Naoe Kanetsugu

1500 (age 118)

When a dispute arose in 1578 as to who should succeed to Uesugi family, Kanetsugu supported Kagekatsu Uesugi. After Kagekatsu became daimyo (with a fief of 1,200,000 kolcu), Kanetsugu was given a fief of 300,000 koku and made Lord of Yonezawa Castle (Yamagata Prefecture). After the death of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Mitsunari Ishida, a retainer of Hideyoshi, attempted to get rid of ley as Tokugawa. Kane- tsuu urged Kagekatsu to cooperate with Ishida and Kagekatsu attacked Yoshimitsu Mogami, a Tokugawa follower (1600). After the Sekigahara Battle in which the Ishida forces were defeated. KaKekatsu was transferred to Yonezawa with 300,000 koku and Kanetsugu was also demoted to lordship of a fief of only 60,000 koku. Kanetsugu, however, rendered outstanding services in leyasu's campaign against the Toyotomi forces in Osaka (1614-1615). A resourceful man, he helped ably Kagekatsu who was oppressed by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Because the financial situation of the Uesugis became very difficult due to the reduction in their fief, Kane-tsug developed new farmland from waste land, planted trees and otherwise promoted agriculture and forestry. He also replanned Yonezawa City and built moats for better defense of the city. Fond of learning, he befriended scholars and priests and he himself wrote poetry.