Born in modern-day Ibaragi City, Osaka, in 1542, the daimyo Nakagawa Kiyohide, also known as Nakagawa Toranosuke in his childhood and commonly referred to as Nakagawa Sebe, began his journey in the service of Ikeda Katsumasa, the daimyo of Settsu (now spanning Osaka and Hyogo Prefectures). However, he later sought independence.
In 1568, when Oda Nobunaga seized Kyoto under the pretext of aiding the Ashikaga Shogunate, the Ikeda clan, and Nakagawa Kiyohide's forces opposed him. Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Oda forces, both Kiyohide and Ikeda Katsumasa surrendered. Another encounter with Nobunaga occurred in 1578 when Araki Murashige of Itami Castle rebelled. Kiyohide followed suit, prompting Nobunaga to amass a formidable attack force. Once again, Kiyohide surrendered and, in an effort to reconcile with Nobunaga, turned his forces against the Araki clan. Pardoned by Nobunaga, Kiyohide subsequently served under Niwa Nagashige and Ikeda Tsuneoki, participating in several battles.
After Nobunaga's death in 1582, Kiyohide remained loyal to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, contributing to the Battle of Yamazaki. However, in the following year, during the Battle of Shizugatake, Nakagawa Kiyohide met his end while defending Oiwayama Toride, a small fort, falling to the forces led by Shibata Katsuie's general, Sakuma Morimasa.
Kiyohide's younger sister married Furuta Shigenari (Furuta Oribe), and his sons included Hidemasa, who married Oda Nobunaga's daughter, Tsuruhime, and Hidenari, who became the Daimyo of Oka (Oita in Kyushu).
See also
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Oda Nobutada
Oda Nobutada (1557 – June 21, 1582) was a samurai and the eldest son of Oda Nobunaga, known for his active role in several battles during Japan's Sengoku period. He led armies under his father's command in campaigns against Matsunaga Hisahide and the Takeda clan.
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Imagawa Ujizane
Imagawa Ujizane (1538 – January 27, 1615) was a Japanese daimyō who lived through the Sengoku and early Edo periods. He became the tenth head of the Imagawa clan, following in the footsteps of his father, Imagawa Yoshimoto. Ujizane was the father of Imagawa Norimochi and Shinagawa Takahisa.
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Hojo Ujiyasu
Hojo Ujiyasu (1515 – October 21, 1571), the third head of the Odawara Hojo clan, was a formidable daimyo known as the "Lion of Sagami." Revered as a fearsome samurai and brilliant strategist, he became famous for successfully breaking sieges by renowned warlords Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. Ujiyasu was the son of Hojo Ujitsuna, and his only known wife was Zuikei-in, sister of Imagawa Yoshimoto. Among his children were Hojo Ujimasa and Uesugi Kagetora.
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Hojo Ujimasa
Hojo Ujimasa (1538 – August 10, 1590) was the fourth leader of the later Hojo clan and the daimyo of Odawara. He continued his father Hojo Ujiyasu's policy of territorial expansion, achieving the largest territorial holdings in the clan's history.
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Uesugi Kagetora
Uesugi Kagetora (1552 – April 19, 1579) was the seventh son of Hojo Ujiyasu and was originally known as Hojo Saburo. He was adopted by Uesugi Kenshin and intended to be Kenshin's heir. However, in 1578, he was attacked in his Otate Castle by Uesugi Kagekatsu, his brother-in-law, and was ultimately defeated. Kagetora committed suicide the following year at Samegao Castle.
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Hojo Ujinao
Hojo Ujinao (1562 – December 19, 1591) was a Japanese daimyo of the late Sengoku period and the last leader of the Later Hojo clan. An important figure in Azuchi-Momoyama politics, he lost his entire domain following the Siege of Odawara (1590). Despite this, he survived, and his family continued as minor daimyo during the Edo period.
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Takeda Katsuyori
Takeda Katsuyori (1546 – April 3, 1582) was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period, renowned as the head of the Takeda clan and successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was also the son-in-law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Katsuyori was born to Shingen and the daughter of Suwa Yorishige, known posthumously as Suwa-goryonin and by her real name, Koihime. His children included Takeda Nobukatsu and Takeda Katsuchika.
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Yasuke
Yasuke, an African page, arrived in Japan in 1579 as the attendant of the Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano. Before the arrival of the Englishman William Adams, it is thought that Yasuke was possibly the inaugural non-Japanese samurai, arriving about twenty years earlier.
