Oda Nobukatsu, a Daimyo and esteemed warrior, was born as the second son of Oda Nobunaga in Ko’ori Castle, situated in Niwa-Gun, presently known as Konan City of Aichi Prefecture, in the year 1558.
In 1570, following a brief conflict between the Oda and the Kitabatake clan of Ise Province (Mie Prefecture), Nobukatsu was adopted as the heir of the Kitabatake clan to restore peace. He married the daughter of Kitabatake Tomonori, but soon after the wedding, he orchestrated a series of ruthless actions. This included the murder of his father-in-law, the elimination of several key Kitabatake supporters, the imprisonment of the former Lord of Ise, and the complete usurpation of control for himself. Subsequently, Nobukatsu launched an unsuccessful invasion of neighboring Iga Province (also in Mie Prefecture). In response to his failure, Nobukatsu faced the wrath of his father, Nobunaga, and to preserve his authority, he was compelled to annihilate the entire region, including Iga and the remaining Kitabatake clan, along with their prestigious residences and Kiriyama Castle.
The 1582 coup known as the Honno-ji Incident resulted in the deaths of Nobukatsu's father and elder brother, Nobutada, sparking a dispute over succession between the two surviving brothers. Despite being born 20 days prior to Nobukatsu, Nobutaka, whose mother was a concubine, was considered younger due to Nobukatsu's noble-born mother. The brothers contended for their father’s legacy until the Kiyosu Kaigi, a meeting held at Kiyosu Castle, where Toyotomi Hideyoshi and other chief retainers of Nobunaga decided to nominate Nobutada’s infant son, Samboshi (later Oda Hidenobu), as the rightful heir.
Subsequently, Nobukatsu reclaimed his Oda lineage, relinquishing the Kitabatake name, and was appointed Lord of Mino (Gifu), Owari (Aichi), and Ise (Mie) provinces. Fearing his brother Nobutaka's growing influence, Nobukatsu allied with Toyotomi Hideyoshi to eliminate him, leading to Nobutaka's forced seppuku in mid-late June 1583. However, Nobukatsu later clashed with Hideyoshi over authority, prompting him to seek support from Tokugawa Ieyasu to overthrow Hideyoshi, culminating in the Battle of Komaki Nagakute in 1584. Despite initial hostilities, Nobukatsu eventually accepted Hideyoshi's peace offering, aligning himself with Hideyoshi and relinquishing his allegiance to Ieyasu.
Nobukatsu remained loyal to Hideyoshi, serving at the Siege of Odawara in 1590. However, he refused to surrender his domains when Hideyoshi redistributed his retainers' holdings, resulting in his forced retirement as a monk. Despite this, he was later pardoned and granted lands. Following Hideyoshi's death, Nobukatsu was entrusted with the guardianship of Hideyoshi’s infant son and heir, Hideyori, at Osaka Castle. However, in 1614, he betrayed the Toyotomi clan, surrendering to Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Winter Siege of Osaka. As a reward for his betrayal, he was granted the Uda-Matsuyama Domain in Yamato Province (Nara Prefecture), where he resided until his demise in 1630.
See also
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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.
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Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Tsutsui Sadatsugu (June 6, 1562 – April 2, 1615) was a prominent figure in the Sengoku and early Edo periods, known as the cousin and adopted heir of Tsutsui Junkei, the feudal lord of Yamato Province. Following Junkei's death in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Sadatsugu to Iga Province, where he oversaw the construction of Iga Ueno Castle, marking the height of his prominence.
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Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (September 28, 1511 – November 29, 1535) served as the 7th lord of the Matsudaira clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku period. Renowned as the paternal grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's "great unifiers," Kiyoyasu expanded his clan’s influence, bringing all of northern Mikawa Province under his control after subduing the Saigo clan. His power was further symbolized by the construction of Okazaki Castle, a testament to the Matsudaira’s growing dominance.
