the mountain of folklore developed in the Edo Period. Tamehiro was the one to report back with the ill news to Yoshitsugu and was sorely regretful for not being able to stop Kobayakawa. In his remorse, he sang a poem to encourage his lord to commit suicide, roughly translated as, "that I might abandon thy life for thy name, to meet thy sudden end of the world so ruefully". Yoshitsugu appreciated the loyalty behind Tamehiro's words and replied with his own poem, "May we pledge to the Six Paths, and wait for but awhile, to reunite once again on the life ahead." As his reply was sent, Tamehiro did not get to read it as he had already been killed by Kobayakawa soldiers. Turning to Gosuke when ready for his own death, Yoshitsugu asked his retainer to assist him and to hide his head from their enemy. While still in his palanquin, Yoshitsugu stabbed his stomach into a cross spear and his head was chopped off by Gosuke. Gosuke was said to have ordered for his lord's head to be buried in secret before rushing to his own death against the Eastern army. Grave The attached photo of his grave shows Gosuke's grave on the left and two steps back from Yoshitsugu's and guarding Yoshitsugu even in the after life. On the right of Yoshitsugu's grave is that of Otani Yoshitaka, possibly another name of his son Yoshikatsu who fought in the Battle of Sekigahara and also committed suicide because of losing to Ieyasu's forces. (The writing on the stone memorials in the photograph identifies the grave of Yuasa Gosuke and Otani Yoshitaka. Although no name can be detected on the central stone monument, it is assumed to be that of Yoshitsugu because it is front and center and reflective of the relationship between Yoshitsugu and two others). A radical variation of Gosuke protecting Yoshitsugu's head from detection is also known; in this version, he decapitates himself to divert attention to his master's remains. Regardless of whether he was a hero or not, Yoshitsugu continues to be celebrated for his samurai spirit and loyalty to his duties. His tragic end against monstrous odds is one of the many popular tales of Sekigahara. In fiction *Yoshitsugu is one of the Western army's units in the strategy video game Kessen. Yoshitsugu is the inspiration for the fictional Lord Onoshi in James Clavell's