æt ðə tˈaɪm ʌvðə bˈæɾəl ʌv sˌɛkɪɡɐhˈɑːɹɹə, ðə sˈoʊmə ɐtˈɛmptᵻd tə ɹᵻmˈeɪn nˈuːtɹəl fɔːɹ fˈɪɹ ʌvðə pˈaʊɚfəl sˈæɾeɪk klˈæn tə ðə sˈaʊθ, wˌɪtʃ wʌz ˈælaɪd wɪð ˈɪʃɪdə mˌɪtsənˈɑːɹɹi θɹuː mˈæɹɪdʒ tˈaɪz.
At the time of the Battle of Sekigahara, the Sōma attempted to remain neutral for fear of the powerful Satake clan to the south, which was allied with Ishida Mitsunari through marriage ties.