Konishi Yukinaga (1558?—November 6, 1600), also known by his baptismal name Augustino, is a rather enigmatic figure of the Sengoku Period—being a merchant, Samurai and a Christian warlord who served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi and somehow managed to remain as one of Toyotomi's most trusted generals despite the latter's increasingly hostile stance against Christianity.
Yukinaga, whose birth name is Yakuro, was born to a merchant family in Sakai, but was eventually elevated as a Samurai vassal to Ukita Naoie. It is unclear when and how this exactly happened, although an anecdote claimed that the young man impressed Naoie with his combat skills when he repelled some assassins that were after latter's life while the two were conducting a trade.
When Oda Nobunaga sent Hideyoshi to campaign against the Mori clan—then an ally to the Ukita clan—Naoie decided to defect to the Oda, and sent Yukinaga as an envoy to negotiate Ukita's surrender. It is said that Hideyoshi was won over by Yukinaga's gift for gab that he took the former merchant into his services after Naoie's death.
Thanks to his mercantile background, Yukinaga had a fair bit of naval expertise—a skill that many of the Oda and Toyotomi vassals lack—and this allowed him to rise quickly through the ranks, eventually becoming Hideyoshi's Commander at Sea. For his military achievements and his role in the suppression of an uprising of Kyushu, he was awarded the Southern half of Higo province—with the Northern part being given to Kato Kiyomasa. The two men infamously do not get alongnote , and the bad blood between them is one of the factors that led Kato into fighting for the Eastern Army during The Battle of Sekigahara despite otherwise being a Toyotomi supporter.
Yukinaga's most notable exploits are his involvement in the Japanese Invasion of Korea. Despite being against the invasion, Yukinaga was appointed as the commander of the first division and his unit were the first to make landfall at Busan on May 1592. His forces quickly captured the city and advanced towards the capital—taking important forts and cities along the way—without waiting for his allies to arrive. This greatly annoyed Kato—the commander of the second division—who accused Yukinaga for attempting to steal glory for himself, and the two almost came to blows over the issue. However, it is more likely that Yukinaga wanted to subjugate Korea as quickly as possible before the unprepared locals could mount a proper resistance and before the Ming Dynasty could send reinforcements.
The Ming eventually did send troops in 1593, and the allied forces managed to expel Konishi from Pyeongyang, but the logistic issues suffered by both sides of the conflict saw the Ming and Toyotomi agree to a truce. Yukinaga was sent to lead the negotiations, but each party believed themselves as having the upper hand and tried to demand concessions from the other. Not wanting the peace treaty to fall apart, Yukinaga lied to his lord by claiming that the Chinese had agreed to his demands, and made Hideyoshi go through the ceremony after telling the Ming that Toyotomi had surrendered to the Chinese. The ruse was obviously discovered, prompting an enraged Hideyoshi to launch a second invasion against Korea, with Konishi sent back as part of the Left Army.
Apparently still hoping to negotiate peace, Yukinaga sent a spy to the Joseon court, informing them of the time and place for Kiyomasa's next landing and advising them to act against his hated rival. However, Admiral Yi Sun-Sin suspected a trap, and his refusal to act on this information led to the latter's arrest and demotion. Whether or not the information Konishi fed to the Koreans was truthful is a subject to debatenote . In any case, the war began anew, and Yukinaga stationed himself at Suncheon.
When Hideyoshi died in 1598, all the Japanese troops in Korea were subsequently ordered to withdraw. While the Chinese initially wanted to let the Japanese leave safely after being bribed by Konishi, this arrangement was opposed by Admiral Yi, who blockaded Yukinaga at Suncheon to prevent him from leaving. Reinforcements sent by his allies to break the blockade triggered the Battle of Noryang, during which Yukinaga managed to escape to Sacheon, rendezvous with the other commanders, and return to Japan.
Back home, he supported Ishida Mitsunari against Tokugawa Ieyasu's uprising, but was promptly defeated at Sekigahara. Konishi fled to Mt. Ibuki, but knowing that he can't escape, requested a local farmer to arrest him and sell him to the Eastern Army for a reward. The farmer advised him to commit seppuku instead, although Yukinaga refused on the grounds of his faith. He was eventually captured and executed alongside Mitsunari and several other Western generals. His body was later reclaimed by the Jesuits to be given proper rites and burial.
