, also known as Kura-no-suke (内蔵助), was a Japanese samurai of the

Sengoku The was a period in 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 feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

through

Azuchi–Momoyama period The was the final phase of the in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nobu ...

.佐々成政資料館
He entered Nobunaga's service at the age of 14 and remained in his lord's service throughout Nobunaga's rise to power. He was a member of the so-called Echizen Sanninshu (Echizen Triumvir) along with

Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左 ...

and Fuwa Mitsuharu.

Early life

Sassa Narimasa was born to Sassa Morimasa. He was born in what is now Nishi-ku,

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 p ...

(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 we ...

). He became a retainer of

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 unif ...

in 1550. Narimasa was a military commander under Nobunaga, and member of "Oda's kurohoroshu" (Oda clan black knights), he noted for his ability to lead matchlock forces, a position he regularly held. In 1560, after his brothers kill in battle, Narimasa took over the family estate and became the lord of the Hirajo Castle.

Military life

Narimasa served Nobunaga throughout the latter's career. In 1567, he fought in the Siege of Inabayama Castle against Saito Tatsuoki from Saitō clan. In 1570, Narimasa participated in the Siege of Kanegasaki, leading a few armed forces of horse guards and worked to support Hashiba Hideyoshi using firearms troop. Later, he was fought at the Battle of Anegawa against Azai clan and Asakura clan, where he was in the rear guard. In 1575, Narimasa fought at 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 t ...

against

Takeda Katsuyori was a Japanese '' daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Early life He was the son of Shingen by the daugh ...

from

Takeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of T ...

. Later, he was given Komaru Castle in Echizen, where he had recently helped put down rioting

Ikkō-ikki were rebellious or autonomous groups of people that were formed in several regions of Japan in the 15th-16th centuries; backed up by the power of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism, they opposed the rule of governors or ''daimyō''. Mainly co ...

, and became a member of Echizen Sanninshu (Echizen Triumvir). In 1577, he participated in the Battle of Tedorigawa against

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Know ...

from the

Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries). Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its height, the clan had three main branch ...

. In 1580, he was involved in stabilizing the Etchu Province, against uprising of Ikko sect followers as a support for

Jimbo Nagazumi Jimbo is a diminutive form of the given name James. It is also a Japanese surname, and it means state or province in Swahili. It may refer to: Given name or nickname * Jimbo (drag queen), Canadian drag queen * Jimbo Aquino (born 1985), Filipino ...

. In 1581, he defended Toyama Castle against

Kawada Nagayori , also read as Kawata, is a common Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Atsuko Kawada (born 1965), Japanese actress *Jun Kawada, poet * Junko Kawada (born 1974), J-pop singer *, Japanese footballer * Mami Kawada, J-pop sing ...

in the

Battle of Arakawa 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 fo ...

. In 1582, he and

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 ...

successfully laid siege to Uozu against

Uesugi Kagekatsu was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku and Edo periods. He was the adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Kagetora’s brother in law. Early life and rise Kagekatsu was the son of Nagao Masakage, the head of the Ueda Nagao ...

from the

. He was granted Etchū Province as a reward for helping

fight the

. In 1583, after Oda Nobunaga's death at Honnō-ji, at the Kiyosu meeting, Narimasa took side of Shibata, but he could not participate in the

battle of Shizugatake The was a battle of the Sengoku period of Japan fought between Toyotomi Hideyoshi (then Hashiba Hideyoshi) and Shibata Katsuie in Shizugatake, Ōmi Province in May 1583. Katsuie supported Oda Nobutaka's claim as successor of Oda Nobunaga in ...

since he could not leave Etchu due to preparations for the attack of the Uesugi army at Matsukura Castle (Toyama Prefecture). After the death of Katsuie, Narimasa joined

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 fel ...

. In 1584, during the battle of Komaki Nagakute, he and the Tokugawa alliance unsuccessfully challenged Toyotomi force under

at the Siege of Suemori. In 1585, he was defeated against

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 C ...

at Siege of Toyama, and later Narimasa submitted to Hideyoshi and his life was spared. In 1587, after Hideyoshi Kyushu Campaign, he was given a fief in Higo Province in Kyushu. Kawajiri Hidetaka (1527-1582) Battle Standard; Sassa Narimasa (1536-1588) Battle Standard

Kawajiri Hidetaka (1527-1582) Battle Standard; Sassa Narimasa (1536-1588) Battle Standard

Death

In 1588, however, due to difficulties in suppressing a Higo Province local revolt, he committed suicide (

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese peop ...

) by Hideyoshi's instruction. The insurrection stemmed from survey of his province, which resulted in a change in the distance in which farmers transported their tax rice from 3 ''ri'' to 8 ''ri''. Later, after Higo Province was confiscated from Sassa Narimasa, land in Higo (roughly half of the province) and Kumamoto Castle granted to Kato Kiyomasa.

Family

* Father: Sassa Morimasa * Siblings: ** Sassa Magosuke (distinguished as one of the Seven Spears of Azukizaka. Died in Battle of Inabugahara against Oda Nobuyuki; 1556) ** Sassa "Hayato no Kami" Masatsugu (distinguished as one of the Seven Spears of Azukizaka. Died in

battle of Okehazama The took place in June 1560 in Owari Province, located in today's Aichi Prefecture. In this battle, the heavily outnumbered Oda clan troops commanded by Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and established himself as one of the front-runn ...

; 1560) * Wife: ** Haruhime ** Jiko-in * Concubine: ** Sayuri * Children: ** Matsuchiyomaru (died in third siege of Nagashima in 1574). ** Zuizen-in, wife of Narimasa's vassal,

Matsubara Gorobe is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 117,811 in 57351 households and a population density of 7100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Matsubara is located in the cente ...

. ** Teruko (d. 1630), married ''

kuge The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto. The ''kuge'' were important from the establishment of Kyoto as the capital during the Heian period in the late 8th century until the rise of the Kamak ...

'' Takatsukasa Nobufusa and they had a son, Nobuhisa and a daughter, Takako.japan world
/ref> ** Mitsuhide-in, wife of Nobunaga's seventh son, Oda Nobutaka (Oda Nobutaka by Kyōun'in, later Toyotomi Takajuro (1576–1602) adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi) ** Shoju-in, wife of Narimasa's vassal, Jinbo Ujioki.

Early life

Military life

Death

Family

Notes

See also