Honda Masashige, the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu's trusted advisor Honda Masanobu, began his service alongside his father under Tokugawa Ieyasu and later his son, the future second Shogun, Hidetada. At the age of 18 in 1597, Masashige was involved in a fatal dispute with Okabe Souhachi, leading him to flee. He then served daimyo Otani Yoshitsugu for two years, followed by two years under Ukita Hideie. Despite his unconventional path, his esteemed family name and warrior reputation opened doors to various positions.
Over the next 14 years, Masashige served different lords in seven regions, ultimately establishing the Kaga Honda branch in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture. The Battle of Sekigahara in late 1600 divided the nation into two factions, East led by Tokugawa Ieyasu, and West led by Ishida Mitsunari. Despite fighting for the opposition, Masashige's exceptional performance caught the attention of Ieyasu.
The Western forces were defeated, and Lord Ukita Hideie fled to safety, while Masashige sought refuge in Omi Province (now Shiga Prefecture). He received offers from Lord Kobayakawa Hideaki and Lord Maeda Toshinaga before joining Lord Fukushima Masanori. Two years later, he accepted a significant position with Maeda Toshinaga, bridging the Maeda and Tokugawa houses.
In 1604, Masashige left the Maeda clan to become Chief Retainer to the daimyo of Echigo, Uesugi Kagekatsu. He married the daughter of Uesugi's top general Naoe Kanetsugu, aiming to strengthen relations between the Uesugi and Tokugawa clans. After rebuilding trust, he amicably parted ways with the Uesugi and returned to the Maeda clan in 1611, becoming the first head of the Kaga Honda clan.
In 1614, he participated in the Winter Siege of Osaka, facing off against and ultimately losing to Sanada Nobushige (Yukimura) near the Sanada Maru complex south of Osaka Castle.
The unconventional samurai, Honda Masashige, passed away at the age of 68 in 1647. He bore witness to the final major battles of the late Sengoku period, the end of Japan's civil war era, and served as a peacemaker between some of the most significant clans in Japanese history.
See also
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
