More Obscure Samurai

Here are a few more less well-known but very interesting samurai from the 16th Century...

AOCHI SHIGETSUNA
d.1570
Suruga no kami
Shigetsuna was the second son of Gamô Sadahide and the adopted son of Aochi Nagatsuna (who resided in the Kurita District of Ômi Province). He submitted to Oda Nobunaga along with his brother Gamô Katahide around 1569. The following year Shigetsuna accompanied the Oda army in a campaign against the Asakura of Echizen. At the time Asai Nagamasa elected to break his alliance with the Oda and come to the aid of the Asakura. The Oda army was forced to retreat and Aochi was killed fighting in the rear guard.

HARA TORAYOSHI
Ousumi no kami
Torayoshi served Takeda Shingen. He was related to both Hara Masatane and Hara Toratane, though all three were from different branches of the Hara family. He is best known for an event that occured at the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561. At that time he served in Shingen's headquarters, which was raided at the height of the battle by an enemy horseman (reputed to have been Uesugi Kenshin himself). Hara alone was in a position to come to Shingen's aid, and rushed forward to ward off the rider with spear thrusts at the horse.
His son Toranaga died in 1582.

KANEMATSU MASAYOSHI (aka Matashiro)
Masayoshi was at first a minor retainer of Oda Nobunaga, and after 1582, of Oda Nobukatsu. He was dismissed from Nobukatsu's service in 1590 and went to serve Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who gave him some land in Mino Province. In 1593 he went to serve Toyotomi Hidetsugu but, when the latter was made to commit suicide in 1595, he went back to Hideyoshi's service. After 1600 he managed to ingratiate himself with the Tokugawa and served Tokugawa Yoshinao in Owari Province. He is best remembered for an incident that occured earlier in his career. While in the service of Nobunaga in 1573, he was present for the fall of the Asakura of Echizen. At a place called Toneyama, Masayoshi pursued a lone enemy horseman into the mountains, whence he killed him and took his head. However, during his pursuit he lost his shoes and his bare feet became dyed red with the mountain soil. When Nobunaga happened to see this, he gave Masayoshi the ashinaka (unheeled Japanese sandals) that had been hanging from his waist, saying "I had not thought that something such as this would come in handy at a time like this." Upon recieving the sandals that had been in Nobunaga's personal possesion, Masayoshi, we are told, took this to be a blessing from the gods, and this incident was a great joy to him.

MENJU IETERU (aka Katsuteru)
d.1583
Ieteru was the second son of Menju Katsuaki. He was from Owari Province and served Shibata Katsuie from about the age of twelve. Katsuie was very impressed with Ieteru and held the young man in great favor. At the Battle of Nagashima in 1574, Ieteru earned much praise for recovering Katsuie's horse standard, which had been siezed by the enemy. In the aftermath of the Battle of Shizugatake, Toyotomi Hideyoshi pushed against the Shibata domain. Katsuie had come forward but was confronted by a numerically superior force and compelled to withdraw. To assist in his retreat, Ieteru requested the use of Katsuie's standard. While Katsuie made his escape, Ieteru remained in the headquarters under the Shibata banners and held off the enemy for ten vital minutes. While Ieteru was soon killed, the real Katsuie was able to escape to his castle and prepare himself for the suicide that followed. Ieteru's two brothers, Masanobu (Katsunobu?) and Yoshikatsu, died in the same battle. Hideyoshi was so impressed with the sacrifice of the Menju brothers that he made a point of conveying his condolences to their family and seeing to their safe treatment. The Menju later served the Tokugawa of Owari.

ONIWA (Moniwa, Oniniwa) YOSHINAO
1513?-1585
Yoshinao served Date Masamune, though at one time he had entered the priesthood and was known in that capacity as Satsuki. He fought at the Battle of Hitadori and was given a baton of command by Masamune. Though he could wear no armor due to his advance age, he is said to have fought furiously in the battle and taken many heads in the confusion. Unfortunatly, a yellow cap he was wearing attracted the attention of the enemy and he was at length cut down. His actions help enable Masamune to retreat from the action and earned him much posthumus praise. The man who had killed him, Kobuta Jyuro, was later captured by the Date but was spared by Yoshinao's son, Tsunamoto.

YONEHARA TSUNAHIRO
d.1613
Tsunehiro was a son of Yonehara Heinaizaemon. He first served Amako Haruhisa and recieved Takase Castle in 1562. He later betrayed the Amako and joined the Môri, fighting against his former masters at Gassan-Toda in 1564-66. At that time he clashed with the forces of his own father-in-law, Amako general Sase Kiyomune. Tsunahiro was later asked to join the forces under Amako Katsuhisa then preparing to make a bid to recapture Gassan-Toda. He gave his tacit acceptance but when the Amako and Môri clashed between 1569-1570, he sat on the fence waiting to see what the prospects for success were. Nonetheless, the Môri turned on Takase after defeating Katsuhisa's army at Nunobeyama and put it under siege. Tsunahiro escaped the castle and made his way to Kyoto, where he lived in retirement until his death.

[This message has been edited by FwSeal (edited 02-09-2001).]