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
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Ouchi Yoshioki
Ouchi Yoshioki, the ruler of the provinces of Suo, Nagato, and Iwami, was one of the most capable military commanders and politicians of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The son of Ouchi Masahiro, he governed from his residence in Yamaguchi in the province of Suo. In 1499, Yoshioki gave refuge to Shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane, who had been driven out of Kyoto by Hosokawa Masamoto. Shogun Yoshizumi, Masamoto’s protégé, ordered the lords of Kyushu to unite their forces against Yoshioki; however, they did not dare to do so, fearing the power of a man who by that time controlled six provinces. Having gathered a substantial army, Yoshioki marched from his native Suo toward Kyoto in order to restore Shogun Yoshitane to power.
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Otomo Sorin
Ōtomo Yoshishige came from a noble lineage, being the eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, the ruler of Funai Province. The roots of the Ōtomo family traced back to Fujiwara Hidesato, the adopted son of Nakahara Chikayoshi. Fujiwara served Minamoto Yoritomo during the Genpei War and took part in battles in Mutsu Province in 1189. In 1193, he was appointed shugo of Buzen and Bungo Provinces, after which he adopted a new surname—Ōtomo.
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Okudaira Sadamasa
Sadamasa was the son of Okudaira Sadayoshi and took part in several battles under Tokugawa Ieyasu, distinguishing himself in the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, where he took two heads. Around 1572 he was forced to enter the service of the Takeda clan, but after the death of Takeda Shingen in 1573 he returned to Tokugawa, leaving Tsukude Castle together with his men. As a result of this defection, Takeda Katsuyori ordered the execution of Sadamasa’s wife and brother, who were being held as hostages.
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Okubo Tadatika
Tadatika, the son of Okubo Tadayō, entered the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the age of eleven, and took his first head in battle when he was sixteen. After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, he was appointed as a rōjū — a senior bakufu official — and was regarded as one of Ieyasu’s most trusted advisors, alongside Honda Masanobu. He is also known for his military chronicle Mikawa Monogatari, which describes Ieyasu’s rise to power and the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Okubo Nagayasu
Nagayasu was the second son of Okura Nobuyasu, a sarugaku theater actor from the Takeda clan. Takeda Shingen recognized the young man’s potential and took him into service, appointing him as a vassal to his general, Tsuchiya Masatsugu. During this period, Nagayasu changed his family name to Tsuchiya. He was entrusted with developing the Takeda clan’s gold mines as well as handling matters related to taxation.
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Nitta Yoshisada
Nitta Yoshisada was a loyal soldier of Emperor Go-Daigo, who in the 1330s attempted to restore direct imperial rule in Japan. The Nitta family was related to the Ashikaga house and was older in lineage. However, they did not join Minamoto Yoritomo at the start of his war with the Taira, as the Ashikaga did, and therefore did not receive high positions in the Kamakura shogunate. This may have been one of the reasons why Yoshisada rose against the Hōjō clan in 1333.
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Natsume Yoshinobu
Yoshinobu, a long-time vassal of the Matsudaira and Tokugawa clans, governed Hamamatsu Castle on behalf of the Tokugawa house. During the clashes between the Imagawa, Takeda, and Matsudaira clans, he served in the garrison of Nagasawa Castle and in 1562 took part in raids under the command of Itakura Shigezane. When, in 1563, a revolt of the Sōtō-shū sect followers broke out in Mikawa Province, Yoshinobu joined the rebels together with Honda Masanobu and Hachiya Sadatsugu.
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Nambu Nobunao
The Nambu clan was an ancient and powerful family that traced its lineage back to the Minamoto shoguns and had controlled a significant part of the Tohoku region in northern Honshu since the 12th century. Nobunao was born in Ikatai Castle, located in what is now the city of Iwate. He was the second son of Ishikawa (Nambu) Takanobu, the 22nd head of the Nambu clan. In 1565, Nobunao’s uncle, Nambu Harumasa, adopted him, brought him to Sannohe Castle, and named him his heir, later giving his daughter in marriage to him.
