Uesugi Kagetora (1552 – April 19, 1579) was the seventh son of Hojo Ujiyasu and was originally known as Hojo Saburo. He was adopted by Uesugi Kenshin and intended to be Kenshin's heir. However, in 1578, he was attacked in his Otate Castle by Uesugi Kagekatsu, his brother-in-law, and was ultimately defeated. Kagetora committed suicide the following year at Samegao Castle.
Born in either 1552 or 1554, Kagetora was also known as Hojo Ujihide, Hojo Saburo, and Saburo Kagetora during his lifetime. He was the seventh son (the sixth to survive to adulthood) of Hojo Ujiyasu, and the brother of Hojo Ujimasa, Hojo Ujiteru, Hojo Ujikuni, Hojo Ujinori, Hojo Ujitada, and Hojo Ujimitsu. His mother was either the sister-in-law of Toyama Yasumitsu, a vassal of the Hojo clan, or Suikeiin, Ujiyasu's principal wife. Historians generally agree that Hojo Saburo and Hojo Ujihide were two different individuals, with Ujihide being the son of Hojo Tsunashige and residing in Edo, while Saburo lived in Echigo.
As a child, Kagetora was sent to the priesthood at Soun-ji in Hakone and later held hostage by Takeda Shingen of the Takeda clan as part of a three-way alliance between the Hojo, Takeda, and Imagawa clans formed in 1554. In 1569, he was adopted by his uncle Hojo Genan and married Genan's daughter.
In 1569, as part of an alliance between the Hojo and Uesugi clans, Saburo was sent to Uesugi Kenshin as a hostage. Initially, Hojo Ujimasa's third son Kunimasumaru was to be the hostage, but Ujimasa, unable to part with his baby son, sent Saburo instead. Kenshin, who never married, took a liking to the handsome and intelligent Saburo. Kenshin married his niece Seienin to Saburo, gave him the name Kagetora, and adopted him into the Uesugi clan.
When Kenshin died suddenly in 1578 without naming an heir, Kagetora and Kagekatsu, who had also been adopted by Kenshin, fought for succession in what became known as the Otate no Ran. Initially, Kagetora had the upper hand with support from Uesugi vassals and the Hojo clan, but the tide turned when Takeda Katsuyori betrayed him and sided with Kagekatsu.
After Otate Castle fell in 1579, Kagetora attempted to flee to Odawara Castle, the Hojo stronghold, but was betrayed at Samegao Castle by Horie Munechika and committed suicide. Seienin, his wife, also committed suicide, although some accounts suggest she did so at Otate when her brother Kagekatsu refused Kagetora's surrender. Kagetora's eldest son, Doumanmaru, was killed by Kagekatsu's troops along with Uesugi Norimasa, and the rest of Kagetora's children are believed to have died during the power struggle.
Kagetora was considered by some to be a better heir for Kenshin due to his intelligence and assistance in battles, while Kagekatsu was known for gaining support within the Uesugi clan.
A modern-day reincarnation of Kagetora appears in the light novel and anime series "Mirage of Blaze." In this series, he is one of the two primary characters, members of the Uesugi Netherworld Force, responsible for exorcising undead soldiers from the Japanese Feudal Era who are participating in a modern-day war led by reincarnations of various feudal era warlords, including the spirit of Takeda Shingen.
See also
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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.
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Asakura Yoshikage
Yoshikage was the eldest son of Asakura Takakage. He began ruling in 1548 at the age of fifteen, and during his reign he twice defeated the Ikko-ikki forces, in 1555 and 1564. Yoshikage supported the Saito family in their struggle against Oda Nobunaga in 1561–1567. When Ashikaga Yoshiaki fled Kyoto in 1565 after the assassination of his older brother, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Yoshikage gave him refuge. However, he was unable to provide sufficient support for Yoshiaki's claim to the title of shogun, and Yoshiaki had to seek help from Oda Nobunaga.
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Asakura Norikage
Norikage came from the ancient samurai clan of Asakura, whose members considered themselves descendants of Prince Kusakabe, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). He was the eighth son of daimyo Asakura Takakage and was named Kotaro in childhood. Over time, Asakura Norikage became the pillar of the Asakura clan and was undoubtedly its most talented commander during that difficult period when the clan was experiencing internal difficulties, uprisings by the Ikko-ikki sect, and instability in the lands surrounding the capital. Although Norikage himself was never a daimyo, he served as an advisor to three generations of Asakura clan leaders. He spent his entire life on military campaigns. After his father's death in 1481, Norikage entered the service of his brother, Asakura Ujikage.
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Asai (Azai) Nagamasa
Asai Nagamasa inherited power from his father, Asai Hisamasa, when he was only fifteen years old. Both brave and impulsive, he proved himself a capable commander, managing to regain lands from the Rokkaku clan that had previously been lost by his father. After a territorial dispute with Oda Nobunaga over the province of Mino, Nagamasa formed an alliance with Nobunaga and married his sister Oichi, who was famous for her beauty. In 1570, when Oda Nobunaga declared war on the Asakura family, Nagamasa sided with the Asakura because he had long-standing ties with them. This unexpected move threatened Nobunaga's invasion of the Asakura lands by threatening him from the rear. Oda managed to save his army, not without the help of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but relations between Nobunaga and Asai were permanently damaged.
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Amano Yasukage
Yasukage was born into the family of the samurai Amano Kagetaka and was given the name Matagoro at birth. He later changed his name to Kageyoshi, and then to Yasukage. From an early age, Yasukage served Tokugawa Ieyasu and accompanied him when he was held hostage by Imagawa Yoshimoto. His loyalty and devotion to Ieyasu from a young age laid the foundation for Yasukage's future military and administrative career.
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Amago Tsunekisa
The Amago clan (also spelled Amako) was founded in 1392, when Sasaki Takahisa, who was orphaned at the age of three, took the new surname Amago, meaning “son of a nun,” in honor of the nun who raised him. Since the Sasaki family descended from Emperor Uda (866–931), the Amago clan traced its lineage back to this emperor. From around 1396, the Amago clan's headquarters was the mountain castle of Gassan-Toda in Izumo Province. Until the start of the Onin War, the Amago clan remained a minor clan in the service of the Kyogoku clan, which was also a descendant of the Sasaki clan. The Amago clan historically held the position of vice-governor of Izumo Province.
