山内一豊

Yamauchi Kazutoyo (1546–1605) is celebrated in Japanese history above all for the legend of his wife Chiyo's wisdom. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi announced a grand military horse review and Kazutoyo lacked the funds to purchase a worthy mount, Chiyo produced ten gold coins from her personal savings — money she had set aside for precisely such an emergency — and Kazutoyo bought the finest horse in the land. Hideyoshi noticed the magnificent animal at the review, and Kazutoyo's career advanced dramatically. This story of 'a wife's support from within the home' (naijo no kō) became one of the most famous parables of marital partnership in Japanese history. At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Kazutoyo again acted decisively, being among the first to declare for Tokugawa Ieyasu and surrendering Kakegawa Castle unconditionally — a bold gesture reportedly advised by Chiyo. The reward was spectacular: his domain expanded from 60,000 to 220,000 koku in Tosa Province (modern Kōchi). As founder of the Tosa domain, Kazutoyo built Kōchi Castle and laid the foundations of a domain that would, two and a half centuries later, produce some of the key figures of the Meiji Restoration including Sakamoto Ryōma. Kazutoyo received fine swords as gifts from Hideyoshi and maintained a collection befitting his station; his story illustrates how the acquisition of a single prized object — whether a horse or a sword — could change a warrior's fortunes forever.