Takigawa Kazumasu (1525 – October 21, 1586), also known as Takikawa Sakon or Sakonshogen, was a prominent samurai and daimyō of the Sengoku period. He served as a loyal retainer and military commander under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, the elder brother of Maeda Toshiie, and Kazumasu served alongside Toshiie in Nobunaga’s campaigns.
Early Life and Rise to Power
Kazumasu was born in 1525 in Ōmi Province as the son of Takigawa Kazumasa, lord of Kawachi-Takayasu Manor. The Takigawa clan traced its lineage to the Ki clan. He became one of Oda Nobunaga’s most trusted retainers, serving him from around 1558.
In 1561, he was sent as an envoy to Akagawa Motoyasu, a key general of the Mōri clan, as part of Nobunaga’s diplomatic efforts. Kazumasu played a crucial role in Nobunaga’s early military campaigns, leading the vanguard in the invasions of Ise Province in 1567 and 1568, successfully subduing numerous local families. By 1569, he was granted land in Ise and later supported Oda Nobukatsu, heir to the Kitabatake clan.
Military Exploits Under Nobunaga
Kazumasu participated in several major battles, including the Siege of Nagashima (1571, 1573, 1574) against the Ikkō-ikki. In 1572, alongside Sakuma Nobumori, he was dispatched to reinforce Tokugawa Ieyasu against Takeda Shingen at the Battle of Mikatagahara.
As a key commander in Nobunaga’s campaigns, Kazumasu took part in the Siege of Ichijōdani Castle (1573), the Battle of Nagashino (1575) (where he led infantry units), the Battle of Tennōji (1576), and the Battle of Tedorigawa (1577). He also led an invasion of Kii Province.
At the Second Battle of Kizugawaguchi (1578), Kazumasu commanded a white warship alongside Kuki Yoshitaka’s six black ships in a naval clash against the Mōri fleet. Beyond military engagements, he contributed to domestic affairs, aiding in the construction of Azuchi Castle in 1578 and conducting land surveys in Yamato Province with Akechi Mitsuhide in 1580.
Between 1579 and 1581, he fought in the Tenshō Iga War, capturing Seki Castle. In 1582, he led a campaign against the remnants of the Takeda clan alongside Kawajiri Hidetaka. Later that year, Nobunaga appointed him Kantō Kanrei (Deputy Shogun of the East), entrusting him with a portion of Kōzuke Province to monitor the powerful Hōjō clan.
Later Years and Decline
Following Nobunaga’s assassination in the Honnō-ji Incident (1582), Kazumasu attempted to defend Oda territories but suffered defeat against the Hōjō at the Battle of Kanagawa (1582), forcing his retreat to Ise Province.
In 1583, he initially sided with Shibata Katsuie and other Oda retainers against Toyotomi Hideyoshi. However, he was defeated while defending Kameyama Castle (Mie) after Hideyoshi used mines to breach its walls. Eventually, Kazumasu submitted to Hideyoshi and assisted in the Komaki Campaign (1584), attacking Kanie Castle alongside Kuki Yoshitaka.
However, his reputation suffered when he killed his own cousin, Maeda Tanetoshi, during the campaign. Ashamed of his failure, he shaved his head, became a Buddhist monk, and retired from military life. He is believed to have died in Echizen Province in 1586.
Kazumasu’s personal standard was marked by three vertically arranged red circles, symbolizing his identity on the battlefield. Despite his later decline, he remains a notable figure in the turbulent history of Japan’s Sengoku era.
See also
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Hosokawa Sumimoto
Sumimoto came from the Hosokawa clan: he was the biological son of Hosokawa Yoshiharu and at the same time the adopted son of Hosokawa Masamoto, the heir of Hosokawa Katsumoto, one of the principal instigators of the Ōnin War. Masamoto was homosexual, never married, and had no children of his own. At first he adopted Sumiyuki, a scion of the aristocratic Kujō family, but this choice provoked dissatisfaction and sharp criticism from the senior vassals of the Hosokawa house. As a result, Masamoto changed his decision and proclaimed Sumimoto as his heir, a representative of a collateral branch of the Hosokawa clan that had long been based in Awa Province on the island of Shikoku. Almost immediately after this, the boy became entangled in a complex and bitter web of political intrigue.
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Honda Masanobu
Masanobu initially belonged to the retinue of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but later entered the service of Sakai Shōgen, a daimyo and priest from Ueno. This shift automatically made him an enemy of Ieyasu, who was engaged in conflict with the Ikkō-ikki movement in Mikawa Province. After the Ikkō-ikki were defeated in 1564, Masanobu was forced to flee, but in time he returned and once again entered Ieyasu’s service. He did not gain fame as a military commander due to a wound sustained in his youth; nevertheless, over the following fifty years he consistently remained loyal to Ieyasu.
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Honda Masazumi
Masazumi was the eldest son of Honda Masanobu. From a young age, he served Tokugawa Ieyasu alongside his father, taking part in the affairs of the Tokugawa house and gradually gaining experience in both military and administrative matters. At the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Masazumi was part of the core Tokugawa forces, a clear sign of the high level of trust Ieyasu placed in him. After the campaign ended, he was given a highly sensitive assignment—serving in the guard of the defeated Ishida Mitsunari, one of Tokugawa’s principal enemies—an obligation that required exceptional reliability and caution.
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Hojo Shigetoki
Hōjō Shigetoki, the third son of Hōjō Yoshitoki, was still very young—only five years old—when his grandfather Tokimasa became the first member of the Hōjō clan to assume the position of shogunal regent.
