page_title: Maeda Matsu
section_title: Battle of Shizugatake
hierarchical_section_title: Maeda Matsu / Battle of Shizugatake
caption_attribution_description: English: Noble lady and aristocrat from Sengoku period.
context_page_description: Maeda Matsu, also known as Omatsu no Kata, was a Japanese noble lady and aristocrat of the 16th century. She was the wife of Maeda Toshiie, who founded the Kaga Domain. Matsu had a reputation for intelligence; she was skilled at both literary and martial arts, she fought alongside her clan. Known for her fierce determination, Matsu was vitally important to the success of the Maeda clan, being at the forefront of many political and diplomatic issues. She was eternalized for saving the Maeda clan from Tokugawa Ieyasu in Battle of Sekigahara and Siege of Osaka.
context_section_description: After Nobunaga's assassination at Honnō-ji (本能寺) by Akechi Mitsuhide and Mitsuhide's subsequent defeat by Hideyoshi, Maeda clan battled Hideyoshi under Shibata Katusie's command in the Battle of Shizugatake. Because Maeda Matsu was a close friend of Nene (Hideyoshi's wife), she and Nene negotiated a peace treaty during the battle. Matsu personally advanced the battlefield and asked for mercy for the Maeda clan, Hideyoshi was thrilled with her words to spare her husband. Her act is often romanticized as a sign of devotion to Toshiie, although historians argue that it was probably an independent act of self-preservation carried out within her domain of influence.
  As a samurai wife, Maeda Matsu had such political power and influence in her domain. The position of wife of a warlord was more political than marital, so Matsu is famous for being extremely skilled in fighting, in domestic and also military affairs. She actively participated in councils, accompanied the Maeda clan to the battlefield in Shizugatake and many other military expeditions.
  After days of battle, Hideyoshi's victory was certain, so Katsuie committed seppuku, after killing his wife, Oichi (Nobunaga's sister) and other members of his household, and set it on fire. Matsu and Toshiie escaped Shizugatake alive, due to Matsu having asked Hideyoshi and Nene to spare Toshiie from death, she successfully kept the Maeda clan alive.
  After Shibata's defeat, Toshiie worked for Hideyoshi and became one of his leading generals. Toshiie received his own properties and a new home, Kanazawa Castle. For the first time in his life, Toshiie possessed considerable wealth and sought to protect it. Then Matsu handed over her daughter, Maahime, to become Hideyoshi's concubine, thus maintaining a diplomatic relationship between the two clans.
caption: Matsu's early portrait (c.unknown).
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