Database: Hosokawa Fujitaka

Hosokawa Fujitaka was both a daimyō and a distinguished general, as well as a master of tea and a renowned poet. Adopted at the age of seven into the prestigious Hosokawa family, he initially served the last Ashikaga shoguns before becoming a vassal of Oda Nobunaga in 1573. His son, Tadaoki, married the woman later known as Gracia, the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide. Following the Honnō-ji incident in 1582, where Nobunaga met his demise, Fujitaka refused to join Mitsuhide, shaved his head, and adopted the religious name Yūsai, by which he is often known. Subsequently, he served Hideyoshi and frequently fought alongside him. In 1600, he defied the western army forces besieging his castle in Tanabe, Tango province, thereby not directly participating in the Battle of Sekigahara but aiding Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory by holding the enemy forces at bay around his besieged castle.

Yūsai then retired from political and military life, dedicating himself entirely to the practice of tea and waka poetry. It is said that he played a significant role in establishing the regulations and etiquette of ceremonies at the new shōgun's court.