Norikage came from the ancient samurai clan of Asakura, whose members considered themselves descendants of Prince Kusakabe, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). He was the eighth son of daimyo Asakura Takakage and was named Kotaro in childhood. Over time, Asakura Norikage became the pillar of the Asakura clan and was undoubtedly its most talented commander during that difficult period when the clan was experiencing internal difficulties, uprisings by the Ikko-ikki sect, and instability in the lands surrounding the capital. Although Norikage himself was never a daimyo, he served as an advisor to three generations of Asakura clan leaders. He spent his entire life on military campaigns. After his father's death in 1481, Norikage entered the service of his brother, Asakura Ujikage.
After Ujikage's death, he was succeeded by his thirteen-year-old son Sadakage, Norikage's nephew. However, not all members of the clan agreed with this appointment, which by 1503 had resulted in the preparation of a conspiracy to change the clan leader. Asakura Kagefusa became the leader of the conspirators and asked Norikage to join the rebellion. Norikage pretended to agree, but only to expose the conspiracy. Thanks to his actions, the rebellion was thwarted, and the rebels' headquarters, located in Tsuruga Castle, was attacked by loyal daimyo. Kagefusa turned to the Hosokawa clan for help, but their detachment was intercepted near Lake Biwa on its way to the province of Etzen. Kagefusa managed to escape to Etzen, where he soon died of illness.
In 1506, Norikage defeated the Ikko-ikki forces at the Battle of Kujuryugawa. In 1517, he commanded an expedition to the Tango province. In 1526, Norikage led the Asakura army sent to aid the Asai clan in their fight against the Rokkaku clan, which strengthened the alliance between the Asai and Asakura clans. In 1527, at the request of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiharu, he fought on the side of the shogunate in the Battle of Sensōjiguchi. In 1531, Norikage again fought against the Ikko-ikki, this time in Kaga Province.
In 1548, Norikage took monastic vows and took the name Soteki. However, neither age nor religion distracted him from his duty as a warrior. In 1555, at the age of seventy-nine, he once again led an army and went to Kaga Province, where he participated in his last campaign against the Ikko-ikki sectarians. After the assault on Daishōji-motete, he felt unwell, handed over command to Asakura Kagetaka, and returned to Itijōnodani, where he died on September 23.
Following his monastic vows, Norikage never married and had no children of his own, but he adopted his nephew Kagetoshi.
Norikage left behind a unique literary legacy, the Asakura Soteki Waki. This is a collection of Norikage's sayings, recorded by one of his closest vassals several years before his death. It includes eighty-three instructions written in the kanamajiri style. This work can be considered Norikage's spiritual testament, reflecting his practical experience and outlook on life. It is completely devoid of the idealism characteristic of previous and subsequent eras. “No matter what a warrior is called — a dog or a wild beast — the main thing for him is to win,” said Norikage. He argued that the fates of the lord and his vassals are one, so there must be harmony between them. Almost all of his teachings are aimed at achieving success in battle, although on the surface they may seem to be devoted to completely different things—morality, horse care, and so on. Undoubtedly, Norikage's advice is not theoretical musings, but ideas tested by personal experience and confirmed by his own life.
See also
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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.
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Hosokawa Sumimoto
Sumimoto came from the Hosokawa clan: he was the biological son of Hosokawa Yoshiharu and at the same time the adopted son of Hosokawa Masamoto, the heir of Hosokawa Katsumoto, one of the principal instigators of the Ōnin War. Masamoto was homosexual, never married, and had no children of his own. At first he adopted Sumiyuki, a scion of the aristocratic Kujō family, but this choice provoked dissatisfaction and sharp criticism from the senior vassals of the Hosokawa house. As a result, Masamoto changed his decision and proclaimed Sumimoto as his heir, a representative of a collateral branch of the Hosokawa clan that had long been based in Awa Province on the island of Shikoku. Almost immediately after this, the boy became entangled in a complex and bitter web of political intrigue.
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Honda Masanobu
Masanobu initially belonged to the retinue of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but later entered the service of Sakai Shōgen, a daimyo and priest from Ueno. This shift automatically made him an enemy of Ieyasu, who was engaged in conflict with the Ikkō-ikki movement in Mikawa Province. After the Ikkō-ikki were defeated in 1564, Masanobu was forced to flee, but in time he returned and once again entered Ieyasu’s service. He did not gain fame as a military commander due to a wound sustained in his youth; nevertheless, over the following fifty years he consistently remained loyal to Ieyasu.
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Honda Masazumi
Masazumi was the eldest son of Honda Masanobu. From a young age, he served Tokugawa Ieyasu alongside his father, taking part in the affairs of the Tokugawa house and gradually gaining experience in both military and administrative matters. At the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Masazumi was part of the core Tokugawa forces, a clear sign of the high level of trust Ieyasu placed in him. After the campaign ended, he was given a highly sensitive assignment—serving in the guard of the defeated Ishida Mitsunari, one of Tokugawa’s principal enemies—an obligation that required exceptional reliability and caution.
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Hojo Shigetoki
Hōjō Shigetoki, the third son of Hōjō Yoshitoki, was still very young—only five years old—when his grandfather Tokimasa became the first member of the Hōjō clan to assume the position of shogunal regent.
