Seven Spears of Shizugatake

The Seven Spears of Shizugatake (賤ヶ岳の七本槍, Shizugatake no shichi-hon-yari) were a sobriquet of 7 vassals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the battle of Shizugatake in 1583. At the decisive moment in the battle, Hideyoshi ordered them to leave the position and charge at the opposing army of Shibata Katsuie. After Hideyoshi gained control of Japan, many of the members were promoted to Daimyō.

The Seven Spears of Shizugatake were the following Samurai:

• Fukushima Masanori (1561–1624)
• Hirano Nagayasu (1559–1628)
• Kasuya Takenori (1562–1607)
• Katagiri Katsumoto (1556–1615)
• Katō Kiyomasa (1562–1611)
• Katō Yoshiaki (1563–1631)
• Wakizaka Yasuharu (1554–1626)

Historiography

The sobriquet of "Seven Spears of Shizugatake" were somewhat a misnomer nicknames as the term actually appeared first in the "Tenshoki" record authored by Edo period writer Omura Yuko, who recorded not 7 but 9 of Hideyoshi's vassals were granted huge rewards for their service in Shizugatake. Meanwhile, historian Watanabe Daimon stated that the term of "Seven Spears" first appeared in Taikōki works by Oze Hoan in 1625, 42 years after the battle of Shizugatake occurred.

Recent academic research has questioned the true achievements of these figures in Shizugatake, as the importance of some of them were actually exaggerated by Hideyoshi, who at that time did not have any vassals with established reputation or strong influence. According to history record, Katō Kiyomasa's rise to fame was largely due to his accomplishments in the finances and civil administration of the Hashiba family, and the anecdotes which told his legendary military feats in Shizugatake were unconfirmed. Fukushima Masanori also said that he felt embarrassed to be compared with Wakizaka Yasuharu.

Context

Fukushima, Katō Kiyomasa and Katō Yoshiaki were given large benefices by Hideyoshi, 240,000 Koku in Owari Province, 195,000 Koku in Higo Province and 100,000 Koku in Iyo Province, respectively. The rest of the members remained as a small retainer of some thousands Koku.

At the Battle of Sekigahara and Siege of Osaka, all of them betrayed Toyotomi Hideyori, the son of Hideyoshi, with the exception of Kasuya Takenori who fought at Sekigahara under Ishida Mitsunari. The rest took the part of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Takenori was later pardoned. After the foundation of the Tokugawa shogunate, they or their successors were ousted from their territories, except Hirano.