaga Hisahide is played by actor Kōtarō Yoshida. This Taiga tale is that Hisahide left his alliance with Nobunaga after Tsutsui Junkei, his rival, was chosen as the protector of Yamata province. Nobunaga’s son, Oda Nobutada, with Akechi Mitsuhide, would defeat Hisahide at the shigisan siege. If Hisahide had given up, Nobunaga would have given him a small fiefdom.
- In NiohMatsunaga Hisahide makes an appearance in the game and is shown as a spirit residing in an ethereal kettle and referring to himself as “Danjo”.
- In Nioh 2 years oldMatsunaga Hisahide appears in the main story and in the events of the game, he dies and serves the same purpose as the game before him.
