Background
Satake Yoshunobu was born on 1573 in Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan. The eldest son of Satake Yoshishige, he was the first generation lord of the Kubota Domain.
Satake Yoshunobu was born on 1573 in Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan. The eldest son of Satake Yoshishige, he was the first generation lord of the Kubota Domain.
Succeeded his father as Lord of Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture) (1586). He moved to Mito after capturing the castle of the Edos (1590).
Participated in Hideyoshi Tovotomi's campaign against the Ho-jos in Odawara and was given the title of governor of Hitachi and Sakyo Dayu (governor of western Kyoto). He went to Kyoto with his family and lived in Fushimi near Kyoto.
Favored by Hideyoshi and was on good terms with Mitsunari Ishida. In Hideyoshi's expedition to Korea, he was an aide to Hideyoshi at his headquarters at Nagoya, Kyushu.
In the Sekigahara Battle (1600), he sided with Mitsunari, who was in the Toyotomi Camp, and supported Kagekatsu Uesugi. Although he was urged by Ieyasu to send his troops to the battle, he refused to do so until at last he consented to send a token force of a few hundred troops at the admonition of his father, Yoshishige. Yoshinobu's forces followed Hidetada, son of Ieyasu, and participated in the attack on Ueda Castle. After the war, Ieyasu planned to punish Yoshinobu for his fence-sitting but desisted owing to Yoshishige's solicitude.
He was transferred to Akita, with a 200,000-koku fief (1602).
He was favored by the Tokugawas after he rendered distinguished services in the two Osaka campaigns (1614 and 1615).
