Iehisa Shimazu

Iehisa Shimazu is a Shimazu retainer known for his tactical prowess. The youngest of the four Shimazu brothers, he is also Toyohisa's father. Many of the clan's victories were attributed to Iehisa's tactics. Although he officially died from illness, some rumors claim that Hideyoshi poisoned him.

Role in Games
Iehisa is found most of the time at Kyūshū. In the second game, he and Tadamoto Niiro will lead an ambush unit against Hidehisa Sengoku, prompting a mission to defeat them. During Yoshihiro's story, Iehisa is tasked with ambushing Ginchiyo after taking out the bridge. On Shingen and Kenshin's dream stages, Iehisa and Toshihisa will attempt to infiltrate the main camp of the Takeda-Uesugi alliance.

The third game has him guard the northwestern garrison during Kiyomasa Katō's story while Muneshige's version relegates him to charging the player's base directly.

During the Kyūshū scenario in Samurai Warriors 4, Iehisa first appears defending Taka Castle against the Tachibana at Mimikawa. At Okitanawate, he leads the lure-and-ambush plan against the Ryūzōji, though Toyohisa protests his father's orders to withdraw. The Legend of a Land United's iteration of Kyūshū has him take part in the charge into the Toyotomi's main camp, forcing players to impede his advance.

Quotes

 * "This battle will inevitably be brutal. but it is not too late. Return home!"
 * "Hmph! It seems my brother's stubbornness also flows through your veins."

Voice Actors

 * Ryohei Arai - Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence (Japanese)
 * Kōji Kawakami - Shin Nobunaga no Yabou

Historical Information
Shimazu Iehisa was the fourth son of Shimazu Takahisa and began to serve his family’s clan in battle at the age of fifteen at the battle of Mawarizaka. He faithfully served his clan after his eldest brother Shimazu Yoshihisa when he became head of the clan in 1566. In 1578, Iehisa stood against a massive army of the Ōtomo at Taka castle. This action bought the Shimazu enough time to assemble a stronger force and meet them in battle at Mimigawa, where Iehisa joined his reinforcements in soundly defeating the Ōtomo army. Iehisa continued to help push the Shimazu's conquest of Kyushu in 1581, when he conquered Minamata castle and again in 1584, when he fought and routed the Ryūzōji clan at the battle of Okitanawate.

As the year 1586 approached, very little of Kyushu remained to be conquered. Iehisa held Toshimitsu castle under siege, working his way through Bungo providence. However, the conquest of Kyushu came to a halt with the arrival of the Toyotomi army. The first advance forces to land were led by Sengoku Hidehisa and Chōsokabe Motochika and rushed to stop Iehisa’s siege. Learning of the impending pincer attack, Iehisa redoubled their effort to take Toshimitsu castle before the Toyotomi forces arrived. With the castle secured, Iehisa turned around and employed a feign and counterattack ploy on the Toyotomi left flank, crumpling the army into itself and routing their forces. This victory was short lived, as Toyotomi Hidenaga arrived a few months later with 90,000 troops, capturing the Funai region and sieging Taka castle. Not easily beaten, Iehisa fought Hidenaga at Takajō. He had a detachment of men harass the forward forces setting up the siege against Taka castle, buying enough time for him to mount a devastating cavalry charge before retreating back towards Satsuma. Shortly after this encounter, Iehisa died suddenly in Sadowara castle. Some believe he fell poison for all the difficulty that he had caused the Toyotomi, although it is more widely believed he died of illness instead.

Two anecdotes are often told about Iehisa, the first being his trip to Kyoto to pray at the Ise shrines. He arrived at 1575, and bore witness to Oda Nobunaga's return to the city. While present, Iehisa was said to have been invited to tea by Akechi Mitsuhide. The other tale is one of his youth, out horseback riding with his brothers, when Yoshihisa proposed that unlike their current beasts of burden, men could rise above their parentage, offing Iehisa full acceptance. This statement encouraged and inspired Iehisa to perform his great feats of loyalty and labor, as his mother was neither his brothers' mother nor was she of any noble blood.