Loading AI tools
Japanese samurai (1544–1579) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Takenaka Shigeharu (竹中 重治, September 27, 1544 – July 6, 1579), who was also known as Hanbei (半兵衛), was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Hanbei was the castle lord in command of Bodaiyama Castle.[1] He was a chief strategist and adviser of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.[1] His father was a local samurai Takenaka Shigemoto.[1] He initially served the Saitō clan of Mino Province, but later plotted an uprising and took over the Saitō clan's Gifu Castle.[1][2]
Takenaka Shigeharu | |
|---|---|
| 竹中 重治 | |
Takenaka Shigeharu | |
| Head of Takenaka clan | |
| In office 1560–1579 | |
| Preceded by | Takenaka Shigemoto |
| Succeeded by | Takenaka Shigekado |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 27, 1544 Mino province |
| Died | July 6, 1579 (aged 34) |
| Children | Takenaka Shigekado |
| Relatives | Takenaka Shigetoshi (cousin) Ando Morinari (father in law) |
| Nickname | "Hanbei" (半兵衛) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Saitō clan Oda clan |
| Unit | .svg){kind=small} Takenaka clan |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Nagaragawa (1556) Siege of Inabayama (1567) Battle of Anegawa (1570) Chūgoku Campaign (1576) Siege of Miki (1579) |
Shigeharu was born in 1544 as the son of Takenaka Shigemoto, the lord of Ōmidō Castle in the Ōno District of Mino Province and a retainer of the Mino-Saitō clan.
In 1556, Shigeharu had his first battle at the Battle of Nagaragawa. He allied with Saitō Dōsan, and replaced his father as the "commander in chief" against Saitō Yoshitatsu.
In 1560, after the death or retirement of Shigemoto, Shigeharu succeeded him as head of the family and became the lord of Bodaisan Castle.
In 1561, after the death of Yoshitatsu, Shigeharu served Yoshitatsu's son and heir, Saitō Tatsuoki, who took over at the age of thirteen. Tatsuoki, however, indulged in a decadent lifestyle and did not pay attention to affairs of governance. As a result, in 1564, Shigeharu joint Mino Triumvirate to attack Tatsuoki at Inabayama Castle, killing Saitō Hida-no-kami, causing Tatsuoki to flee. But later, Tatsuoki appeared to have taken back the castle and Shigeharu abandoning the castle.[1][2]
In 1567, during the Siege of Inabayama Castle, Shigeharu then directed the defense against the forces of Oda Nobunaga. But in the end, Tatsuoki was driven out of Inabayama Castle. After the castle fell, he left the Saitō family, and served as a guest commander under Azai Nagamasa.
In 1570, Shigeharu joint Oda clan, participating at the Battle of Anegawa in forces led by Andō Morinari, his father in law. After battle, Nobunaga ordered Shigeharu to stay in Yokoyama Castle along with Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi was so impressed by him that he invited Shigeharu to join his forces as a strategist.
Later in 1576, he joined Hideyoshi and followed Hideyoshi in the Chūgoku Campaign. Shigeharu made many contributions to Hideyoshi with his exceptional talent in that fields.
In 1579, he died of illness during Hideyoshi's attack against the Mōri in the Chūgoku region of Japan, while Miki Castle was being besieged.[2][1] Later, he was succeeded by Kuroda Yoshitaka as strategist.[1]
Takenaka Shigekado, Shigeharu's son and successor, continued to serve Hideyoshi after his father's death.[2] At the Battle of Sekigahara, he fought on the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and his holdings at Bodaiyama Castle were secured. The Takenaka family thus became a family of hatamoto, and would soon move from their old castle of Bodaiyama Castle to the new castle called Takenaka Jinya(Takenaka clan's fortified residence).[3][2] The holdings of the Takenaka included Sekigahara Village.[4]
In the mid-19th century, Shigeharu's descendant Takenaka Shigekata served as commander of the Tokugawa forces in Fushimi at the Battle of Toba–Fushimi.
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
