Kikkawa Hiroie

nihongo|Kikkawa Hiroie|吉川広家| (December 7, 1561-October 22, 1625) was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period.

Hiroie's father was Kikkawa Motoharu and his mother was a daughter of Kumagai Nobunao. He initially was named "Tsunenobu"(経信) and made his debut on the battle field on 1570 against Amago Katsuhisa with his father. On 1583, he was sent to then the "de facto" ruler Hashiba Hideyoshi as a hostage.

From 1586 to 1587, his father and his elder brother Kikkawa Motonaga both died and he became the head of Kikkawa clan. Around this time, he changed his name to "Hiroie". Unlike his father and his elder brother who was known for the battlefield bravery, Hiroie preferred strategy and diplomacy to win on a battlefield and was highly praised by Hideyoshi for holding Mori clan together after the death of Kobayakawa Takakage. During the Seven-Year War, he is noted for the successful defeat of a much larger Ming army at the battle of Ulsan castle.

In the Battle of Sekigahara on 1600, after realizing that Mori Terumoto would be made the leader of pro-Toyotomi forces by Ishida Mitsunari, Hiroie made a secret pact through Kuroda Nagamasa of his intention to side with Tokugawa Ieyasu in exchange for the protection of Mori clan's domains. On the day of the actual battle, September 15, Hiroie ordered all Mori clan's forces to standstill until Tokugawa forces emerged victorious. After the battle, Ieyasu decided against the secret pact and reduced the Mori clan to Suo and Nagato but this is still a lenient punishment when one considers that almost all other daimyo who opposed Ieyasu lost their domains and that Terumoto served as the leader of the opposition. While Ieyasu recommended that Hiroie to take over Mori clan and rule, Hiroie declined stressing that he had only intended for the clan's continuation.

Hiroie served as the first ruler of the Iwakuni han. He worked for prosperity of his domain; and he is remembered for having laid down a set of laws with 188 clauses (the "Kikkawa-shi hatto'). [Hall, John Whitney "et al.", eds. (1981). "Japan Before Tokugawa: Political Consolidation and Economic Growth, 1500 to 1650," Katsumata Shizuo and Martin Collcutt, "The Development of Sengoku Law." Princeton: Princeton University Press [p. 102] .]

In 1614, Hiroie was succeeded by Kikkawa Hiromasa, his eldest son.

Hiroie died in 1626, twelve years after passing the clan leadership to his heir.

References

* Hall, John Whitney "et al.", eds. (1981). "Japan Before Tokugawa: Political Consolidation and Economic Growth, 1500 to 1650," Katsumata Shizuo and Martin Collcutt, "The Development of Sengoku Law." Princeton: Princeton University Press.
* "Kikkawa Hiroie-kō sanbyakunensai kinen kōenshū" 吉川広家公三百年祭記念講演集 (1926). Tokyo, Takada-machi: Shishaku Kikkawa-ke henshūjo 子爵吉川家編輯所.