Gotō Mototsugu

Who was Gotō Mototsugu?

Gotō Mototsugu, also known as Gotō Matabei, was a samurai of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods. He served Kuroda Yoshitaka but retired from the Kuroda clan after Kuroda Yoshitaku had died. Finally, he served Toyotomi Hideyori and was killed at the battle of Dōmyōji during the siege of Osaka in 1615.

At the second siege of Jinju, during Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea, Gotō was the first samurai to enter Jinju castle.

During the siege of Osaka, Gotō was one of the most able and fierce generals in Toyotomi Hideyori's Western Army. He was the chief commander at the battle of Dōmyōji where, severely outnumbered by Date Masamune troops, he held out for reinforcements, which were lost in the fog. Unable to maintain the position without the reinforcements, Mototsugu was harmed by a stray bullet and unable to stand, he practiced seppuku. It is said in his kaishaku memoir that he couldn't stop his tears.

After his death, Mototsugu's samurais were easily defeated and his head discovered by enemy forces. History said that his display of valor this day was great enough to shock everyone, allies and enemies : leading his warriors in hit & run tactics, he killed 70 to 80 horse-men by himself. He stopped only because his horse was exhausting and he needed another to continue the fight.