Asano Nagaakira (March 18, 1586 – October 16, 1632) was a Japanese samurai and daimyō of the early Edo period. He initially ruled Wakayama Domain before being transferred to the Hiroshima Domain, where his family would remain until the Meiji Restoration.
Early Life and Rise to Power
Born Asano Iwamatsu, he was the son of Asano Nagamasa, a senior retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1594, at just eight years old, Nagaakira became a direct retainer of Hideyoshi and was granted a stipend of 3,000 koku. However, after Hideyoshi’s death, he aligned himself with Tokugawa Ieyasu during the pivotal Battle of Sekigahara (1600). For his loyalty, he was awarded the 24,000-koku Ashimori Domain in Mimasaka Province.
In 1613, following the death of his brother Asano Yukinaga, who left no heir, Nagaakira succeeded him as daimyō of Wakayama Domain (Kii Province).
Military Contributions
During the Siege of Osaka (1614–1615), Nagaakira played a key role in Tokugawa Ieyasu’s campaign against the Toyotomi clan. In 1615, when Toyotomi Hideyori’s Western Army launched an attack on Wakayama Castle, Nagaakira led his forces into battle despite being outnumbered, securing victory at the Battle of Kashii.
He also fought in the Battle of Tennōji, the final and decisive confrontation of the siege, where he commanded Tokugawa’s rear guard.
Lord of Hiroshima
In 1619, for his service and unwavering loyalty, Nagaakira was granted the powerful Hiroshima Domain in Aki Province, marking the beginning of the Asano family's rule there, which lasted until the Meiji Restoration.
Nagaakira was married to Furihime, the widow of Gamō Hideyuki and the third daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu, further solidifying his ties to the Tokugawa shogunate.
His leadership and strategic prowess cemented his family's legacy, making the Asano clan of Hiroshima one of the most influential in Japan’s Edo period.
See also
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Takigawa Kazumasu
Takigawa Kazumasu (1525 – October 21, 1586), also known as Takikawa Sakon or Sakonshogen, was a prominent samurai and daimyō of the Sengoku period. He served as a loyal retainer and military commander under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, the elder brother of Maeda Toshiie, and Kazumasu served alongside Toshiie in Nobunaga’s campaigns.
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Sanada Yukitaka
Sanada Yukitaka (c. 1512 – June 8, 1574) was a renowned samurai warrior of the Sengoku period, best known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki, as well as the grandfather of the legendary Sanada Yukimura, who later served the Toyotomi clan.
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Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
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Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
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Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
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Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
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Araki Murashige
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.
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
