The Words of the Samurai – Episode 15

Hidemasa’s Smart Victory: A Castle Without a Fight

The idea of the samurai who never backs down, who’d rather die than retreat, was shaped during the Edo period and later cemented in the Meiji Restoration.
It became a key piece of nationalist propaganda during Japan’s imperial era.
But in the real world of the Sengoku period, samurai retreated, escaped, or negotiated when it made sense.
Hori Hidemasa’s actions offer a perfect example: through smart psychological tactics, he captured a castle without even drawing his sword.
It’s a story that reveals not only his strategic brilliance but also the practical, flexible mindset of real warriors.

The Samurai Who Didn’t Need a Sword: Strategy Wins Over Combat

The ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu once said, “A general who wins without fighting is greater than one who wins a hundred battles.”
One Japanese commander who lived by this idea was Hori Hidemasa, a samurai who served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The following story has been passed down about him.

In 1587 (the 15th year of the Tenshō era), Hidemasa was appointed as the vanguard commander during the campaign to conquer Kyūshū.
After securing several castles in the initial battles, he gathered the enemy troops he had taken prisoner and told them:

“We’ve come all the way to Kyūshū, but your allies run away so quickly that we’re constantly chasing after them with no time to rest.
When you return to your castles, try to defend them for at least three days. That way, while we lay siege, our soldiers and horses can rest for a bit too. Sound good? I’m counting on you.”

The prisoners went back to their castles and repeated Hidemasa’s words exactly as they had heard them.
The defenders then thought:
“Wow, those enemies are incredibly confident.”
“There’s no way we can beat people so calm.”
Panicked, they abandoned the castle.

That’s how Hori Hidemasa captured the fortress—without a single battle.

Hidemasa’s story strips away the myth of the unbending samurai.
It shows that strength isn’t always about standing firm — sometimes it’s about knowing when not to fight.
In war, as in life, winning without conflict can be the highest form of mastery.
And that’s what Hidemasa achieved: a victory not through violence, but through cleverness and calm.