1. Overview
Ōno Harunaga (大野 治長Ōno HarunagaJapanese, 1569 - June 4, 1615) was a prominent Japanese samurai and general who served the Toyotomi clan during the late Azuchi-Momoyama period and early Edo period. A loyal retainer and close advisor to Toyotomi Hideyori, Harunaga played a pivotal role in the events leading up to and during the Siege of Osaka in 1614-1615. Despite his efforts to secure peace for the Toyotomi family, he ultimately fought in the decisive battles of the Summer Campaign, including Battle of Kashii, Battle of Shigino, and Battle of Tennoji, before committing suicide alongside Hideyori. His legacy is marked by his unwavering loyalty and strategic efforts, yet also by persistent rumors from the Edo period concerning his alleged affair with Yodo-dono and the paternity of Toyotomi Hideyori, which have since been subject to critical re-evaluation.
2. Early Life and Family Background
Ōno Harunaga was born in 1569. While his exact birthplace is debated, historical accounts suggest he was born into a family with ties to Owari Province, specifically in Ōno Village, Haguri District (present-day Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture). Another theory places his birth in Ōno, Tango Province (present-day Kyōtango City, Kyoto Prefecture), but this is generally considered a misconception due to a later shared fiefdom.
His father was Ōno Sadanao, and his mother was Ōkurakyō no Tsubone, who served as the wet-nurse to Yodo-dono, the daughter of Azai Nagamasa and Oichi. This close relationship meant Harunaga and Yodo-dono were foster siblings, fostering an exceptionally strong bond between them. Harunaga had several brothers, including Ōno Harufusa (主馬首), Ōno Harutane (道犬/道見), and Ōno Haruzumi (壱岐守), though Haruzumi is sometimes omitted from family records, leading to references to "the Ōno brothers" as just Harunaga and Harufusa, or "the three Ōno brothers" including Harutane.
The Ōno clan originally served as Shinto priests (祠官) for Iwashimizu Hachimangū before moving to Mino Province. Harunaga's grandfather, Ōno Harusada (伊賀守), built and resided in Ōno Castle in Owari Province under the command of Oda Nobunaga. His father, Sadanao, was Harusada's son, and his uncle, Ōno Haruhisa, inherited Ōno Castle. Some accounts suggest a familial connection to Mōri Katsunaga, who was reportedly Harunaga's cousin from the same region in Owari.
The whereabouts of Ōkurakyō no Tsubone and Harunaga after the fall of Odani Castle in 1583, where Yodo-dono resided, remain largely unknown. During this period, in 1584, the main branch of the Ōno clan, led by Harunaga's uncle Haruhisa, lost Ōno Castle after opposing Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute. Harunaga's early career is largely unrecorded, but it is believed he became one of Hideyoshi's stable guards (馬廻) around 1588, coinciding with Yodo-dono becoming Hideyoshi's concubine. In 1589, likely as a reward or celebration for Yodo-dono giving birth to Toyotomi Tsurumatsu, Harunaga received a combined stipend of 10,000 koku from Hideyoshi's direct domains (蔵入地) in Sano, Izumi Province (present-day Izumisano City), and Ōno, Tango Province, establishing Tango Ōno Castle as his base. (Earlier in his service, some accounts mention a stipend of 3,000 koku.) He eventually held a fiefdom of 15,000 koku.
3. Service under Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Ōno Harunaga's documented service under Toyotomi Hideyoshi began around 1591, when he accompanied Hideyoshi on a hunting expedition in Mikawa Province. During the Bunroku-Keichō War in 1592, Harunaga, then known as Ōno Shūri-no-suke (修理亮), was stationed at Nagoya Castle in Hizen Province. Notably, Hideyoshi's concubines, including Yodo-dono, were also present at Nagoya Castle during this period, and Yodo-dono became pregnant with Toyotomi Hideyori that summer. In 1594, Harunaga was assigned a share of the construction work for Fushimi Castle.
