was a Japanese samurai of the

Katakura clan The is a Japanese family which claims its descent from Fujiwara no Toshihito by way of Katō Kagekado. The family entered Mutsu Province in the 14th century as subordinates of the Ōsaki clan. However, in 1532, they became retainers of the Da ...

during the late

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 ...

. Also known by his court title, ''Bichū no Kami'' (備中守), or more commonly, as Katakura Kojūrō. Together with

Oniniwa Tsunamoto (1549 – July 13, 1640) was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku period through early Edo period. He was the son of Oniniwa Yoshinao. His half-sister, Katakura Kita was also Katakura Kagetsuna's half sister. Together with Katakura Kagets ...

and

Date Shigezane was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods. Founder of the Watari-Date clan. A senior retainer of the Date clan of Sendai, he was a cousin of Date Masamune on his mother's side, and a cousin of Masamune's father Date ...

, Kagetsuna was known as one of the ''"Three Great Men of the Date Clan"''.

Early life

Kagetsuna was the son of Yonezawa native Katakura Kagenaga (a Shinto priest turned samurai), he was famed for his role as a senior retainer under Date Masamune. Kagetsuna was trained by his half sister,

Katakura Kita Katakura Kita (片倉喜多, 1538 - July, 1610) was a Japanese noble lady, aristocrat and retainer of the Date clan during the Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Oniniwa Yoshinao and Lady Naoko. She was the half-sister of Katakura Kagetsuna an ...

, who played a crucial role in the success of the Katakura clan. He first served the Date clan as a junior page under Date Masamune's father Terumune. Then, on Endō Motonobu's recommendation, he became Masamune's personal attendant, and was heavily relied upon as a strategist. Kagetsuna would soon become deeply trusted by his lord, as the following anecdote illustrates: Masamune, in his first battle, suddenly found himself surrounded; he was only saved when Kagetsuna arrived on the scene shouting "I am Masamune!" (われこそが政宗なり; ''Ware koso ga Masamune nari''), distracting the enemy long enough for Masamune to escape.

Military life

Kagetsuna fought in most of Masamune's major battles, including the

Battle of Hitotoribashi A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and forc ...

in 1586, Battle of Koriyama in 1588,

Battle of Suriagehara was a battle during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. It was fought at a field called Suriagehara, whose modern location is split between the towns of Inawashiro and Bandai in Fukushima Prefecture. Background The Battle of Suriageha ...

in 1589, Kunohe Rebellion in 1590, the

Korean campaign Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

in 1592, and

Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

in 1600. He also assisted in the Date clan's administrative duties, serving as castle warden of

Nihonmatsu Castle is a Japanese castle located in what is now the city of Nihonmatsu, northern Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Throughout most of the Edo period, Nihonmatsu Castle was home to the Niwa clan, ''daimyō'' of Nihonmatsu Domain. The castle was also known ...

, lord of

Ōmori Castle is a district located a few kilometres south of Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan accessed by rail via the Keihin Tohoku line, or by road via Dai Ichi Keihin. Ōmorikaigan, the eastern area of Ōmori, can be reached via the Keikyu line. Ōmori is one o ...

Watari Castle Watari may refer to: Places *Watari District, Miyagi, Japan *Watari, Miyagi, town in Watari District * Watari Station (Miyagi), train station in Watari District * Watari Station (Kumamoto), train station in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan * Watari Mus ...

, and others. Kagetsuna played a key role in the survival of the Date clan in 1590, by recommending that Masamune submit to

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 ...

during the Odawara Campaign. Following the Odawara Campaign, Hideyoshi granted Kagetsuna the 50,000 ''koku'' fief of Tamura. This made Kagetsuna a daimyō in his own right; however, soon after taking possession of the fief, he returned it, in a show of loyalty to his master. Later, two years after

, when Masamune was made lord of

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

, Kagetsuna was granted

Shiroishi Castle is a flatland-style Japanese castle in what is now the city of Shiroishi, Miyagi. During the Edo period, it was the castle of the Katakura clan, who were hereditary retainers of the Date clan of Sendai Domain. During the Boshin War, it was also t ...

(白石城 ''Shiroishi-jō''), and a stipend of 13,000 ''koku''. This was a special exception to the

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

's newly passed ''ikkoku ichijō'' (一国一城; "One Castle per Territory") rule. The Katakura clan, as senior retainers of the

domain, would remain in Shiroishi as local lords for the next two centuries, spanning over 11 generations. As Kagetsuna was ill, he was unable to join Masamune at the Osaka Winter Campaign of 1614, choosing to send his son Shigenaga in his stead. Later he participated at the Osaka Summer Campaign in 1615.

Death

Kagetsuna died the following year at age 60, and was buried with the posthumous name of Sanzan Jōei (傑山常英). Upon Kagetsuna's death, six of his retainers were so deeply grieved that they committed ''junshi'' (殉死; suicide to follow one's lord in death). Kagetsuna's son Shigenaga, taking part in the fierce fighting against Gotō Mototsugu at the Osaka Summer Campaign, earned the nickname ''Oni Kojūrō'' (鬼小十郎; "Ogre Kojūrō").

Family

* Father: Katakura Kagenaga * Mother: Motosawa Yukinao’s daughter * Wife: Yanouchi Shigesada’s daughter * Concubine: Uehara Gohee’s daughter * Children: ** daughter **

Katakura Shigenaga was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. The son of Katakura Kagetsuna, Shigenaga was the second man to bear the common name Kojūrō. His name was originally Shigetsuna; however, to avoid conflict with th ...

by Yanouchi Shigesada’s daughter ** Katakura Tomotsuna by Uehara Gohee’s daughter ** Katakura Yukitsuna by Yanouchi Shigesada’s daughter ** daughter

In fiction

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

's 1987 Taiga drama '' Dokuganryū Masamune'', Kagetsuna was played by

Teruhiko Saigō was a Japanese singer and actor. As a singer, he was known as one of the three "''Gosanke''" (referring to ''gosanke'', the three great Tokugawa houses), along with Yukio Hashi and Kazuo Funaki. The stage name was based on the Meiji Restoration ...

Notes

External links

"TEN-CHI-JIN" General of UESUGI Clan NAOE KANETSUGU
- (Japanese)-Kabuto(Samurai Helmet) Papercraft {{DEFAULTSORT:Katakura, Kagetsuna Daimyo Samurai 1557 births 1615 deaths Japanese pages Karō Katakura clan Date retainers