(1529 – August 9, 1596), also known as , was a Japanese

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

of 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 ...

through Azuchi-Momoyama Period, who served the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

. He served as one of Ieyasu's "three magistrates".

Biography

He was known as Hachizo, Sakujuro, or Saemon. Shigetsugu spouse was a daughter of

Torii Tadayoshi was a Japanese samurai of the mid-Sengoku period. Longtime retainer of Matsudaira Hirotada and later, his son Tokugawa Ieyasu. When Ieyasu was sent to Sunpu Castle to be a hostage to the Imagawa clan, Tadayoshi served alongside Matsudaira Shigeyos ...

, and his son was

Honda Narishige (1571 – July 25, 1647) was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku period through early Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan; he later became a ''daimyō''. Narishige was born at Hamamatsu Castle, the son of Tokugawa retainer Honda Shig ...

who eventually became the lord of the

Maruoka Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003). It was based at Maruoka Castle in eastern Echizen Province in ...

of the

Echizen Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga, Wakasa, Hida, and Ōmi Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abbreviated form ...

. Shigetsugu also distinguished himself at

Battle of Azukizaka (1564) The or took place in 1564, when Matsudaira Motoyasu (later renamed Tokugawa Ieyasu), sought to destroy the growing threat of the Ikkō-ikki, a league of monks, samurai, and peasants who were strongly against samurai rule. Background Tensions bet ...

suppressing the uprising Ikko sect followers in

Mikawa Province was an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mikawa''" in . Its abbreviated form name was . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces. Mik ...

. In 1565 he was named one of Mikawa's San-bugyô, or Three Commissioners (along with

Amano Yasukage was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period and early Edo period. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Amano Yasukage"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 26. Who served the Tokugawa clan. He served as one of Ieyasu's "three magistrates". Biography Ya ...

and Koriki Kiyonaga). Shigetsugu was known for his fortitude, Yasukage for his patience, and Kiyonaga for his leniency. Shigetsugu was a veteran of the

Battle of Nagashino The took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa Province of Japan. Takeda Katsuyori attacked the castle when Okudaira Sadamasa rejoined the Tokugawa, and when his original plot with Oga Yashiro for taki ...

(1575),

Battle of Komaki and Nagakute The was a series of battles in 1584 between the forces of Hashiba Hideyoshi (who would become Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1586) and the forces of Oda Nobukatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hideyoshi and Ieyasu had both served Oda Nobunaga and had not previou ...

(1584) and fought in many of the Tokugawa clan's major battles, and was known as for his ferocity. At the

Siege of Odawara (1590) The third occurred in 1590, and was the primary action in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign to eliminate the Hōjō clan as a threat to his power. The months leading up to it saw hasty but major improvements in the defense of the castle, as H ...

, he intercepted and beat back the naval warriors of

Later Hōjō clan The was one of the most powerful samurai families in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region. Their last name was simply Hōjō (北条) but in order to differentiate between the earlier Hōjō clan with the ...

led by

Kajiwara Kagemune Kajiwara (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese samurai *, Japanese writer *, Japanese samurai *, Japanese samurai *, Japanese Paralympic swimmer *, Japanese Go player * Takuma Kajiwara was a Jap ...

. Shigetsugu died in 1596 at the age of 68. It is said that he lost one eye and leg from his battle wounds, and he was missing several fingers.

References

"Honda Shigetsugu, Narishige Fushi Daijiten"
(22 Feb. 2008)

(22 Feb. 2008) Honda clan Samurai 1529 births 1596 deaths Fudai daimyo {{samurai-stub