Bessho Nagaharu
Japanese daimyō (1558–1580)
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Bessho Nagaharu (別所 長治; 1558 – February 2, 1580) was a Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period. He was the eldest son of Bessho Yasuharu.
Bessho Nagaharu | |
|---|---|
別所長治 | |
 Bessho Nagaharu portrait in Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art. | |
| Died | 2 February 1580 (aged 21–22) |
Cause of death | Seppuku |
| Title | Daimyō of Harima province |
In 1578 Oda Nobunaga called on his retainers to attack the Mōri clan. Nagaharu almost decided to ally with the Oda clan, but after hearing that the low-born general Hashiba Hideyoshi, whom he did not respect, was leading the troops, he revolted and instead allied himself with Hatano Hideharu of Tanba province.
Nagaharu took a stand at Miki Castle, and was besieged by Hideyoshi's troops on the orders of Nobunaga. The Siege of Miki[1] did not go well for Hideyoshi, and with a revolt by Araki Murashige and the help of the Mōri clan, Nagaharu successfully repelled the Oda force.
In 1579, Hideyoshi returned and instead of launching a direct assault, he launched multiple sieges against smaller castles like Kamiyoshi Castle and Sigata Castle to cut off the support from Mōri. This led to a rapid depletion of food, and in 1580, with no hope of another reinforcement from Mōri clan, Nagaharu committed seppuku in exchange for the lives of the troops in Miki Castle.