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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Sanada Yukitaka
Sanada Yukitaka (c. 1512 – June 8, 1574) was a renowned samurai warrior of the Sengoku period, best known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki, as well as the grandfather of the legendary Sanada Yukimura, who later served the Toyotomi clan.
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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.
