Morichika Chosokabe (1575-11 June 1615) was the daimyo of the Chosokabe clan after the death of his father Motochika Chosokabe in 1600 and was a general of the Western Army during the Sekigahara Campaign. In 1615 Morichika was one of the men who came to the aid of Hideyori Toyotomi, fighting in the Siege of Osaka but dying in its defense.
Biography[]
Morichika was the fourth son of Motochika Chosokabe, a powerful daimyo (feudal baron) from Tosa Province in southern Shikoku. He ruled Tosa Province after the death of his father in 1600 in the Battle of Kuzegawa, and served as a general of the Western Army during the Sekigahara Campaign. After the Battle of Sekigahara turned out to be a victory for the rival Eastern Army, Morichika was stripped of his lands and title by Ieyasu Tokugawa, and with nothing to lose but his life, joined the Toyotomi clan at the Siege of Osaka in 1614.
Along with his sons, Morichika fought against the forces of the whole Tokugawa Shogunate (all of Japan) and was one of the unit commanders stationed close to Hideyori Toyotomi in the main keep. But when Hideyori was mortally wounded by Hanzo Hattori and the Tokugawa began to overrun the castle, Morichika knew that he had to fight to the death. He was killed in combat along with all of the other Toyotomi generals, with Morichika dying at the hands of Hanzo.