was the son of Sakuma Moritsugu, cousin of
Sakuma Nobumori
was a retainer for the Oda clan.
He was thus treated as Nobunaga's most important retainer and would come to fight in every important battle under Nobunaga's command such as the 1567 Siege of Inabayama Castle, the 1571 and 1573 Siege of Nagashim ...
, a prominent Oda retainer to
Oda Nobuhide
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and magistrate of the Sengoku period known as "Tiger of Owari" and also the father of Oda Nobunaga the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobuhide was a deputy ''shugo'' (Shugodai) of lower Owari Province and head of the ...
and
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.
Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...
. After several campaigns in which he had fought, he was given the nickname ''oni-genba'' which literally means "Demon Genba", Genba being his middle name.
Biography
Morimasa was born in what is now
Shōwa-ku
is one of the 16 wards of the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2019, the ward had an estimated population of 110,436 and a population density of 10,095 persons per km². The total area was 10.94 km².
Shōwa-ku War ...
,
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...
(situated in contemporary
Aichi District,
Owari Province
was a province of Japan in the area that today forms the western half of Aichi Prefecture, including the modern city of Nagoya. The province was created in 646. Owari bordered on Mikawa, Mino, and Ise Provinces. Owari and Mino provinces were ...
), He was a retainer of
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 ...
and one of his top generals in many of his campaigns.
Morimasa's first battle was the
Battle of Kannonji Castle in 1568 against
Rokkaku Yoshikata
was a samurai head of the Rokkaku clan_during_Japan's_Sengoku_period.html" ;"title="DF 53 of 80/nowiki>">DF 53 ... during Japan's Sengoku period">DF 53 of 80/nowiki>">DF 53 ... during Japan's Sengoku period. He was ''shugo'' (governor) and late ...
.
Morimasa continued joining various battles, including the
Siege of Tezutsuyama Castle in
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 ...
against
Asakura clan
The is a Japanese kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 7 of 80">"Asakura", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 3 DF_7_of_80">"Asa_...
_in_1570,_the_Battle_of_Yasugawara.html" ;"title="DF 7 of 80/nowiki>">DF 7 of 80">"Asa ...
in 1570, the Battle of Yasugawara">DF 7 of 80/nowiki>">DF 7 of 80">"Asa ...