was a powerful daimyō and the 16th Chief of Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province, the eldest son of Shimazu Takahisa. He was renowned as a great general, who managed to subjugate Kyushu through the deft maneuvering of his three brothers. Eventually in 1584, Yoshihisa succeeded controlled the entire Kyushu region. Early life and rise His mother was a daughter of Iriki'in Shigesato (入来院重聡), Sesshō (雪窓). Shimazu Yoshihiro, Shimazu Toshihisa and Shimazu Iehisa were his brothers. He is said to have been born in Izaku Castle in 1535. His childhood name was Torajumaru (虎寿丸) but he went by the name of Matasaburō (又三郎). On his coming-of-age (genpuku), he took the name of Tadayoshi(忠良) but after receiving a kanji from the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, changed to Yoshitatsu (義辰). He later changed his name to Yoshihisa. He married his own aunt and after her death, married his relative, a daughter of Tanegashima Tokitaka. In 1566, he succeeded his father as the head of Shimazu clan, becoming the clan's sixteenth leader. Unification of Kyushu Working together with his brothers Yoshihiro, Toshihisa, and Iehisa, he launched a campaign to unify Kyūshū. Starting in 1572 with a victory against Itō clan at the battle of Kizaki and the Siege of Takabaru in 1576, Yoshihisa continued to win battles. In 1578, he defeated the Ōtomo clan at the battle of Mimigawa, though he did not take their territory; Later, in 1581, Yoshihisa took Minamata castle with a force of 115,000 men; In early 1584, he was victorious in Battle of Okitanawate against Ryūzōji clan and defeated the Aso clan. By the middle of 1584, the Shimazu clan controlled; Chikugo, Chikuzen, Hizen, Higo, Hyūga, Osumi, and Satsuma, most of Kyūshū with the exception of Ōtomo's domain and unification was a feasible goal. Conflict with Hideyoshi During Shimazu's attempt to unify Kyushu, other clans appealed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi for help; in 1584 the Otomo and Ryuzoji asked Hideyoshi for aid, and though he had been unable to help at that time, Hideyoshi interceded, requesting that Yoshihisa make peace with Otomo. In response, Yoshihisa derided his attempt to intervene, not seeing Hideyoshi as being in a position to invade Kyushu. In 1585, Yoshihisa took Otomo's Iwaya castle resulted after the Shimazu invasion of Chikuzen Province. Later, the Otomo leaders travelled to Osaka itself, seeking to persuade Hideyoshi to help. Hideyoshi was impressed with this embassy, and presumably agreed to help.