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 ...

, who most notably served the

Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, severa ...

. He was born in

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, and Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviat ...

, and first served the

Saitō clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that ruled Mino province in the Sengoku period. The clan appropriated the name of a defunct samurai clan named "Saitō" that had previously hailed from Echizen province and claimed descent from Fujiwara Toshih ...

. After the fall of the Saitō, he was taken on as a retainer by Oda Nobunaga. He was particularly active during the time of Oda Nobunaga's entry into

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 ...

. In late 1568, Masahisa joined

Shibata Katsuie or was a Japanese samurai and military commander during the Sengoku period. He served Oda Nobunaga as one of his trusted generals, was severely wounded in the 1571 first siege of Nagashima, but then fought in the 1575 Battle of Nagashino an ...

Hosokawa Fujitaka , also known as , was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Fujitaka was a prominent retainer of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the last Ashikaga shōgun. When he joined the Oda, Oda Nobunaga rewarded him with the fief of Tango and went o ...

Hachiya Yoritaka was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who served the Oda clan. First he served the Toki clan and Saito clan. When Oda Nobunaga started campaign on Mino Province, he became a vassal of Nobunaga as a member of "Kuro-horo-shu" (bodyguard ...

, and

Mori Yoshinari was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period and the head of the Mori clan (Genji) family, who served the Saitō clan. The Saitō were the lords of Mino province. Later, he become a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. Military life In 1547, he fought ...

in attacking

Iwanari Tomomichi was a Japanese samurai of the 16th century. Also known as Ishinari Tomomichi (石成友通), he was a senior retainer of the Miyoshi clan. He was one of the three great samurai of the Miyoshi clan called ''Miyoshi Sanninshu'' along with Miyoshi ...

's Shōryūji Castle. Later in 1570, at

Battle of Anegawa The Sengoku period (30 July 1570) occurred near Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province, Japan, between the allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, against the combined forces of the Azai and Asakura clans._It_is_notable_as_the_first_battle ...

while under attack from Asai forces under Isono Kazumasa, he lost his son Sakai Kyūzō. Masahisa was also present at the

Siege of Odani The 1573 was the last stand of the Azai clan, one of Oda Nobunaga's chief opponents. and the first battle of Oda Nobutada. Prelude In September, 1573, Oda Nobunaga defeated the Asakura clan_at_the_Siege_of_Ichijodani_Castle.html" ;"title="D ...

1573. Masahisa died soon after, at the Battle of Katada. Family headship was thus inherited by his second son, Sakai '' Etchū no kami''.

References

* Papinot, Edmond. ''Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan'' *
page.sannet.ne.jp
* Naramoto Tatsuya (1994). ''Nihon no Kassen: Monoshiri Jiten''. Tokyo: Shufu to Seikatsusha.

Samurai Japanese warriors killed in battle 1570 deaths Year of birth unknown {{samurai-stub