Matsunaga Hisahide

Matsunaga Hisahide (松永 久秀 1510 – November 19, 1577) was a daimyō of Japan following the Sengoku period of the 16th century.

A companion of Miyoshi Chōkei and became governor of Kyoto in 1529. In 1563, he poisoned Chokei's son.

He was a retainer of Miyoshi Masanaga from the 1540s. He directed the conquest of the province of Yamato in the 1560s and by 1564 had built a sufficient power-base to be effectively independent. It is believed that he was conspiring against Chokei during this period, from 1561 to 1563 three of Chokei's brothers and his son Yoshioki died. This left Miyoshi Yoshitsugu the adopted heir when Chokei died in 1564, too young to rule. Three men shared his guardianship – Miyoshi Nagayuki, Miyoshi Masayasu, and Iwanari Tomomichi.

He then invested the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru's palace, who then committed suicide.

His brother Ashikaga Yoshiaki fled and the shogun was replaced by his young cousin, Yoshihide.

In 1566, fighting started between Hisahide and the Miyoshi. Initially the forces of Hisahide were unsuccessful and his apparent destruction of the Buddhist Tōdai-ji in Nara was considered an act of infamy.

In 1568 Oda Nobunaga, with the figurehead Yoshiaki, attacked Hisahide. Nobunaga captured Kyoto in November and Hisahide was forced to submit.

Yoshiaki was made shogun, a post he held only until 1573 when he attempted to remove himself from Nobunaga's power. Hisahide kept control of the Yamato and served Nobunaga in his extended campaigns against the Miyoshi and others, for a while. In 1573 Hisahide briefly allied with the Miyoshi, but when the hope for successes were not achieved he returned to Nobunaga to fight the Miyoshi.

In 1577 Nobunaga besieged him at Shigisan Castle. Defeated but defiant Hisahide committed suicide. A noted tea master, he destroyed his tea bowl denying it to his enemies.

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