Toyotomi Hidenaga was an outstanding military commander and strategist of his time, who was unjustly overshadowed by his half-brother, the great Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At different stages of his life, he was known by the names Kinoshita Koichiro, Hashiba Nagahide, and Hashiba. Despite his relative obscurity among the general public, Hidenaga was considered one of the best minds of his time, on par with the renowned Kuroda Kanbei.
He not only developed strategic plans, but also personally led the vanguard of Hideyoshi's army in key campaigns. Holding important military and administrative posts, Hidenaga played a key role in the formation and consolidation of Toyotomi's power.
He was born in the village of Nakamura in the province of Owari. He and Hideyoshi had the same mother but different fathers. Unlike his colorful, expansive, and ambitious brother, Hidenaga was level-headed, judicious, and respected by many daimyo. He often acted as a mediator in conflicts, and even Tokugawa Ieyasu, the future shogun, valued his opinion and treated him with the same respect as Hideyoshi.
His brother included Hidenaga in his inner circle of confidants, giving him the freedom to express dissent and influence key decisions. Hidenaga was always at the forefront of battles, both during his service to Oda Nobunaga and during Hideyoshi's heyday.
In 1577, he participated in the conquest of Harima Province. A year later, he suppressed the rebellion of Bessho Nagaharu, captured Takeda Castle in Tajima, participated in the siege of Kuroi Castle and the famous siege of Miki Castle (1578–1580), where he cut off supply routes and forced the enemy to retreat. He captured Ayabe Castle in the province of Tamba, and after the surrender of the Bessho clan, he ended the campaign with a victory.
In the same year, 1580, he established control over Tajima by capturing Arikoyama Castle and became its commander. Hidenaga then played a key role in the siege of Tottori Castle.
In 1582, he participated in the “water siege” of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle. When the Honnoji Incident occurred in Kyoto and Oda Nobunaga was killed, Hideyoshi and his brother marched on the capital and defeated the traitor Akechi Mitsuhide at the Battle of Yamazaki.
Later, Hidenaga participated in the Battle of Shizugatake (1583), the battles of Komaki and Nagakute (1584), and the campaigns in Shikoku (1585) and Kyushu (1586–1587). However, by the end of the 1580s, he had fallen seriously ill and handed over command to his comrade Todo Takatora.
After the victory over the Hojo clan in 1590, which marked the unification of Japan under Hideyoshi's rule, Hidenaga died six months after the siege of Odawara Castle at the age of 50.
He was buried at Daikokuji Temple in Kyoto. Although his name is rarely mentioned alongside the great figures of the era, Hidenaga left an important mark on the history of the Sengoku Jidai as a strategist, diplomat, and indispensable ally of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
See also
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Kasuya Takenori
There are several versions regarding the origins of Takenori. According to one account, he was the second son of Kasuya Tadayasu, a samurai who served the Bessho clan in Harima Province. In 1577, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched his campaign in Harima, on the advice of his close retainer Kuroda Yoshitaka, also known as Kanbei, he took Takenori into his service as a page. In this position, the young warrior participated in the siege of Miki Castle, which lasted from 1578 to 1580 and was aimed at suppressing the rebellion led by Bessho Nagaharu.
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Kajiwara Kagetoki
One of the finest generals and most loyal allies of Minamoto no Yoritomo, Kagetoki gained a notorious reputation as a jealous rival and persecutor of Yoshitsune, the legendary commander of the Genpei War. Kagetoki was an intelligent, calculating, and cautious man.
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Kawakubo (Takeda) Nobuzane
Nobuzane was the seventh son of Takeda Nobutora and the half-brother of the famous Takeda Shingen. The identity of his mother is unknown, as is the exact year of his birth. It is believed that he was born sometime in the 1530s. When Nobuzane reached adulthood, he was sent to the village of Kawakubo, located in the northern part of Kai Province near the border with the Saku region. His duty was to guard the road leading north. In that village, he built a residence and changed his family name to Kawakubo.
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Imagawa Sadayo
Imagawa Sadayo was one of the most outstanding figures of his era. Alongside Kusunoki Masashige and Kitabatake Chikafusa, he was considered one of the greatest generals and strategists of his time. In addition to his military talents, Sadayo was also a poet and historian, and his literary abilities earned him a prominent place at court and in scholarly circles.
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Ikeda Motosuke
Motosuke was the son of Ikeda Tsunooki and the older brother of the famous military commander Ikeda Terumasa. Sources differ on his year of birth—it was either 1559 or 1564. Motosuke was married to the sister of Oda Nobutada, the eldest son of Oda Nobunaga. Thus, Nobutada's son, Oda Hidenobu, was his nephew.
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Watanabe (Hanzo) Moritsuna
Moritsuna was the son of Watanabe Takatsuna, a vassal of the Matsudaira clan. He was the same age as Tokugawa Ieyasu and was held hostage with him by the Imagawa clan. In 1557, Moritsuna joined Ieyasu.
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Ban Naoyuki
He was also known as Ban Danemon. In the early stages of his military career, he served under Kato Yoshiaki, one of the so-called “Seven Spears of Shizugatake,” who later became the ruler of the Aizu region in Mutsu Province. Naoyuki held the position of commander of the arquebusiers (teppo taishō).
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Asakura Toshikage
The Asakura family, who claimed kinship with several emperors, lived in the province of Echizen. Its representatives were considered hereditary vassals of the Shiba clan. From the mid-15th century until their defeat by Oda Nobunaga's army in 1573, which resulted in the final destruction of the Asakura clan, they were a significant military and economic force.
