長宗我部元親

Chōsokabe Motochika (1539–1599) was the daimyō of Tosa Province (modern Kōchi) who unified all four provinces of Shikoku island under his rule by around 1582, earning the title 'Prodigy of Tosa.' Mocked in youth as a 'princess child' (hime-wakago) for his timid nature, he proved himself in his first battle at age twenty-two by personally cutting down an enemy commander in single combat, after which he was called 'demon child.' His unification of Shikoku was achieved through the innovative ichiryo-gusoku military system — in which farmer-soldiers kept one set of armor — as well as skillful diplomacy and strategic marriage alliances. In 1585 Toyotomi Hideyoshi's massive invasion army crushed him in under a month, reducing his domain to Tosa alone. The death of his beloved eldest son Nobuchika in battle two years later devastated him. He died in 1599, leaving his son Morichika to back the losing side at Sekigahara; today he remains a beloved hero in Kōchi Prefecture.