Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
In 1573, Murashige was appointed as the daimyō of Ibaraki Castle and gained further recognition through his military exploits across Japan. In 1571, he and Nakagawa Kiyohide killed Wada Koremasa, a senior retainer of the Ashikaga shogunate, at the Battle of Shiraigawara. Three years later, in 1574, he assisted Hashiba Hideyoshi in capturing Arioka Castle (Itami Castle) from Itami Chikaoki, after which Nobunaga awarded him control over the castle.
Murashige played a key role in Nobunaga’s campaigns, commanding troops during the decade-long siege of Ishiyama Honganji. However, in 1578, during the Siege of Miki, he was accused of harboring sympathies toward the Mōri clan, a major enemy of Nobunaga. He retreated to Itami Castle (in present-day Hyōgo Prefecture), where he withstood a year-long siege before the castle fell in 1579.
Despite his defeat, Murashige managed to escape and spent the remainder of his life as a devoted disciple of Sen no Rikyū, the legendary tea master. He took the tea name "Dokun" and became a respected tea practitioner. Rikyū shared some of his most profound teachings with Murashige, including the well-known manuscript Araki Settsu Kami-ate Densho. In the Teaist Genealogy of All Generations Past and Present (Kokin Chajin Keifu), Murashige is listed among Rikyū’s Seven Sages.
In 1580, he was besieged at Hanakuma Castle by Ikeda Tsuneoki, another of Nobunaga’s generals. Though he managed to escape once again, he ultimately defected to the Mōri clan, while Tsuneoki took over his former domain.
A semi-legendary tale speaks of Murashige’s resourcefulness in evading an assassination attempt by Nobunaga. Summoned by Nobunaga under suspicion of treason, Murashige bowed low at the threshold before entering the room. Sensing a trap, he discreetly placed his iron war fan (tessen) in the sliding door’s groove, preventing it from being slammed shut to break his neck. With his ruse exposed, Nobunaga was forced to abandon the assassination attempt, and reconciliation followed.
Murashige’s son, raised under his mother’s name, became the renowned artist Iwasa Matabei.
See also
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Kyōgoku Takatsugu
From the very beginning of his career, Takatsugu served under Oda Nobunaga and was married to Nobunaga’s niece, which secured him a strong position at court and close ties to one of the most powerful clans of the era. However, the events of 1582 drastically changed his fate. When Akechi Mitsuhide rebelled against Nobunaga and treacherously killed him at the Honnō-ji Temple, Takatsugu sought to take advantage of the ensuing chaos to strengthen his own standing. He launched an attack on Nagahama Castle in Ōmi Province, hoping to expand his territories. The assault, however, was repelled, and soon after, Mitsuhide was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces at the Battle of Yamazaki, leaving Takatsugu without allies or support.
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Kato Yoshiaki
Yoshiaki, a loyal vassal of the Oda clan, first distinguished himself as a talented warrior during the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583. For his bravery and outstanding military achievements, he was included in the famous group known as the “Seven Spears of Shizugatake” — an elite band of samurai celebrated for their exceptional courage in that battle. Later, Yoshiaki became one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s naval admirals and took an active part in his subsequent military campaigns. He commanded warships during the expeditions to Kyushu and the siege of Odawara, demonstrating not only valor but also exceptional leadership and strategic skill. For his loyal service and effective command, Yoshiaki was granted an estate in Matsuzaki with an annual income of 100,000 koku of rice — a symbol of significant rank and prosperity.
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Katagiri Katsumoto
Katsumoto was born into the family of Katagiri Naomasa, who came from an ancient and noble lineage. The Katagiri clan had served the early shoguns of the Minamoto house for over five centuries and held lands in the northern part of Shinano Province.
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Kasuya Takenori
There are several versions regarding the origins of Takenori. According to one account, he was the second son of Kasuya Tadayasu, a samurai who served the Bessho clan in Harima Province. In 1577, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched his campaign in Harima, on the advice of his close retainer Kuroda Yoshitaka, also known as Kanbei, he took Takenori into his service as a page. In this position, the young warrior participated in the siege of Miki Castle, which lasted from 1578 to 1580 and was aimed at suppressing the rebellion led by Bessho Nagaharu.
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Kajiwara Kagetoki
One of the finest generals and most loyal allies of Minamoto no Yoritomo, Kagetoki gained a notorious reputation as a jealous rival and persecutor of Yoshitsune, the legendary commander of the Genpei War. Kagetoki was an intelligent, calculating, and cautious man.
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Kawakubo (Takeda) Nobuzane
Nobuzane was the seventh son of Takeda Nobutora and the half-brother of the famous Takeda Shingen. The identity of his mother is unknown, as is the exact year of his birth. It is believed that he was born sometime in the 1530s. When Nobuzane reached adulthood, he was sent to the village of Kawakubo, located in the northern part of Kai Province near the border with the Saku region. His duty was to guard the road leading north. In that village, he built a residence and changed his family name to Kawakubo.
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Imagawa Sadayo
Imagawa Sadayo was one of the most outstanding figures of his era. Alongside Kusunoki Masashige and Kitabatake Chikafusa, he was considered one of the greatest generals and strategists of his time. In addition to his military talents, Sadayo was also a poet and historian, and his literary abilities earned him a prominent place at court and in scholarly circles.
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Ikeda Motosuke
Motosuke was the son of Ikeda Tsunooki and the older brother of the famous military commander Ikeda Terumasa. Sources differ on his year of birth—it was either 1559 or 1564. Motosuke was married to the sister of Oda Nobutada, the eldest son of Oda Nobunaga. Thus, Nobutada's son, Oda Hidenobu, was his nephew.
