立花道雪

Tachibana Dōsetsu (1513–1585), born Betsuki Akitsura, was arguably the most formidable warrior in Kyushu and one of the most celebrated in all of Sengoku Japan. A senior retainer of the Ōtomo clan of Bungo Province, he reportedly fought in 137 battles without a single defeat — earning the epithet 'Invincible War God.' His most famous legend involves his sword Raikiri ('Thunder Cutter'): when lightning struck him under a tree, he drew his blade and cut the lightning itself, surviving but losing the use of his legs. Thereafter he commanded from a palanquin — a detail that made his record of battlefield invincibility all the more remarkable. The sword, originally named Chidori, is preserved today at the Tachibana Family Museum in Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture. Having no male heir, Dōsetsu made the unprecedented decision to name his daughter Ginchiyo as clan head; she later married Tachibana Muneshige, who became one of the greatest warriors of the late Sengoku and early Edo periods. Dōsetsu died in camp at seventy-three, still on campaign against the Shimazu.