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Thread: Obscure samurai

  1. #1
    Senior Member Senior Member FwSeal's Avatar
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    Noting Zen's call for more topics, I thought I'd cut and paste a few things from some notes I took a while back regarding some obscure but interesting 16th Century figures. As some of these guys have never, to the best of my knowledge, been mentioned in any english books, I thought they might be of some interest...

    Amako Hisayuki (d.1541)
    Hisayuki was the second son of Amako Kiyosada and a younger brother of Amako Tsunehisa. He helped his elder brother retake Gassan-Toda Castle in 1486 and was afterwards a loyal and trustworthy follower. He fell out of favor with Tsunehisa's successor, Haruhisa, and endured being called a coward by the latter for advocating caution in all endeavors. He bore up to this humiliation and served Haruhisa in the attempt to take the Mouri's Koriyama Castle in 1540. He was killed in battle in January of the following year.

    Anzai Sanemoto (d.1564?)
    Sanemoto was a retainer of Satomi Yoshihiro of Awa. He was present for the 2nd Battle of Konodai, which developed into a disaster for the Satomi. When he saw that Yoshihiro's horse had been shot out from under him and that the enemy (The Hojo) were drawing near, Sanemoto gave him his own mount. While Yoshihiro was making his retreat, Sanemoto shouted out that he was the Satomi general Yoshihiro and threw himself into the enemy - where he was presumably killed (nothing was ever heard of him again).

    Hirose Kagefusa (?-?)
    Kagefusa was at first a retainer of the Takeda and served Yamagata Masakage in numerous engagements. He survived the Battle of Nagashino and when the Takeda fell in 1582, was taken on by the Tokugawa. He became a trusted retainer of Ii Naomasa and fought bravely in the Battles of Nagakute and Sekigahara. He was afterwards given an income of 1,500 koku. On the way back from the Osaka Winter Campaign, Tokugawa Ieyasu invited Kagefusa, by now an old man, to drink with him and honored his services. His adopted son, Masayoshi, was killed fighting the troops of Kimura Shigenari in the Osaka Summer Campaign (1615).

    Hojo Genan (Nagatsuna; 1493-1589)
    Genan was the 3rd son of Hojo Soun and was a long-time pillar of the Hojo house. He was schooled in Kyoto and became known for his cultural pursuits and penchant for study. In 1561 he lost his eldest son Shinzaburou Tsunashige (as well as a second son) in battle with Takeda Shingen and to console him, Hojo Ujiyasu gave him his 7th son, Ujihide, as an adopted son (the future Uesugi Kagetora). Genan was also noted for his skill at the hand drum and flute as well as bow and arrow - and for being possibly the longest-living sengoku warrior. As one book put it, if a man's life was fifty years (as in the poem Nobunaga liked to say), then Genan lived two lifetimes. In his later days he became known as the 'minister in black robes'.

    Jinbo Nagamoto (d.1571?)
    Nagamoto's father Keisou died fighting alongside Nagao Tamekage against the Ikko-ikki. Nagamoto himself fought against the Hatakeyama of Noto but made peace with them in 1545. He became involved in a conflict with the neigboring Shiina clan, which resulted in a truce mediated by the Hatakeyama in 1552. Some years later the Jinbo and Shiina again clashed and this time the latter called on the assistance of the Uesugi, who captured Toyama in 1560. The loss of Toyama, while damaging, did not bring about the immediate ruin of Nagamoto's clan, who continued to resist the Shiina from their remaining holdings. When Takeda Shingen became involved in Etchu's fortunes after 1566, Uesugi Kenshin sided with Nagamoto for a time - though internal strife within the Jinbo at length brought about the demise of the family as daimyo. Nagamoto assumed the name Soushou and became a monk around 1570. The Jinbo were afterwards Uesugi vassals.

    Kakizaki Kageie (d.1574)
    Kageie was the son of Kakizaki Toshiie. He joined Uesugi Kenshin early in the latter's career and held Tatejiro Castle and various posts after Kenshin assumed control of Echigo. Kageie led the Uesugi vanguard at 4th Kawanakajima and clashed with the forces of Takeda Nobushige - resulting in Nobushige's death. In 1570 his son Haruie was sent as a hostage to Odawara Castle when Kenshin and the Hojo struck a peace treaty. Kageie was later charged with plotting with the Oda and was made to commit suicide at Mizushima. Kageie's lands were inherited by Kakizaki Noto no kami Noriie, a younger son (Haruie's fate is unknown - one theory has that he commited suicide along with his father).

    Shima Chikamasu (d.1571)
    Chikamasu was the youngest son of Chosokabe Kunichika and a brother of Chosokabe Motochika. He suffered from tuberculosis and in 1571 set out to a hot spring in Awa Province in an attempt to bolster his health. It happened that a local Awa lord came to suspect that Chikamasu was in fact a spy and ordered his death. Chikamasu was thus ambushed and murdered en route to the spa. This is said to have provided an outraged Chosokabe Motochika with a prextet for his raids into Awa that at length developed into the conquest of the Province. Chikamasu was remembered as a big and cheerful individual, despite his flagging health.

    Takeda Nobuchika (1541-1582)
    Nobuchika was the 2nd son of Takeda Shingen. He suffered from blindness and so became a monk. He was nonetheless adopted into the Uno family of Shinano and was their nominal lord. He commited suicide when Kai was invaded by the Oda in 1582, though his son was protected from harm by Tokugawa Ieyasu.



    [This message has been edited by FwSeal (edited 01-28-2001).]

  2. #2
    Naughty Little Hippy Senior Member Tachikaze's Avatar
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    I printed this out and read it on my break. Nice job; thanks.

    The story of Chikumasu Shima sounds like good potential material for a samurai drama.

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    STORIES LIKE THESE EXPLAIN WHY THE FLOWER OF JAPAN IS THE CHERRY BLOSSOM...THEY BLOOM IN ALL THEIR GLORY IN THE SHORT TIME THAT THEY HAVE. THE WAY OF KANTORAI1 ATTU GYOKUSAI!
    In my sword; the wind, in my heart; courage, in my eyes; death...I am Minagawa

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