ascent and decline" and to remain humble desiring neither lordship nor monetary reward. Lifelong friends, Torii Mototada and Tokugawa Ieyasu parted ways sadly knowing that they would never see each other again: "It is not the Way of the Warrior to be shamed and avoid death even under circumstances that are not particularly important ... For myself, I am resolved to make a stand within the castle and to die a quick death. It would not take much trouble to break through a part of their numbers and escape, no matter how many tens of thousands of horsemen approached for the attack or by how many columns we were surrounded. But that is not the true meaning of being a warrior, and it would be difficult to account as loyalty. Rather, I will stand off the forces of the entire country here, and ... die a resplendent death." In the end, with the castle in flames around him, Torii ordered his men to charge headlong into battle over and over again until only ten remained. The castle defenders fought heroically to the last man. As was custom, Torii killed himself rather than be captured alive. Notable Action Torii Mototada's actions had a great impact on the course of Japanese history. Tokugawa Ieyasu would raise an army of 90,000 and confront Ishida Mitsunari's forces at Sekigahara in what would be one of the bloodiest battles in the Sengoku period. 40,000 heads would be taken in the first hours of battle and 70,000 would perish in the next two days as the remnants of Mitsunari's vanquished army were hunted down and executed. The Battle of Sekigahara was a decisive one, resulting in the unification of Japan. Tokugawa's family would rule the entire country for the next 268 years. Mototada's suicide at the fall of Fushimi is one of the most celebrated acts of seppuku in Japanese history. Descendance Among his descendants, Ōishi Yoshio (1659-1703), Karō (Chief retainer) of the Akō Asano clan, leader and hero of the Forty-seven Rōnin's revenge against Kira Yoshinaka, was his great-great-grandson, through Yoshio's father Ōishi Yoshiaki, maternal grandson of Torii Tadakatsu, fourth son of Torii Mototada. Notes References Totman, Conrad. Tokugawa Ieyasu: Shogun. https://web.archive.org/web/20091002235330/http://www.city.okazaki.aichi.jp/museum/DB/KIKAKU/E/e001%20toriimototada.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20080307054400/http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~history/sub2.html http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~echigoya/jin/ToriiMototada.html The Last Statement of Torii Mototada Written on the eve of his castle's destruction (1600 AD) 1539 births 1600 deaths Torii clan Daimyo Suicides by seppuku Japanese pages People from Okazaki,