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 ...

from Sakuma clan who served

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 ...

. He is believed to be the first "general' killed by gunfire in Japan. In 1556, Morishige fought at the Battle of Ino against Oda Nobuyuki. In 1560, during the invasion of

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 ...

by Imagawa Yoshimoto, leading up to the Battle of Okehazama, Morishige was appointed to defend the Marune fortress on the border of the province. The fortress came under attack by

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

(who was at that time named Matsudaira Motoyasu). During the

Siege of Marune The was a battle during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. Marune was a frontier fortress in the possession of Oda Nobunaga. Matsudaira Motoyasu, who was at the time a forced retainer of the Imagawa, captured the fortress as part of t ...

, Ieyasu made effective use of concentrated arquebus fire. Morishige was killed by a bullet, and the fortress fell to Imagawa forces.

References

Samurai 1560 deaths Japanese warriors killed in battle Year of birth unknown {{samurai-stub