Mizuno Katsushige

Mizuno Katsunari
水野 勝成
Silk painting depicting Mizuno Katsunari[1]
Daimyo of Kariya Domain
In office
1600–1615
Succeeded byMizuno Tadakiyo
Daimyo of Fukuyama Domain
In office
1619–1639
Succeeded byMizuno Katsutoshi
Daimyo of Kōriyama Domain
In office
1615–1619
Succeeded byMatsudaira Tadaaki
Personal details
BornSeptember 20, 1564
Okazaki, Aichi
DiedMay 4, 1651
Kenchu-ji Temple, Fukuyama Domain
RelationsMizuno Tadashige (father)
Mizuno Katsutoshi (son)
Nickname(s)Rin-kai-fuki
Oni-Hyūga
Military service
AllegianceMizuno Tadashige (Tokugawa clanOda Nobukatsu) → Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Sengoku HidehisaSassa NarimasaKuroda YoshitakaKonishi YukinagaKatō KiyomasaTachibana Muneshige) → ? → Mōri clan (Mimura Chikanari) → Tokugawa clan (Tokugawa IeyasuTokugawa HidetadaTokugawa Iemitsu)
Unit Mizuno clan
Battles/wars

Mizuno Katsunari (水野 勝成) (1564–1651), also known as Mizuno Rokuzaemon (水野 六左衛門), was a Rōnin, and a Japanese samurai daimyō of the late Sengoku and early Edo periods.[2] Mizuno Katsushige was known for his participations in battles against Takeda clan, Tenshō-Jingo War, Kyūshū campaign Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, Battle of Sekigahara, Siege of Osaka, and Shimabara Rebellion.

During his life, Katsunari often changed his allegiance. However, in the end he returned to serve his original lord, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and continued his service to the Tokugawa shogunate for 3 generations until Tokugawa Iemitsu. Katsunari tendency to change his allegiance quite often has garnered him a nickname Rin kai fuki (倫魁不羈), which etymologically means "too awesome to serve (only) one lord". Katsunari died on May 4, 1651.

His court title was Koretō Hyūga no Kami (惟任日向守). It was said that since Akechi Mitsuhide, no one want the title of Hyūga no Kami until Katsunari, as Katsunari stated that he does not care about Mitsuhide's bad reputation as traitor and not afraid about bad omen of the title. Since then, Katsunari got a nickname Hyūga Demon (鬼日向).[3] Katsunari's tales of journeys during his life and for his friendship with the legendary Rōnin Miyamoto Musashi has produced many anecdotes about him.

  1. ^ "広島県の文化財 - 絹本著色水野勝成画像" [Cultural Properties of Hiroshima Prefecture - Silk painting by Katsunari Mizuno]. Hiroshima Prefecture website (in Japanese). 広島県教育委員会事務局. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  2. ^ Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon; Papinot, (2003). "Mizuno" at Nobiliare du Japon, pp. 35–36; retrieved 2013-5-25.
  3. ^ Hirai 1992.