Akechi Hidemitsu

(1536?-1582) Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. A senior retainer of Oda Nobunaga's vassal Akechi Mitsuhide, he served Mitsuhide until the latter's death in 1582 at the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Early Life and Family

While Hidemitsu's date of birth is not known for certain, some say he was born either sometime between 1535 and 1537, or as late as 1557. Hidemitsu was the son of Tōyama Kageyuki (lord of Myōchi Castle) and a daughter of Miyake Takasada (lord of Hirose Castle in Mikawa Province). He first succeeded to his father, taking the name Tōyama Kageharu (common name Rokurōzaemon); then he succeeded to his mother's birth family under the name Miyake Yaheiji, and then, marrying one of Akechi Mitsuhide's daughters, took the name Akechi Hidemitsu.

ervice to Mitsuhide and Death

Following his marriage to Akechi Mitsuhide's daughter (who had been formerly married to Araki Murashige), Hidemitsu was deeply trusted by his master, and served in the vanguard of the Akechi armies frequently. He led the attack on Battle of Honnō-ji which killed Oda Nobunaga, and became a legend for his rapid crossing of Lake Biwa to get from Otsu to Sakamoto on horseback after the loss of Battle of Yamazaki and the death of Mitsuhide. His men set fire on Sakamoto Castle and killed their families and themselves to follow their master to the grave.

While much of the Akechi clan was destroyed at Sakamoto Castle, Hidemitsu's sons Miyake Shigetoshi and Tōyama Tarōgorō survived. Shigetoshi served Terasawa Katataka at the Shimabara Uprising and was killed by the rebel forces under Amakusa Shirō, while Tarōgorō is remembered as the ancestor of the famous 19th century political activist Sakamoto Ryōma.

Trivia

*Akechi Hidemitsu is heavily romanticized in Capcom's franchise Onimusha. Using his other name, Samanosuke, he is chosen as the Onimusha warrior to battle the Genma race led by Oda Nobunaga. For more information, see Samanosuke Akechi.

*Coincidentally, Hidemitsu was given a rather special attention in Koei's Kessen III. He is a minor officer serving under Akechi Mitsuhide, but is given his own death scene, where Nobunaga complimented on his skills after killing him. He is also referenced as 'Hidemitsu Samanosuke Akechi', possibly as a reverse reference on Onimusha (on how Capcom overly depict Nobunaga as the ultimate face of evil that needs to be destroyed by the hero, Samanosuke. In Kessen III, Nobunaga; depicted as a virtuous man; defeats Samanosuke, who is a rather minor officer of the opposing force.)

References

* [http://www.geocities.co.jp/Milkyway-Orion/6291/akechike/kasindan.html Information on Hidemitsu in a database of Akechi retainers (in Japanese)]
* [http://www.geocities.jp/kimkaz_labo/akechi.html Concise biographical information (in Japanese)]