While Konishi ruled over Higo, Christianity flourished in his realm. One of his retainers was Matsuda Jinpei, the father of Amakusa Shironote , who would later lead the Shimabara Rebellion.
Another interesting legacy Yukinaga left behind from his exploits was Julia Ota, a Korean girl who was brought back to Japan during the war and taken in by the Konishi household. She was baptized in Uto and was raised by Yukinaga's wife. After the events of Sekigahara, which saw Yukinaga's demise, she was taken by Ieyasu to serve as one of his ladies-in-waiting (some sources even claimed that she was taken as concubine, although this is unlikely). However, when it was discovered that she was a Christian, she refused to recant her faith and was exiled three times—first to Izu Islands, then Nii-jima, and finally Kōzu-shima. In exile, she continued her works of charity and evangelism, and was revered by the locals. A festival in her honor is held every May on the Kozu islands.
Fictional depictions of him in Japanese media tend to highlight his merchant background first and foremost, and he is frequently portrayed as a greedy opportunistnote . Meanwhile, Shūsaku Endō depicted him as a weak Christian because he was unable to wholeheartedly dedicate his life to his faith, and continued to serve as a warlord rather than renounce everything for God like Dom Justo Takayama Ukon. This stands in contrast to the Jesuits' account, who paint him as an almost saintly figure in their records. Oddly enough, the Chinese and even Korean historical records also seem to be quite positive in their assessments of his character, especially when comparing him with the likes of Kato Kiyomasa, making him a rare figure who is viewed more positively by his enemies than in his home country. The fact that contemporary South Korea today is far more hospitable to Christian sects than modern Japan today is likely a factor in this.
Appearances in fiction:
- He appears in the Samurai Warriors series as a generic NPC in the Battle of Sekigahara. He is also featured in one of Wu's campaign in Warriors Orochi, where he will take Sakon Shima's place as an ally commander should you choose to play as Sakon.
- He is a member of the Western Army in the game Saihai No Yukue.
- A facsimile of him named Kiyama is a minor supporting character in James Clavell's 1975 Shōgun, portrayed as a Christian In Name Only due to prioritizing trade with the Portuguese. The 2024 adaptation of the novel, Shōgun (2024), sees him fully named "Kiyama Ukon Sadanaga", a name composited with Dom Justo Takayama Ukon but is broadly the same negative caricature.
- Appears as a minor character in Pokémon Conquest.
Tropes as portrayed in media:
- Arch-Enemy: His intense rivalry with Kato Kiyomasa during their tenure as the rulers of Higo is the subject of one of Shūsaku Endō's historical novels, aptly titled Nemesis.
- Fat Bastard: Downplayed. Saihai no Yukue depict him as overweight, and he's shown to be a selfish, greedy, and cowardly man. That being said, he's more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who cares for his family, and is fighting for their happiness.
- Historical Downgrade: In Saihai no Yukue, he is shown to be a coward who can barely keep his composure under the pressure of battlefield and flees at the first sight of trouble. Korea's "Veritable Records of King Seonjo" actually describe him as a dignified man who is not to be trifled with, and was viewed as a considerable threat by the Korean—Ming allied forces.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: 100man-nin no Sengoku Musou plays his greed and arrogance up to eleven, to the point that his entire character motivation revolves around money and profit. While the historical version is not necessarily a saint (he did lead an invading army after all, and contributed to a lot of the damage suffered by the local population), he has actually been described as a philanthropist who donated money to build hospitals and orphanages. One anecdote even claimed that he spent most of his earnings and silver on poverty relief and building infrastructures in his province that there's barely anything left in his treasury.
- Improbable Weapon User: Is shown to wield an abacus in both Saihai No Yukue and 100man-nin no Sengoku Musou.
- Sitcom Archnemesis: Constantly butt heads with Kiyomasa in 100man-nin no Sengoku Musou, where they would hurl Volleying Insults at each other.
- Token Good Teammate: Despite being the spearhead of the Japanese Invasion of Korea, he is usually viewed far more sympathetically than his fellow invaders—such as in Kim Seong-han's novel, 7 nyeon jeonjaeng—as someone who is against the invasion, but is ultimately unable to stop his master's ambition.