Following Hideyoshi's death in 1598, Harunaga became a close advisor to Toyotomi Hideyori, serving as the head of the second group of attendants (詰衆二番之組の筆頭). However, his position soon became precarious. In 1599, Masuda Nagamori, one of the Five Commissioners, secretly informed Tokugawa Ieyasu of an alleged plot to assassinate him during a visit to Osaka Castle for the Chrysanthemum Festival. Harunaga was implicated as a ringleader, alongside figures such as Maeda Toshinaga, Asano Nagamasa, and Hijikata Oku. As a result, on October 2, Harunaga was found guilty and banished to Shimotsuke Province, placed under the custody of Yūki Hideyasu. His mother, Ōkurakyō no Tsubone, was also exiled from Osaka.
4. Role in the Battle of Sekigahara
In 1600, despite his recent banishment, Ōno Harunaga was pardoned by Tokugawa Ieyasu on July 24. He subsequently joined the Eastern Army in the pivotal Battle of Sekigahara. During the main battle, he distinguished himself, fighting as part of Fukushima Masanori's vanguard. Records indicate that he achieved a notable military exploit by killing Kōchi Shichirōemon, a musketeer commander from the Ukita clan's forces.
His contributions in the battle earned him a full pardon from Ieyasu. After the conflict, Ieyasu dispatched Harunaga to Osaka Castle as an envoy to the Toyotomi clan. Harunaga delivered a letter from Ieyasu, explicitly stating that Ieyasu harbored "no animosity towards the Toyotomi clan." Following this mission, Harunaga chose to remain in Osaka and did not return to Edo, solidifying his position within the Toyotomi household.
5. Retainer to Toyotomi Hideyori
After the Battle of Sekigahara, Ōno Harunaga became a crucial retainer and advisor to Toyotomi Hideyori. He held the court rank of Junior Fifth Rank and maintained his fiefdom of 15,000 koku. In June 1614, through Ieyasu's mediation, Harunaga received an additional 5,000 koku from Hideyori, alongside Katagiri Sadataka, the younger brother of Katagiri Katsumoto. In gratitude, Harunaga and Sadataka visited Ieyasu in Sunpu and then Tokugawa Hidetada, the Shogun, in Edo.
Later that year, when Katagiri Katsumoto, the chief elder retainer of the Toyotomi family, was expelled from Osaka Castle due to growing tensions with the Tokugawa, Harunaga stepped into a leading role within the Toyotomi household. Despite a strong pro-war faction gaining influence within the Toyotomi family, which began recruiting rōnin from across the country in preparation for conflict, Harunaga consistently advocated for peace.
During the Osaka Winter Campaign in 1614, Harunaga, along with Watanabe Tadashi, served as a chief commander for the Toyotomi forces, directing the castle's defense. When peace negotiations were initiated by the Tokugawa side, Harunaga, accompanied by Oda Nagamasu, engaged in discussions with Tokugawa representatives Honda Masazumi and Gotō Mitsutsugu from December 8 to 12. He played a key role in finalizing the peace agreement, which included terms such as Yodo-dono going to Edo as a hostage, an increase in stipends for the Toyotomi rōnin, and the demolition of Osaka Castle's outer defenses, leaving only the main keep. As a guarantee for the peace, Harunaga offered his second son, Ōno Yasuchika, as a hostage to Ieyasu; Yasuchika was later executed after the war.
Harunaga's efforts for peace, however, drew the animosity of the pro-war faction within Osaka Castle, notably Sanada Yukimura. This internal conflict escalated, leading to an assassination attempt on Harunaga. On the night of April 9, 1615, he was ambushed at the tower gate of Osaka Castle, sustaining a sword wound, while two of his guards were killed or injured. This attack is widely believed to have been orchestrated by his younger brother, Ōno Harufusa, or his retainers, such as Narita Kanbei, who opposed the peace treaty. Narita reportedly committed suicide by setting his house on fire after the failed attempt, and some of his fleeing subordinates were captured by Chōsokabe Morichika.
6. Siege of Osaka (Winter and Summer Campaigns)
Ōno Harunaga was a central figure throughout the entire Siege of Osaka. During the Winter Campaign of 1614, he was responsible for commanding the defense of Osaka Castle, working alongside other key Toyotomi generals.
