Kikkawa Motoharu

Who was Kikkawa Motoharu?

Kikkawa Motoharu was the second son of Mōri Motonari, and featured prominently in all the wars of the Mōri clan.

When Motoharu was young he was adopted into the Kikkawa clan by Kikkawa Okitsune. He then became head of the family around 1550. Motoharu fought in many battles alongside his brother, Kobayakawa Takakage, including the 1555 battle of Miyajima and the 1570 battle of Nunobeyama. In 1566, he claimed Izumo province as his fief, after defeating its lords, the Amago clan, in a number of battles.

Motoharu also fought in many battles against the Oda such as the Siege of Takamatsu. After Oda Nobunaga's death in 1582, Motoharu fought under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After his death in 1586, Motoharu was succeeded as head of the Kikkawa clan by one of his sons, Hiroie.