was the brother-in-law of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

and one of his chief advisors. Asano also fought for Oda Nobunaga and Hideyoshi in a number of campaigns during the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

of the 16th century of Japan. He was sent to Korea as one of the Three Bureaucrats with Ishida Mitsunari and Mashita Nagamori.

Biography

He was the son of Yasui Shigetsugu, Lord of Miyago castle (Owari province), a descendant of Hatakeyama Iekuni,

Shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

(Governor) of Kawachi province, descending from Ashikaga Yoshikane (1154-1199). Yoshikane was the third son of

Minamoto no Yoshiyasu Minamoto no Yoshiyasu, also called Ashikaga Yoshiyasu (源義康/足利義康, 1127 – 1157) was a samurai of the late Heian period. He is known for his participation in the Hōgen rebellion in 1156. He is best known as the founder of the Ashika ...

, also called Ashikaga Yoshiyasu (1127-1157), founder of the

Ashikaga clan The was a prominent Japanese samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1333 to 1573. The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga ...

, grandson of the Chinjufu-shōgun (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North)

Minamoto no Yoshiie Minamoto No Yoshiie (源義家; 1039 – 4 August 1106), also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto ...

(1039-1106), and a descendant of the

Emperor Seiwa was the 56th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 清和天皇 (56)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.He was also the predecessor of Takeda ryu. T ...

(850-881), the 56th Emperor of Japan. He was adopted by his maternal uncle, Asano Nagakatsu, Lord of Asano castle, younger brother of his mother, and succeeded him as the fourteenth head of the Asano clan. Until Nagakatsu, the Asano descended directly from the

Toki clan The is a Japanese kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Toki," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 61 retrieved 2013-5-9. History The Toki claim descent from Minamot ...

and

Minamoto no Yorimitsu , also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his mil ...

(948-1021), and after Nagamasa, the Asano are direct descendants of the

Hatakeyama clan The was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan and descended from Taira no Takamochi, they fell victim to political intrigue in 1205, when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, first, and his father Shigetada later were killed in battle ...

and the

. Since O-Ne, who was born Sugihara Yasuko, daughter of Sugihara Sadatoshi, a descendant of Taira no Sadamori, and the

Emperor Kammu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the scop ...

(735-806), and was adopted by her maternal uncle Asano Nagakatsu, a descendant of

(944-1021), and the

(850-881), married Kinoshita Tokichiro (later

), despite her mother Asahidono opposition to this marriage because of the difference in social status with her husband, Nagamasa became a brother-in-law to Hideyoshi. In 1581, he fought in the Second

Tenshō Iga War is the name of two invasions of Iga province by the Oda clan during the Sengoku period. The province was conquered by Oda Nobunaga in 1581 after an unsuccessful attempt in 1579 by his son Oda Nobukatsu. The names of the wars are derived from the ...

under Oda Nobunaga against inhabitants of Iga, at Iga province. In 1582, Nagamasa also accompanied Hideyoshi in his campaign against the

Mōri clan The Mōri clan (毛利氏 ''Mōri-shi'') was a Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's pow ...

, at

Siege of Takamatsu In the 1582 , Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid siege to Takamatsu Castle, which was controlled by the Mōri clan. He diverted a nearby river with dikes to surround and flood the castle. He also constructed towers on barges from which his gunmen could ...

. In 1583, he distinguished himself in the

Battle of Shizugatake The was a battle of the Sengoku period of Japan fought between Toyotomi Hideyoshi (then Hashiba Hideyoshi) and Shibata Katsuie in Shizugatake, Ōmi Province in May 1583. Katsuie supported Oda Nobutaka's claim as successor of Oda Nobunaga in ...

and was given 20,000 koku in Otsu (

Omi Province is a hereditary noble title (''kabane'') of ancient Japan. It was given to the descendants of the Imperial Family before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''Muraji'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the Kofun perio ...

). In 1587, he served in the campaign to suppress Kyushu and received

Obama Domain The was a '' Fudai'' feudal domain of the Edo period of Japan. It is located in Wakasa Province, in the Hokuriku region of the island Honshū. The domain was centered at Obama Castle, located in the center of what is now the city of Oba ...

(80,000 koku) (

Wakasa province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the southwestern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Wakasa''" in . Wakasa bordered on Echizen, Ōmi, Tanba, Tango, and Yama ...

). He fought for Hideyoshi against the Hōjō clan in 1590 Siege of Odawara, he captured Iwatsuki and Edo castles, also fought against the Kunohe Rebellion in 1591. In 1593, made a great contribution to the dispatch of troops from Invasion of Korea and was given 215,000 koku of Fuchu ( Kai province). Asano was also appointed by Hideyoshi to a Commission of Five ('' Go-Bugyō'') along with Ishida Mitsunari, Maeda Gen'i, Mashita Nagamori and Natsuka Masaie. Asano held seniority over the Commissioners, who were charged with governing the capital of

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

and the Home Provinces or ''

Kinai is a Japanese term denoting an ancient division of the country. ''Kinai'' is a name for the ancient provinces around the capital Nara and Heian-kyō. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kinai''" in . The five provinces were called ''go-kinai' ...

''. A close advisor to Hideyoshi, Asano devised the land survey and a number of other policies enacted under his rule. In 1598, Hideyoshi's invasions were coming to an end, and Asano was sent to Korea with his fellow Commissioner Ishida Mitsunari to arrange for Japanese withdrawal. Asano was assured by the generals that the war was going well, and that they were on the verge of victory. Ishida disagreed, however, and supported withdrawal from Korea. Returning to Japan, ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) from across the country became involved in the debate, and the disagreement grew into a major governmental rift. The ''Go-Bugyō'' disbanded soon afterwards, having already been replaced by the Council of Five Elders (''Tairō'') by Hideyoshi before his death.

Retired

In 1599, he transferred the family estate to his son Asano Yoshinaga and retired. In 1606, he was given the Makabe estate, in Hitachi Province (50,000 koku) as retirement stipend.

Family

* Father: Yasui Shigetsugu, Lord of Miyago castle, descendant of Hatakeyama Iekuni,

(Governor) of Kawachi province, descending from Ashikaga Yoshikane (1154-1199). * Mother: daughter of Asano Nagaaki * Foster Father: Asano Nagakatsu (d.1575), younger brother of his mother; Lord of Yasui castle, then Lord of Asano castle, a descendant of the

and of

(944-1021) * Foster Mother: Nanamagari-dono (d.1603), daughter of Sugihara Ietoshi, a descendant of Taira no Sadamori * Wife: Cho-Sei-in (d.1616), adopted daughter of Asano Nagakatsu, daughter of Sugihara Sadatoshi and Asahidono * Children: ** Asano Yoshinaga by Cho-Sei-in **

Asano Nagaakira was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period who served as ''daimyō'' of Wakayama Domain, and was later transferred to the Hiroshima Domain. Biography Born Asano Iwamatsu, he was the son of Asano Nagamasa, who was a senior retainer of Toyo ...

by Cho-Sei-in ** Asano Nagashige (1588-1632) by Cho-Sei-in ** daughter married Sugihara Nagafusa ** daughter married Hori Chikayoshi ** daughter married Matsudaira Sadatsuna ** daughter married Sadao Mitsusada

References

*Sansom, George (1961). "A History of Japan: 1334-1615." Stanford: Stanford University Press. *Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co. {{DEFAULTSORT:Asano, Nagamasa 1546 births 1610 deaths Daimyo Asano clan Toyotomi retainers Military engineers Deified Japanese people

Biography

Retired

Family

See also

References