Oda Nobutaka (1558–1583) was a samurai of the Oda clan, also known as Kanbe Nobutaka after being adopted as the head of the Kanbe clan, which governed the central region of Ise Province. He was the third son of Oda Nobunaga, born to a concubine named Sakashi. Nobutaka was referred to as "San Shichi," possibly because he was born on the seventh day of the third month in the Japanese lunar calendar. However, there is a theory suggesting he was born twenty days earlier than his elder brother, Oda Nobukatsu, but due to delays in reporting and the low status of his mother’s family, he was acknowledged as Nobunaga’s third son.
In 1568, after Nobunaga secured control of Ise Province, Nobutaka became the head of the Kanbe clan, ruling from Kanbe Castle near present-day Suzuka, Mie. In contrast, his brother Nobukatsu was adopted into the powerful Kitabatake clan and governed a much larger territory in southern Ise. Missionaries of the time noted that Nobutaka had a better character than Nobukatsu, despite holding a smaller domain.
In 1577, Nobutaka led a successful siege of Ota Castle (near modern Wakayama Castle) and suppressed the Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist uprising (Saika Ikki) in Kii Province. By 1582, Nobutaka was tasked with leading an army against Shikoku, commanding notable retainers such as Niwa Nagahide and Tsuda Nobuzumi, the son of Nobunaga’s younger brother, Nobuyuki.
Before the campaign began, Nobunaga was assassinated by Akechi Mitsuhide at Honnō-ji. Upon learning of his father’s death, Nobutaka returned to Osaka and executed Nobuzumi, who was married to Mitsuhide’s daughter, suspecting him of collusion with Mitsuhide. Though there was no evidence to support this, Nobutaka’s actions underscored the chaos of the period. He then allied with Hashiba Hideyoshi (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi), and together they defeated Mitsuhide’s forces at the Battle of Yamazaki.
After Nobunaga's death, disputes over succession arose. Nobutaka and Nobukatsu clashed during a council at Kiyosu Castle. Ultimately, Oda Hidenobu was declared Nobunaga’s heir. Nobutaka was granted Mino Province, previously ruled by his eldest brother, Oda Nobutada, who had been killed by Mitsuhide. However, this reward fell short of Nobutaka's expectations.
In 1583, Nobutaka allied with Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazumasu in a rebellion against Hideyoshi. The alliance faltered when Nobutaka was besieged at Gifu Castle by Nobukatsu, Katsuie was defeated at the Battle of Shizugatake, and Kazumasu suffered defeat at Kameyama. Nobutaka ultimately surrendered.
Following his defeat, Nobutaka was confined to Daimidoji at Noma in Owari Province, the site where Minamoto no Yoshitomo had been assassinated centuries earlier. Under pressure from Hideyoshi and Nobukatsu, Nobutaka committed suicide in 1583. Historical records cite either June 19 or June 21 as the date of his death.
See also
-
Takeda Nobuyoshi
Takeda Nobuyoshi (1128–1186 or later) was a prominent Japanese samurai lord of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods and the founder of the Takeda clan.
-
Tokugawa Iemochi
Tokugawa Iemochi (1846–1866) was the fourteenth shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate and ruled from 1858 until his death. His reign came during the turbulent final years of the shogunate, when Japan faced growing Western pressure and serious internal political conflict.
-
Tokugawa Ienari
Tokugawa Ienari (1773–1841) was the eleventh shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate and ruled from 1787 to 1837, making him the longest-serving Tokugawa shōgun. He was a great-grandson of the eighth shōgun, Tokugawa Yoshimune.
-
Matsudaira Nobuyasu
Matsudaira Nobuyasu was only twenty years old when his father ordered him to commit seppuku. The reason was not a defeat in battle, but a crisis inside the Tokugawa family that had become too dangerous to ignore.
-
Yamagata Masakage
Masakage was one of Takeda Shingen’s most loyal and capable commanders. He was included in the famous list of the “Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen” and also belonged to the inner circle of four especially trusted warlords known as the Shitennō.
-
Yagyu Munenori
Yagyū Munenori began his service under Tokugawa Ieyasu while his father, Yagyū Muneyoshi, was still at his side. In 1600, Munenori took part in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. As early as 1601, he was appointed a kenjutsu instructor to Tokugawa Hidetada, Ieyasu’s son, who later became the second shogun of the Tokugawa clan.
-
Yagyu Muneyoshi
A samurai from Yamato Province, he was born into a family that had been defeated in its struggle against the Tsutsui clan. Muneyoshi first took part in battle at the age of sixteen. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was forced to enter the service of the Tsutsui house and later served Miyoshi Tōkei. He subsequently came under the command of Matsunaga Hisahide and in time became a vassal first of Oda and later of Toyotomi.
-
Endo Naozune
Naozune served under Azai Nagamasa and was one of the clan’s leading vassals, renowned for his bravery and determination. He accompanied Nagamasa during his first meeting with Oda Nobunaga and at that time asked for permission to kill Nobunaga, fearing him as an extremely dangerous man; however, Nagamasa did not grant this request.
