Takenaka Shigeharu, known today as Hanbei, though historical records suggest he didn't use this name in his lifetime, hailed from Mino (Gifu). Hanbei emerged as a gifted strategist during the tumultuous Sengoku period, serving as a military advisor to both Saito Yoshitatsu and his son, Saito Tatsuoki, the lords of Gifu Castle. Despite his strategic brilliance, Hanbei was reputedly frail and delicate in appearance.
In a remarkable feat, Hanbei, accompanied by just 16 followers, successfully captured the seemingly impregnable Gifu Castle. Legend has it that Hanbei's effeminate demeanor led to a grave insult from a samurai of Gifu Castle, who allegedly urinated on him as he passed beneath a defensive turret. Despite Hanbei's appeals for justice to Saito Tatsuoki, the lord of the castle, no action was taken against the offender.
In a daring move, Hanbei exploited an opportunity to infiltrate the castle under the guise of visiting his ailing brother. Once inside, he seized the chance to launch an assassination attempt on Saito Tatsuoki. Confounded by the sudden attack, the cowardly Tatsuoki mistook Hanbei's actions for a full-scale invasion and fled in panic, abandoning the castle and his forces. Thus, Hanbei secured control of Gifu Castle with ease.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was deeply impressed by Hanbei's strategic prowess and extended an offer for him to join his army. Similarly, Oda Nobunaga sought Hanbei's assistance in securing the castle. However, Hanbei declined Nobunaga's request, opting instead to return the castle to Tatsuoki, who was left humiliated and dishonored by his earlier retreat.
When Oda Nobunaga launched an assault on the castle two years later in 1564, the troops under Tatsuoki's command, still bearing the stigma of his cowardice, either fled or switched sides to support the Oda forces.
Swearing allegiance to the Oda clan, Takenaka Hanbei participated in campaigns against the Azai clan in Omi (now Shiga Prefecture) and the capture of Inabayama Castle in Gifu. Subsequently, Hanbei and another esteemed strategist, Kuroda Kanbei, both served as advisors to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Retiring from active service due to illness, Hanbei assumed responsibility for the nine-year-old son of his colleague and friend, Kuroda Kanbei, while Kuroda was away on a mission to the Araki clan in 1577. However, Kuroda was captured and imprisoned by the Araki, leading Oda Nobunaga to mistakenly believe that Kuroda had betrayed him. In a fit of rage, Nobunaga ordered Hanbei to execute Kuroda's son, Nagamasa. Hanbei, refusing to carry out such a cruel command, patiently awaited his master's temper to subside and for the truth of the situation to emerge, ultimately saving the boy's life.
One year later, Takenaka Hanbei fell victim to illness at the age of 34 while involved in the siege of Miki Castle, a pivotal engagement in Hideyoshi’s military campaign against the Mori clan in the Chugoku region. Despite his fragile health, he was carried in a palanquin. Although he had temporarily left Hideyoshi's side during the campaign to recover in Kyoto, he returned to be by Hideyoshi's side when the latter passed away on July 6, 1579.
Hanbei's son and successor, Shigekado, remained dedicated to serving Hideyoshi. He later aligned with the Eastern forces under Tokugawa Ieyasu at Sekigahara and was subsequently appointed as Hatamoto.
See also
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Ryuzoji Takanobu
Takanobu was the eldest son of Ryūzōji Takaie and the great-grandson of Ryūzōji Iekane. His father was killed by a man named Baba Yoritiku in 1544. At a young age, Takanobu took Buddhist vows and received the monastic name Engetsu. However, around the age of eighteen, he returned to secular life, and in 1548, after the death of Ryūzōji Tanehide, he became the head of both branches of the Ryūzōji family.
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Ouchi Yoshihiro
Ōuchi Yoshihiro was the second son of Ōuchi Hiroyo, who headed the Ōuchi clan in the western part of Honshu. In 1363, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu confirmed the Ōuchi family in the position of shugo of Suō and Nagato Provinces. In his youth, Yoshihiro assisted his father in strengthening the influence of the Northern Court on the island of Kyushu — they served under Imagawa Ryōsun, who had been tasked with subjugating the nine provinces of Kyushu.
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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.
