Sengoku UkiyoSengoku Ukiyo
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First Kikkawa Motoharu
Mōri Terumoto
Commander-in-Chief of the West

Mōri Terumoto

Western Japan and Kyushu
Mōri Terumoto
Life 1553–1625 (aged 73)
Title Commander-in-Chief of the West
Faction Western Japan and Kyushu
Places associated with this character Aki (1563–1625)
Voice and speech He speaks like a young lord, in awe of his grandfather Motonari and inclined to consult elders.
Family Lord of Yoshida-Kōriyama in Aki. Following Motonari’s instructions, he ruled western Japan with support from his uncles Kikkawa Motoharu and Kobayakawa Takakage.
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He inherited the lands his grandfather united, but often lets others move him. Through him, one sees how a lord crushed by reputation can erode his house through hesitation and luck.

Life

Commander-in-Chief of the Western Army

Ambition

Preserve the Mōri’s two-river system, keep its western domain peaceful, and protect the family name.

His grandfather Motonari left him the warning, “Do not compete for the realm.” As Nobunaga and then Hideyoshi rose, Terumoto’s duty was to deliberate with his two uncles, the Kikkawa and Kobayakawa, and preserve the Mōri family line.

Raised as western commander at Sekigahara, if he stays trapped in Osaka Castle while the army loses, the Mōri face confiscation and extinction.

Obstacles of the era
  • Mitsunari and Ankokuji Ekei maneuver to make him western commander
  • Loss of leadership after Takakage and Motoharu die
  • Ieyasu’s severe reduction of the Mōri domain

Character and convictions

Source of ambition

Motonari’s “three arrows” teaching and the prestige of the Mōri house.

Turning point

The helplessness of staying in Osaka while the army loses at Sekigahara and surrendering most of his lands.

How he treats others

His lifelong affection and dependence on his uncle Kobayakawa Takakage.

Principle he will not yield

Disobeying his grandfather through reckless action and endangering the Mōri line.

Historical path

1563–1571
A young lord sheltered by Motonari after his father Takamoto dies early.
A young lord’s manner, awed by Motonari and quick to consult elders.
1572–1585
He carries the Mōri house, faces the Oda, and eventually seeks peace.
Warm and hesitant, he wavers when his uncles urge a course.
1586–1599
He submits to Hideyoshi, joins the Council of Five Elders, and builds Hiroshima Castle.
His high rank brings little decisiveness; he leaves matters to senior retainers.
1600–1625
He bears the title of western commander, remains in Osaka, and retires after losing lands.
Regret enters his old voice; he evades questions about Sekigahara and his lost lands.

Final chapter

the 27th day of the 4th month, Kan'ei 2 (1625), aged 73

He built Hagi Castle and laid the foundations of the Chōshū domain. Retired under the name Sōshū, he died at his residence in Hagi on the 27th day of the 4th month, Kan'ei 2 (1625), aged 73.

He died quietly, still hoping the Mōri would endure in Chōshū and one day repay their losses.
“Though he never wished to rule the realm, he was made commander-in-chief of the Western Army and lost two-thirds of his lands. Yet the Chōshū territory into which he was confined became, 260 years later, the force that helped overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate.”