Hashiba forcesKuroda
Kuroda Yoshitaka (Kanbei)
黒田官兵衛(孝高)
“Strategist / Josui”
1546–1604 (aged 59)
- Rank / office
- Kageyu-no-jikan
- Domain / base
- Harima → Nakatsu, Buzen
- Banner / crest
- Kuroda wisteria
- Battles in 3D
- 6 battles
Portrait · Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Once a senior retainer of the Kodera of Harima, he followed Hideyoshi and supported the unification of Japan with his intrigue and strategy. Imprisoned for over a year in a dungeon during Araki Murashige's rebellion, he was left with a lame leg. At the Honnō-ji Incident he is said to have whispered to the shaken Hideyoshi that his chance had come, and to have guided the Great Return from Chūgoku and the victory at Yamazaki. He later shaved his head and took the name Josui.
Life and battlesGold dots mark battles you can watch in 3D
- 1577Tenshō 5
Hideyoshi's Staff Officer
Followed Hideyoshi in the western campaign and displayed his talent for intrigue.
- 1578
Siege of Miki
Architect of the Harima campaign. The plan to ring Miki with forts instead of storming it owed much to this man's cunning.
Miki Castle, Harima Province 4,000 troops Watch in 3D › - 1581
Siege of Tottori
Staff officer of the western campaign. The "surround and starve" method mastered at Miki was applied even more thoroughly here at Tottori.
Tottori Castle, Inaba Province 4,000 troops Watch in 3D › - 1582Tenshō 10
The Great Return from Chūgoku
Proposed racing back at the news of Honnō-ji and guided the victory at Yamazaki.
- 1582
Siege of Takamatsu
The strategist who proposed "attack it with water." Turning the marshy terrain to his advantage, he sank the impregnable marsh castle beneath a lake.
Takamatsu Castle, Bitchū Province 8,000 troops Watch in 3D › - 1582
Battle of Yamazaki
Seized the slopes of Mount Tennō and dominated the Akechi army from above. The unit that gave rise to the phrase "the Tennō-zan that decides the realm."
Yamazaki, Yamashiro Province 8,000 troops Watch in 3D › - 1585
Invasion of Shikoku
The strategist behind Hidenaga. He proposed cutting the castle's water and blocking its supplies, and dried Ichinomiya out.
Ichinomiya Castle, Awa Province 8,000 troops Watch in 3D › - 1590
Siege of Odawara
Hideyoshi's strategist. As the siege dragged on he worked toward a settlement with the Hōjō, and is said to have served as the envoy who urged Ujinao to open the castle.
Odawara, Sagami Province 2,000 troops Watch in 3D › - 1600Keichō 5
Sweeping Kyushu
Seizing the opening of Sekigahara, he raised his own army in Kyushu and expanded his domain.
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FAQ
Who was Kuroda Kanbei?
The peerless strategist who underpinned Hideyoshi's rise to power. He is said to have whispered "your chance has come" at the news of Honnō-ji and guided the Great Return from Chūgoku and the victory at Yamazaki. With Takenaka Hanbei he is one of the "two Bei"; he later shaved his head and took the name Josui.
How do Kuroda Kanbei and Takenaka Hanbei differ?
Both were famous strategists to Hideyoshi, known together as the "two Bei." Hanbei came first and died young of illness; Kanbei served long afterwards and won a great domain in Kyushu. Hanbei also saved Kanbei's son Shōjumaru (Kuroda Nagamasa).
How did Kuroda Kanbei die?
At the time of Sekigahara he raised his own army in Kyushu and expanded his territory. He died in Keichō 9 (1604); his son and heir Nagamasa laid the foundation of the Fukuoka domain.
