Shimazu Yoshihiro
Shimazu Yoshihiro (1535-1619) was a warlord active from the Sengoku period into the early Edo period. Born at Izaku Castle as the second son of Shimazu Takahisa, the 15th head of the Shimazu clan, he fought alongside his elder brother Yoshihisa through the campaigns that unified Kyushu under Shimazu rule. Known by the fearsome nickname "Oni-Shimazu" (Demon Shimazu), he is best remembered for the Battle of Sekigahara, where, fighting for the losing western army, he led his vastly outnumbered troops in a direct breakthrough of the enemy's center rather than a conventional retreat — an episode remembered as the "Shimazu Withdrawal." He remained a senior figure in the Satsuma domain for decades afterward and died at 85.
Historical Stories
Born at Izaku Castle, He Cut Through the Enemy at Sekigahara
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