Satake Yoshishige

Satake Yoshishige (佐竹 義重; March 7, 1547 – May 19, 1612) was a Japanese daimyō (military lord) of the Sengoku period. He was the 18th generation head of the Satake clan. He was renowned for his ferocity in battle; he was also known by the nickname of "Ogre Yoshishige" (鬼義重, Oni Yoshishige).

Biography

Yoshishige (whose rank was Hitachi no suke) was the eldest son of Satake Yoshiaki (1531-1565) and held Ota Castle in Hitachi Province. His father, whose health was failing, handed over leadership to Yoshishige in 1562 and died three years later. It is said in the Sengoku jinmei jiten (462-63) that he officially retired from head of Satake family sometime in 1587 or 1589.¹

An aggressive lord, Yoshishige consolidated the Satake's hold over Hitachi and fought with such local houses as the Ashina, Oda, and Naya. While he would take Shirakawa Castle from the Yûki, Yoshishige's primary concern was to be the Hôjô family. Yoshishige organized his followers and henchmen into four groups: ichimon, fudai, tozama, and kakushō-shu.²

In 1567, he allied with the Satomi and Utsunomiya. Yoshishige resisted Hôjô expansion into the eastern Kanto region for many years, who were extending their power into southern Hitachi.³ One such encounter was the Battle of Numajiri, where 20,000 men under Yoshishige fought 80,000 Hojo troops.³ The Satake won, due in part to the use of over 8600 matchlock rifles by their troops.³