Torii Mototada Early life . Torii was born in Okazaki , the son of Torii Tadayoshi . As a boy , he was sent as hostage to the Imagawa clan , together with the future Tokugawa Ieyasu . The young Mototada served the then - Matsudaira Takechiyo as a page . After Ieyasu ' s return from the Imagawa clan , and his unification of Mikawa Province , Mototada served as one of his chief generals . In 1572 , Mototada succeeded the Torii family headship , following the death of his father . He fought at the Battle of Mikata - ga - hara and Battle of Suwahara Castle the following year and was wounded in the legs , which rendered walking difficult for him from then on . Service under Ieyasu . Mototada served in all of Ieyasu ' s major campaigns . With only 2 , 000 men he mounted a rearguard action against the Hojo clan ' s force of over 10 , 000 , and defeated them ; soon after , Ieyasu granted him Tanimura Castle in Kai Province . Later , in 1585 , he joined Okubo Tadayo and Hiraiwa Chikayoshi in laying siege to the Sanada clan ' s Ueda Castle . After Ieyasu ' s move to the Kantō region , Torii was granted the 40 , 000 koku fief of Yasaku in Shimōsa Province , which made him a daimyo . Last stand and death . In August 1600 , Torii was forewarned by spies that an army of 40 , 000 battle - hardened followers of Toyotomi Hideyoshi were annihilating everything in their path on their march to Fushimi Castle . The 2000 man garrison at Fushimi Castle was badly outnumbered , yet escape for the men inside was still possible . In an act of loyalty to his lord Tokugawa Ieyasu , Torii chose to remain behind , pledging that he and his bastion would fight to the finish . In a moving last statement addressed to his son Tadamasa , Torii described how his family served the Tokugawa for generations and how his own brother had been killed in battle . In the letter , Torii stated that he considered it an honor to die first so that he might give courage to the rest of the Tokugawa warriors . He requested that his son raise his siblings to serve the Tokugawa Clan " In both 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 : 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 . The siege of Fushimi Castle stalled the advancement of the 40 , 000 troops by ten days , allowing Tokugawa to escape . 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 Era . Forty - thousand 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 .