Suzuki Shigetomo (鈴木重朝)
Shigetomo SUZUKI was a busho (Japanese military commander) who lived during the Sengoku Period (Period of Warring States) and the early Edo period.
It is said that he was born in 1561 as the oldest son of Shigeoki (Sadayu) SUZUKI, but he was Shigehide's younger brother according to another theory; thus details remain unclear.
In the Ishiyama War he cooperated with Kennyo HONGANJI with his father and younger brothers to fight against Nobunaga ODA. When in 1585, Hideyoshi HASHIBA (also known as Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI) conquered Kii Province and the Saikato (also known as Saigato, Saika group) fell, Shigetomo served Hideyoshi as a retainer. Upon Japan's Invasion of Korea, he served as a zaiban (guard) of Nagoya-jo Castle in Hizen Province.
In the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he sided with the West squad and was the first to charge the enemy encampment as the spearhead in the battle in Fushimi-jo Castle, and he killed Mototada TORII who was shutting himself in the castle.
After the war he became ronin (masterless samurai) and served Masamune DATE, and later with the mediation of Masamune DATE, he served as hatamoto (bannermen) under Yorifusa TOKUGAWA of the Mito-Tokugawa family. He died in 1623. Died at the age of 63.
For generations, it was customary for the chieftain of Saikato to call himself 'Magoichi SAIKA' (written as 雑賀孫一). However, Magoichi (孫一) was sometimes written as '孫市' and another theory has it that 孫市 and 孫一 were not the same but completely different persons. Furthermore, gifted members of the Suzuki clan such as Shigetomo and Shigehide performed well in the Ishiyama War and were giving hard times to the Oda army. As such, Shigetomo, the older brother, came to be called '孫市' and Shigehide, the younger brother, came to be called '孫一' according to one theory.
In fact, Shigetsugu, Shigetomo's son who succeeded Shigetomo, called himself Magoichi SAIKA using '孫市.'
Shigetomo's son Shigetsugu adopted the 11th son of Yorifusa, the lord of the Mito clan, and became Shigeyoshi SUZUKI (a retainer of Mito-Tokugawa family); the Suzuki family continued as the chief retainer of the Mito clan and the surnames of the descendants were changed to 'Saika.'
Also, successive family heads were commonly known as '孫一.'