Baba Nobuharu (1514-15 – June 29, 1575), also known as Baba Nobufusa, was a renowned Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period. He gained fame as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." When Takeda Shingen captured Fukashi castle (now Matsumoto Castle) in 1550, he entrusted its guardianship to Baba.
Historical records indicate that from around 1553, Baba was tasked with overseeing the Suwa region in Shinano. This area served as a borderland with the northern Daimyo and played a crucial defensive role in monitoring potential invasions from the north. Additionally, he acted as an intermediary for the Shiina family of Etchu.
In 1557, Baba took part in the Kawanakajima campaigns, leading the Takeda forces in the siege and eventual destruction of Katsurayama, a significant stronghold of the Uesugi clan.
In 1562, he received the honor of assuming the title "Mino no Kami," a position previously held by Hara Toratane, who had retired the year before and changed his name to Baba Mino no Kami Nobuharu. The Kōyō Gunkan records that Shingen frequently sought Nobuharu's counsel on matters of importance. In 1572, he played a crucial role in the Siege of Iwamura Castle against the Oda clan garrison.
During the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573, the troops under Nobuharu's command pursued Tokugawa Ieyasu's army back to Hamamatsu fortress. However, upon seeing the gates open and braziers lit, Baba mistakenly suspected a trap and chose not to further engage the fleeing army.
Following Takeda Shingen's passing, Baba continued to serve his successor, Takeda Katsuyori. In 1575, aware of Nobunaga's involvement in the Battle of Nagashino, he advised Katsuyori to withdraw. Unfortunately, Katsuyori disregarded this counsel.
Leading the right-wing of the Takeda army in the battle, Baba met his end in combat. It is believed that he sacrificed himself to cover the retreat, allowing Katsuyori to escape the battlefield. The deaths of Baba Nobuharu, along with other valiant warriors such as Sanada Nobutsuna, Naito Masayo, and Yamagata Masakage, during the Battle of Nagashino contributed to the weakening and eventual downfall of the Takeda family in 1582.
Prior to Nagashino, Nobuharu had earned a reputation for fighting in 70 battles without sustaining a single injury. This remarkable feat has immortalized him as "Baba Mino the Immortal" or "Oni Mino the Immortal" in modern memory.
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.
