Tani Moritomo (谷衛友)
Moritomo TANI (1563 - January 29, 1628) was a busho (Japanese military commander) (Daimyo (Japanese feudal lord)) who lived in the Sengoku period (period of warring states) (Japan) and the beginning of the Edo period. He was the first lord of domain for the domain of Yamaga in Tanba Province.
He was the third son of Moriyoshi TANI, who was an old retainer of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI. His legitimate wife was from the Kinoshita clan. He had children including Morinari TANI (first son), Yoshinaga TANI (second son), Morikatsu TANI (third son), Morimasa TANI (fourth son), Morinaga TANI (fifth son), Morifuyu TANI (sixth son), and four daughters (Motonari SONO's wife, wife of a member of the Tani clan, wife of a member of the Sawase clan, and Motozono FUJIE's wife). FUJIWARA no Kuniko (Shinkogimonin, mother of the Emperor Reigen) was a child of his daughter who married Motonari SONO. He was also known as Jintaro and the official name of a government office for him was Dewa no kami (the governor of Dewa Province).
Brief personal history
At first, he served Nobunaga ODA, and, then, Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI. In the Battle of Miki-jo Castle in Harima Province, he performed meritorious deeds; for example, he killed the enemy who killed his father and took back the body of his father. Hideyoshi admired this and Moritomo inherited his father's territory of six thousand koku and, in addition, he was given two more territories. As, in the conquest of Kyushu, he performed a feat of first rider in a charge in attacking the Gan-jo Castle [巌城] in Buzen Province, and, in addition, he was actively involved in the conquest of Odawara and Japan's Invasion of Korea, he was given a territory of sixteen thousand koku in Yamaga, Tanba Province.
In the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), he belonged to the West Squad together with Shigekatsu ONOGI (Kimisato ONOGI), who was the castellan of the Fukuchiyama-jo Castle of Tanba Province. Although he attacked Tanabe-jo Castle in Tango Province, which was defended by Yusai HOSOKAWA (Fujitaka YUSAI), as he had no intention to positively attack Fujitaka, who was the teacher for waka poetry, he maintained a spectator-like attitude from start to finish (the Battle of Tanabe-jo Castle). After the war, he deserted to the East Squad and attacked Shigetsugu ONOGI and, later, partly because of Fujitaka's intervention, he was allowed to keep his territory.
In 1615, he took part in the Siege of Osaka, and later he served Ieyasu as an otogishu (adviser).
In 1627, he died at the age of 65. After his death, his territory was divided among his younger brothers and nephews and the remaining ten thousand koku was inherited by his fourth son, Morimasa.
Anecdotes
Already at that time, Moritomo's ability as a warrior was highly appreciated; he also was good at waka poetry as a pupil of Yusai HOSOKAWA.
The father, Daizen no suke (Assistant Master of the Office of the Palace Table) Moriyoshi, was praised for the deed of arms by Nobunaga and given the crest of 'swallowtail butterfly,' but the son, Moritomo, was given a crest of 'Gosan no kiri (Paulownia).'
It is told that he was known as a man of principle and he did not flatter even Hideyoshi, who was tenkabito (the ruler of the county) excessively and he openly admonished Hideyoshi and sometimes quarreled. There is a rumor that, after that, Hideyoshi, himself came to him to apologize, bringing food and alcohol with him.
It is told that he was one of tenka nana kyodai (seven brothers of the country) who swore with each other around the time of the Battle of Sekigahara to rise in the world.
It looks like he fired blanks at the castle and, therefore, there is a saying 'tani no karadeppo (Tani's blank firing).'
After the Battle of Sekigahara, when Tadaoki HOSOKAWA gave awards, one of his vassals received gusoku (armor).
The feature of the gusoku was that 'the visor was an article par excellence, which was called 'Tani-ho' and made after the face of Tani, the Dewa no kami.'
The visor was made after not a legendary or historical man of bravery but Moritomo TANI, who was a person existing at that time, and it was so valuable that it could be used in another family as an award and the person who received was happy with it. From such fact, we can imagine the reputation of Moritomo TANI's chivalry at that time.
After the Battle of Sekigahara, when the territory of the Hosokawa family was changed to Buzen Province, they passed through the territory of Yamaga. On that occasion, the Hosokawa family brought in materials and built a bridge over a valley in the territory.
Later, this bridge was called 'higobashi (Higo bridge)' having to do with the Hosokawa family whose territory was changed to Higo and the road from the bridge toward the castle is called 'Higozaka (Higo slope).'
After that, even during the Edo period, when the bridge was washed away or lost several times, the Hosokawa family helped with funds.
There was a portrait which was called the portrait of Moritomo, in which he wears very simple costume.
Shitojutsu (art of trying sword)
Probably because of the necessity for working in the battlefield, Moritomo's father, Daizen Moriyoshi, independently developed a technique of 'shito (sword trying)' to determine the performance of a sword and taught it to Moritomo. This method for evaluating performance of a sword, which is usually called 'shitojutsu' (or shikenjutsu) is not the evaluation or ranking of a sword from the viewpoint of a sense of beauty or aesthetic value but to evaluate performance of the sword as a practical tool by cutting arms such as armor and helmet, or a real human body (usually, a condemned convict or a dead body). It sometimes means the technique itself that is necessary for evaluation and it requires experience and knowledge and among others, highly trained technique was required. Moriyoshi further sophisticated this technique and taught his pupils. The first Kogi Otameshi Goyo (official who is responsible for trying sword) Kubikiri (headsman) Asaemon YAMADA belonged to this school.