Akiyama Nobutomo (1527 – December 28, 1575) was a prominent samurai during Japan's Sengoku period. He is renowned as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen" and also served under Shingen's successor, Takeda Katsuyori.
Nobutomo was born in 1527 at Tsutsujigasaki Castle in Kai province. His father, Akiyama Nobutou, hailed from a cadet branch of the Takeda clan and was a descendant of Takeda Mitsutomo. When Nobutomo reached adulthood, he entered the service of Takeda Shingen, the leader of the clan and ruler of Kai province in central Japan's mountainous region. In 1547, during the campaign for the Ina district, Nobutomo distinguished himself in battle and was granted a fief in the northern half of Ina, which corresponds to present-day Kamiina District in Nagano prefecture. Nobutomo's military prowess earned him the nickname Takeda no Mogyu.
By 1568, Nobutomo had gained enough respect to be entrusted with diplomatic missions. In that year, he represented his lord, Takeda Shingen, at the wedding ceremony of Oda Nobutada, the eldest son of Nobunaga, and Matsuhime, the daughter of Shingen, held at Gifu Castle.
In 1571, as part of Takeda Shingen's campaign against Tokugawa Ieyasu, Nobutomo was called back from Iida Castle to lead an invasion of Mino province. His progress was halted by Saigo Yoshikatsu's forces from the Saigo clan. The Battle of Takehiro ensued, resulting in Yoshikatsu's death, but Nobutomo was compelled to retreat.
In 1572, as the Takeda clan launched another campaign, culminating in the Battle of Mikatagahara in January 1573, Nobutomo descended from the north to cut off escape routes and block reinforcements. He laid siege to Iwamura Castle, which eventually surrendered through negotiations with Lady Otsuya, widow of Toyama Kagetou. This strategic move secured Nobutomo's position and aligned Lady Otsuya with him, ultimately resulting in her marriage to Nobutomo.
After Takeda Shingen's passing in 1573, Nobutomo continued to support Shingen's son, Takeda Katsuyori, in his military endeavors.
In 1575, Katsuyori suffered a devastating loss at the Battle of Nagashino, leaving Nobutomo isolated at Iwamura Castle without reinforcement. Despite enduring repeated sieges by Oda Nobutada's forces, Nobutomo and his troops held out until November when Oda Nobunaga arrived with the main army. Realizing that further resistance was futile, Nobutomo signed a truce to surrender the castle. Tragically, Nobunaga violated the truce, resulting in the execution of Nobutomo, his wife (Nobunaga's aunt), and the garrison troops.
On December 28, 1575, Nobutomo and his wife, Lady Otsuya, met their end through crucifixion on the banks of the Nagara River. His holdings in Shinano were then inherited by his eldest son, Akiyama Katsuhisa.
See also
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Takeda Nobuyoshi
Takeda Nobuyoshi (1128–1186 or later) was a prominent Japanese samurai lord of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods and the founder of the Takeda clan.
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Tokugawa Iemochi
Tokugawa Iemochi (1846–1866) was the fourteenth shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate and ruled from 1858 until his death. His reign came during the turbulent final years of the shogunate, when Japan faced growing Western pressure and serious internal political conflict.
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Tokugawa Ienari
Tokugawa Ienari (1773–1841) was the eleventh shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate and ruled from 1787 to 1837, making him the longest-serving Tokugawa shōgun. He was a great-grandson of the eighth shōgun, Tokugawa Yoshimune.
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Matsudaira Nobuyasu
Matsudaira Nobuyasu was only twenty years old when his father ordered him to commit seppuku. The reason was not a defeat in battle, but a crisis inside the Tokugawa family that had become too dangerous to ignore.
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Yamagata Masakage
Masakage was one of Takeda Shingen’s most loyal and capable commanders. He was included in the famous list of the “Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen” and also belonged to the inner circle of four especially trusted warlords known as the Shitennō.
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Yagyu Munenori
Yagyū Munenori began his service under Tokugawa Ieyasu while his father, Yagyū Muneyoshi, was still at his side. In 1600, Munenori took part in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. As early as 1601, he was appointed a kenjutsu instructor to Tokugawa Hidetada, Ieyasu’s son, who later became the second shogun of the Tokugawa clan.
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Yagyu Muneyoshi
A samurai from Yamato Province, he was born into a family that had been defeated in its struggle against the Tsutsui clan. Muneyoshi first took part in battle at the age of sixteen. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was forced to enter the service of the Tsutsui house and later served Miyoshi Tōkei. He subsequently came under the command of Matsunaga Hisahide and in time became a vassal first of Oda and later of Toyotomi.
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Endo Naozune
Naozune served under Azai Nagamasa and was one of the clan’s leading vassals, renowned for his bravery and determination. He accompanied Nagamasa during his first meeting with Oda Nobunaga and at that time asked for permission to kill Nobunaga, fearing him as an extremely dangerous man; however, Nagamasa did not grant this request.
