Maeda Toshiie
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Maeda Toshiie (前田 利家 Maeda Toshiie; January 15, 1539 - April 27, 1599) was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga. His father was Maeda Toshimasa. He was the fourth of seven brothers. His childhood name was "Inuchiyo" (犬千代). His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Mataza being his common name. The highest rank from the court that he received is the Major Counselor Dainagon ([大納言]).
Early years
Born in Owari province, he served Oda Nobunaga from childhood and his loyalty was rewarded by being allowed to be the head of the Maeda clan, very unusual for a fourth son with no apparent failures among his elder brothers. Just like Nobunaga, Toshiie was also a delinquent, usually dressed in the outlandish style of a kabukimono. It is believed he also became a friend to Kinoshita Tokichiro (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi) in their youth. Just as Hideyoshi was known as Saru, 猴 or "monkey," it is believed that Toshiie was called Inu, 犬 or "dog" by Nobunaga. Due to a long-standing belief that dogs and monkeys are never friendly to each other, Toshiie is often depicted as stern and honest, in contrast to Hideyoshi's talkative and easy-going nature.Military life
Toshiie began his career as a captain of the common infantry (足軽大将) in the Oda army. During his military life, Toshiie made good friends of his comrades such as the later renown Hashiba Hideyoshi (better acquainted as Kinoshita Tokichirou 木下藤吉郎 and later Chikuzen no Kami Hideyoshi 羽柴筑前ノ神秀吉) whom was merely a squire to Nobunaga when Toshiie first met, Sassa Kuranoske and Nobunaga his superior. He also made a few enemies and rivals such as Akechi Mitsuhide and his plots to overthrow Oda Nobunaga or the daimyo who everyone through was fairly stuck-up, Tokugawa Ieyasu. After defeating Asakura, Maeda fought under Shibata Katsuie in the Hokuriku area. He was eventually granted a han in Noto Province known as Kaga (Kaga no kuni; 加賀ノ国), having a net worth of 1 million Koku (百万石) thus was nicknamed Kaga Hyaku-man-goku (加賀百万石), where it was the most valueable province, though small in size.After Nobunaga's assassination at Honnō-ji (本能寺) by Akechi Mitsuhide and Mistuhide's subsequent defeat by Hideyoshi, he battled Hideyoshi under Shibata's command in the Battle of Shizugatake. After Shibata's defeat, Toshiie worked for Hideyoshi and became one of his leading generals. Later somewhere during this time he was forced to fight another of his friends, Kuranoske, where the decision of fighting in the battle or not affected not only his military position but life and honor. Kuranoske was greatly outnumbered and felled by Toshiie, where Kuranoske became a monk after his disgraceful loss. Before dying in 1598, Hideyoshi named Toshiie to the council of five regents to support Toyotomi Hideyori until he was old enough to take control on his own. However, Toshiie himself was ailing, and could only manage to support Hideyori for only a year before he died as well.
Family
Toshiie's wife, Maeda Matsu, was famous in her own right. Strong-willed from childhood, she was well-versed in the martial arts and was instrumental in Toshiie's rise to success. After her husband died, Matsu, then known by her Buddhist nun name of Hoshun-in, assured the safety of the Maeda clan after the year 1600 by voluntarily going as a hostage to Edo, capital of the new shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, to whom she loathed throughout her life as she watched him, her husband and Hideyoshi compete for power.Portrayal in popular culture
The 2002 NHK TV drama "Toshiie to Matsu" (利家とまつ~加賀百万石の物語) was based on the story of their lives together. Maeda Toshiie was played by Karasawa Toshiaki, and Matsu by Matsushima Nanako.Maeda Toshiie and Matsu are also playable characters in Capcom's Sengoku Basara, and they are still portrayed as a loyal couple. In Devil Kings, he is renamed as Lark, while Matsu is renamed as Bramble. Unfortunately, they become unplayable in the said game.
He also appears in Koei's Kessen III as a young, brash vassal to Nobunaga. While his wife can only be unlocked using an exclusive disc (in the same fashion of Nobunaga's tea ceremony instructor and Fuuma Kotarou).
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