- Kobayakawa Takakage
Kobayakawa Takakage (小早川隆景) (1533-1597) was a samurai retainer of
Toyotomi Hideyoshi during Japan'sSengoku period , and the son ofMōri Motonari . Adopted by the head of theKobayakawa clan , Takakage took his name, and succeeded his adoptive father to become head of the Kobayakawa clan following his death in 1545.As head of the Kobayakawa clan, he expanded the clan's territory in the
Chūgoku region (westernHonshū ), and fought for theMōri clan in all their campaigns; for a time, he also opposed both the great warlordsOda Nobunaga andToyotomi Hideyoshi . He later swore loyalty to Hideyoshi, however, and entered his service; he was then awarded domains inIyo province onShikoku andChikuzen province onKyūshū , totalling 350,000 "koku ".Takakage took part in Hideyoshi's invasions of Shikoku, Kyūshū, and Korea, and adopted
Kobayakawa Hideaki , formerly an adopted son of Hideyoshi, and named him successor to the clan.References
*Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
*Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.
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