Katagiri Katsumoto
“An elder retainer who rose among the Seven Spears. In his later years he negotiated with the Tokugawa for the Toyotomi, remaining loyal even when both sides despised him. Hear his anguish, and he may rely on you as his one confidant.”
Life
Senior Retainer in the Toyotomi’s Final Years
Ambition
Stand between the Tokugawa and Osaka Castle, prevent armed conflict, and preserve the Toyotomi line and its lands in peace.
The Taikō entrusted Hideyori’s future to him. The Toyotomi cannot win a direct war against the Tokugawa’s overwhelming strength. He must find a compromise to keep the house alive.
If his mediation fails, Osaka Castle will burn and the Taikō’s bloodline will end.
- Ieyasu’s unjust accusations over the Hōkōji bell inscription, including the phrases “May the state be at peace” and “May lord and vassal prosper”
- The hardliners in Osaka Castle, including Yodo and Ōno Harunaga, baselessly suspect him of betrayal
- The unbridgeable distrust between the eastern and western camps
Character and convictions
The trust he received from the Taikō and his pride as a Toyotomi retainer since Shizugatake.
His anguish at being forced to leave Osaka Castle after its hardliners plotted to kill him, despite his desperate efforts to save the Toyotomi.
His deep affection for Hideyori, whom he had watched over since childhood as a guardian.
Opening hostilities out of emotion and leading the Toyotomi toward ruin.
Historical path
Final chapter
1615 (aged 60)After leaving Osaka Castle, he had no choice but to join the Tokugawa in the Osaka campaigns. He witnessed the fall of Osaka Castle and Hideyori and his mother take their lives. Just twenty days later, on the 28th day of the 5th month, Keichō 20 (1615), he died suddenly, perhaps from grief or by suicide.
“The loyal retainer who labored hardest to protect the Toyotomi was driven out of the castle as a traitor, then blamed outside for helping destroy them. Torn between east and west, he met the most tragic fate of a mediator.”