Maeda Toshiie

Maeda Toshiie was one of the most prominent samurai and daimyo of the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods of Japanese history. He served under Oda Nobunaga, the warlord who sought to unify Japan, and was known for his skill with the spear and his loyalty to his lord. He was also a friend of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nobunaga's successor, and participated in many of his campaigns to consolidate his rule. He was rewarded with the large and prosperous domain of Kaga, which he expanded and developed with his family. He was also appointed as one of the five regents of the Toyotomi government after Hideyoshi's death, and acted as a mediator between the rival factions of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari. He died of illness in 1599, eight months after Hideyoshi, and was succeeded by his eldest son Toshinaga. He is regarded as the founder of the Maeda clan, which became one of the most powerful and influential clans in Japan. He also left behind a rich cultural legacy, as he and his descendants patronized various arts and crafts, such as tea ceremony, Noh theater, Kaga embroidery, Kutani ware, and Kanazawa gold leaf.