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First Saitō Tatsuoki
Saitō Yoshitatsu
New Lord of Mino

Saitō Yoshitatsu

Notables of Kinai
Saitō Yoshitatsu
Life 1527–1561 (aged 35)
Title New Lord of Mino
Faction Notables of Kinai
Places associated with this character Mino (1540–1561)
Voice and speech His low, sparse Mino speech turns cold when his birth is mentioned.
Family As Dōsan’s eldest son and lord of Inabayama Castle, he suffered his father’s neglect and rumors about his birth, deepening the rift with his younger half-brothers.
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He carried the disgrace of killing his father and rumors about his birth, yet repelled Nobunaga’s invasion. Do not condemn the patricide; trust that he can defend Mino, and he may treat you as one of the few who sees beyond prejudice.

Life

Lord of Inabayama Castle

Ambition

Reject his father Dōsan’s cruel favoritism and the rumor that he was an illegitimate son of the Toki. Unite Mino’s local lords through his own ability and prove that he has the stature to rule the province legitimately.

Dōsan favored Yoshitatsu’s two younger brothers and meant to disinherit him, relying on Nobunaga while belittling his eldest son. Yoshitatsu must avenge the humiliation, unite Mino’s lords, and surpass his father before he is killed and discarded.

If he wavers and fails to strike first, his younger brothers may seize the castle and have him murdered as an obstacle to their claim. An early, violent death would then be all but certain.

Obstacles of the era
  • Dōsan’s schemes and the two younger brothers he favors
  • Household unrest over rumors he is the former lord Toki Yorinari’s son
  • Nobunaga approaching the border as Dōsan’s ally

Character and convictions

Source of ambition

The dignity of the lord of Mino, won by defeating Dōsan at the Nagara River.

Turning point

Throughout his life, his father Dōsan underestimated his ability and scorned him as a dullard. Yoshitatsu killed his brothers and defeated his father at the Nagara River, only to learn that Dōsan had left a will granting Mino to Nobunaga. Even after Dōsan was dead, Yoshitatsu remained wounded by the knowledge that his father had never acknowledged him.

How he treats others

He sympathizes deeply with young warriors pushed aside by cruel expectations and favoritism.

Principle he will not yield

Having his legitimacy or ability as lord of Mino scorned.

Historical path

1540–1555
The Mino heir, neglected by his father and shadowed by rumors of Toki descent.
Low and sparse in his Mino accent, he turns cold when his birth is mentioned.
1556–1557
The new lord who kills Dōsan at the Nagara River and takes Mino.
His Mino voice grows colder and heavier after he kills his father.
1558–1560
The second-generation ruler who repels Nobunaga and defends Mino alone.
Resolute in his Mino accent, he shows strength when speaking of defending the province.
1561
The lord of Mino who dies suddenly from a severe illness during his defense.
His strength fades; he speaks gravely when thinking of his young son and Mino.

Final chapter

1561 (aged 35)

At the height of his success repelling repeated Oda invasions in Eiroku 4, he suddenly developed a severe, incurable illness, perhaps leprosy or a serious tumor. His condition worsened rapidly, and he died young in the inner chambers of Inabayama Castle.

With tears, he entrusted his young heir Tatsuoki and the future of Mino to his senior retainers before dying in grief.
“He crushed the notorious warlord Dōsan on the battlefield, showed the realm that Yoshitatsu was the true general, and repeatedly turned back Nobunaga’s fierce attacks. Yet at only thirty-five, he fell not to an enemy on the field but to the unavoidable blade of illness. The moment he died suddenly, the fortunes of the Saitō of Mino were spent, and the province was swallowed by Nobunaga exactly as his father’s will had foretold. Such was the cruelty of fate.”