From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Imagawa Yoshimoto's grave at Okehazama

Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川義元, 1519-June 12, 1560) was one of the leading daimyo (feudal lords) in early Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was one of the three daimyo that dominated Tōkaidō region. He was one of the dominat daimyo for a time until his death in 1560

He was a third son of Imagawa Ujichika. He was sent to a temple as a young boy where his name was changed to Baigaku Shōhō. Unrest broke out when his older brother Ujiteru died suddenly (some say he was poisoned) in 1536. His half elder brother, Genkō Etan, tried to seize the heirship but the clan split into two factions. Yoshimoto's faction demanded that since Yoshimoto's mother was the consort of Ujichika, he was the rightful heir. Genkō Etan's faction demanded that since he was older, he was the rightful heir. Genkō Etan's mother was a concubine and a member of the Kushima family, but they were defeated and killed in the Hanakura-no-ran (Hanagura-no-ran). He changed his name to Yoshimoto at this point and succeeded the clan. Relations with the Hōjō clan worsened when he married Takeda Nobutora’s daughter (Ujizane's mother). He repelled the Hōjō, and wrested control of a wide area including Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa.

Main article: Battle of Okehazama

In May or June 1560, after forming a three-way alliance with the Takeda and the Hojo, Yoshimoto headed out to the capital with Matsudaira Motoyasu of Mikawa. Despite having a strong force of 25,000, Yoshimoto deliberately announced that he had 40,000 troops. While this statement put fear in a lot of factions, Oda Nobunaga of Owari Province saw through it.

With many victories, Yoshimoto's army was letting his guard down, celebrating with wine, song and sake. A surprise attack by the Oda army following a downpour left Yoshimoto's army in dissaray, and Yoshimoto himself was killed.

Imagawa Ujizane succeeded to family headship after Yoshimoto's death, but the Imagawa clan fell from power, and eventually became retainers of the Tokugawa clan.

Though a powerful daimyo in his own right, Imagawa Yoshimoto is now best remembered for his love of the ball game Kemari, and being the victim of the upstart Oda Nobunaga, and thus an early stepping stone in Nobunaga's career.

_{The following table denotes officers who do not have their own wikipedia article}

Imagawa Yoshimoto is a playable character in the Koei action game Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends. He also appeared early on in the company's action-strategy game Kessen III. Both games depict Imagawa as a childish dandy, although Samurai Warriors takes this to an extreme by giving him a kemari (a Japanese kickball), which he uses as a weapon (though he used a generic sword in the original Samurai Warriors game). In his story mode ending, Yoshimoto miraculously manages to defeat both Takeda Shingen and Oda Nobunaga in Kyoto, and then plays kemari to his heart's content in front of the other warlords who look on in bemusement and disgust.

In Samurai Warriors 2 however, due to time constraints (as well as an overall shift away from Nobunaga's life towards the post-Nobunaga years), the Battle of Okehazama was shown as part of Nobunaga, Noh, and Mitsuhide's intro movies, and Yoshimoto was only mentioned and shown as the unseen occupant of a palanquin. However in Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, the battle was brought back, and Yoshimto himself is given an updated appearance and additional moves.

Yoshimoto is also featured as an unplayable character in the Japanese action game Sengoku Basara (as well as the sequel). The game was heavily retooled for the western market and renamed Devil Kings, eliminating all references to Japanese history. Yoshimoto's character thus became Muri.

In the translation of Path of the Assassin, a Dark Horse Comics translation of Hanzo no Mon, which focuses on Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hattori Hanzō's perspectives, Yoshimoto is viewed more positively (perhaps ironically, compared to Nobunaga) and even decides during the Okehazama campaign to replace Ujizane with Ieyasu (then Matsudaira Motoyasu) as his heir, though dying before doing so.

Imagawa also appears briefly in Yoshihiro Takahashi's short manga, Kacchu no Senshi Gamu.