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← Back to the character index Western Japan and Kyushu
Shimazu Yoshihiro Tachibana Muneshige
Chōsokabe Motochika
The Bat of Tosa

Chōsokabe Motochika

Western Japan and Kyushu
Chosokabe Motochika
Life 1539–1599 (aged 61)
Title The Bat of Tosa
Faction Western Japan and Kyushu
Places associated with this character Tosa (1560–1587), Kyoto (1588–1599)
Voice and speech A Tosa warrior’s voice, restless in youth to prove himself and decisive when discussing troops.
Family Lord of Okō Castle in Tosa. He overcame childhood mockery as a “princess boy” in his first battle and unified Shikoku as the “Demon Boy” and “Great Man of Tosa.”
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“A formidable lord who nearly united Shikoku from a corner of Tosa. But after his beloved son died in battle, he changed. Speak with him and witness how grief drove a great ruler to lose his judgment and sow the seeds of his house’s ruin.”

Life

The Great Man of Tosa

Ambition

Lead Tosa’s Ichiryō Gusoku warriors, pacify all four provinces of Shikoku, and establish Chōsokabe supremacy.

He rose from a minor lord in Tosa. With the remarkable mobilization and unity of the part-time farmer-warriors known as Ichiryō Gusoku, he defeated the clans of Sanuki, Awa, and Iyo and sought to unite Shikoku.

If the Chōsokabe cannot withstand Hideyoshi’s army of more than one hundred thousand, which advances soon after Shikoku’s pacification, the house will be destroyed.

Obstacles of the era
  • Hideyoshi’s overwhelming army invading Shikoku and forcing surrender
  • The tragic death of his beloved heir Nobuchika at Hetsugigawa
  • His late-life suspicion and the succession dispute dividing the house

Character and convictions

Source of ambition

The fearsome Ichiryō Gusoku, who farm their land and take up spears, and his renown for unifying Shikoku.

Turning point

His bottomless grief and rage after his beloved and exceptionally capable eldest son Nobuchika was killed at the Battle of Hetsugigawa in Kyushu because of Sengoku Hidehisa’s reckless orders.

How he treats others

His favoritism toward his fourth son Morichika, the only child he doted on after grief over Nobuchika’s death overwhelmed him.

Principle he will not yield

The Chōsokabe succession passing to someone outside the family after Nobuchika’s death.

Historical path

1560 - 1568
The young lord of Tosa who proved himself in his first battle and shed the nickname “Princess Boy”
“The warrior of Tosa speaks decisively of battle, with a young man’s urgency to prove himself.”
1569 - 1584
The Great Man of Tosa who united Tosa and swallowed up Shikoku
“His hard Tosa manner grows commanding; when he speaks of Shikoku, his ambition seems to swallow mountains and rivers.”
1585 - 1587
The lord of Tosa who submitted to the Taikō and lost his heir at Hetsugigawa
“His sweeping ambition gives way to grief; Nobuchika’s name brings either sudden rage or a long silence.”
1588 - 1599
The late-life ruler transformed by grief, whose disinheritance sowed discord
“Stubborn and suspicious, he rejects counsel and will not yield when succession is discussed.”

Final chapter

1599 (aged 61)

After Nobuchika’s death, he became cold and ruthless, purging kinsmen and senior retainers who opposed him. He died ill at his Fushimi residence on the 19th day of the 5th month, Keichō 4 (1599), consumed by grief and despair.

Even on his deathbed, he kept calling Nobuchika’s name, dying in tears with one hand grasping at empty air.
「“Celebrated as the ‘Remarkable Man of Tosa,’ the hero who united Shikoku was driven toward madness by his son’s death. He purged loyal retainers with his own hand, weakened his house, and set the course for its destruction in the Osaka campaigns.”」