As the Summer Campaign of 1615 commenced, Harunaga was initially tasked with guarding the main keep of Osaka Castle. On April 28, he attempted to instigate an uprising in Kii Province against Asano Nagaakira and his forces at Wakayama Castle, sending his retainers Kitamura Zendaifu and Ōno Yagozaemon to infiltrate the region. However, this plan ultimately failed. He also participated in the Battle of Kashii and the Battle of Shigino. On May 6, during the Battle of Dōmyōji, Harunaga commanded the rear guard, ensuring the withdrawal of Toyotomi forces after the battle became a stalemate. On May 7, during the decisive Battle of Tennoji, he positioned his forces as the general rear support for the entire Toyotomi army, situated northeast of Shitennoji Temple and south of Bishamon Pond, reportedly awaiting Hideyori's direct participation in the battle.
After the Toyotomi forces suffered a complete collapse, Harunaga, who had sustained severe injuries, retreated from Chausuyama. He advised Hideyori against making a final, suicidal charge, urging him to withdraw to the main keep of Osaka Castle. In a desperate final attempt to save the Toyotomi lineage, Harunaga made the unilateral decision to send Senhime, Hideyori's wife and the daughter of Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, out of the castle. He hoped she could serve as an envoy to Ieyasu and Hidetada, pleading for the lives of Hideyori and Yodo-dono on the condition that Harunaga himself would commit ritual suicide.
However, the following day, May 8, after deliberations by the Tokugawa side, Hidetada vehemently refused Senhime's plea, expressing anger that she had not committed suicide alongside Hideyori. With all hope extinguished, Ōno Harunaga, along with Toyotomi Hideyori, committed suicide in the Yamasato-guruma (a small enclosure within the castle grounds) of Osaka Castle. His mother, Ōkurakyō no Tsubone, and his eldest son, Ōno Harunori, also died by suicide at this time. Harunaga was 47 years old at the time of his death. The `Kasuga Shashi Yūhan-ki` (Chronicle of the Kasuga Shrine Priests) noted his exceptional resolve, stating, "Ōno Shūri made his final preparations and committed seppuku. His resolve was unparalleled."
7. Personal Attributes and Activities
Ōno Harunaga was not only a skilled military commander but also possessed refined cultural talents. He was renowned as an accomplished calligrapher (能書家) and was also a tea master (茶人), having studied the art of the tea ceremony under the celebrated Furuta Shigenari.
He maintained a long-standing relationship with Sanada Yukimura (also known as Sanada Nobushige), having known him since their time serving as stable guards under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It is believed that it was Harunaga who invited Yukimura to Osaka to join the Toyotomi forces. His decision to entrust significant military forces and command to Yukimura, a highly respected strategist, suggests that Harunaga was a discerning and capable leader, contrary to some later portrayals.
8. Historical Reputation and Rumors
From the early Edo period onwards, persistent rumors circulated regarding Ōno Harunaga, most notably the allegation of an adulterous affair with Yodo-dono. These rumors were documented in various historical texts, including the `Tamon'in Nikki`. Some accounts went further, suggesting that Toyotomi Hideyori was not the biological son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi but rather the offspring of Harunaga and Yodo-dono. The `Kanyōroku`, a record by the Korean scholar Kang Hang, even contained a curious rumor that Ieyasu had intended to marry Yodo-dono after Hideyoshi's death, but she refused because she was pregnant with Harunaga's child. However, the `Kanyōroku` is known for including many peculiar rumors, casting doubt on the direct veracity of such claims beyond indicating their existence at the time.
Edo period works like `Meiryō Kōhan` also propagated the idea that Hideyori was Harunaga's son. However, such texts often included other sensationalized claims, such as Yodo-dono having an affair with the kabuki actor Nagoya Sanzaburō. Historians like Kuwata Tadachika have noted that these types of rumors were often sensationalized and exaggerated by playwrights and authors during the Edo period, an era where "the more malicious the gossip, the more it was welcomed." These narratives served to cast figures who opposed the Tokugawa shogunate, such as Harunaga, in a negative light, often portraying them as "evil persons" from a Confucian perspective of moral resignation. Therefore, a critical re-evaluation of these historical narratives is essential to understand Harunaga's actual role and character, separating politically motivated portrayals from factual accounts.