, who was also known as Hanbei (半兵衛), was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

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 ...

during 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 ...

of the 16th century. Hanbei was the castle lord in command of Bodaiyama Castle. He was a chief strategist and adviser of

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 ...

. His father was a local samurai Takenaka Shigemoto. He initially 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 ...

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 ...

, but later plotted an uprising and took over the Saitō clan's

Gifu Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city. The castle is also known as . It was designated a National Historic Site in 201 ...

.Takenaka clan
Harimaya. Accessed October 29, 2007.

Biography

Shigeharu was born in 1544 as the son of Takenaka Shigemoto, the lord of Ōmidō Castle in the

Ōno District ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to: Places Fiji * Ono Island (Fiji) Israel * Kiryat Ono * Ono, Benjamin, ancient site Italy * Ono San Pietro Ivory Coast * Ono, Ivory Coast, a village in Comoé District Japan * Ōno Castle, Fukuoka * � ...

and a retainer of the Mino-Saitō clan. In 1556, Shigeharu had his first battle at the

Battle of Nagaragawa The was a battle that took place along the banks of the Nagara River in Mino Province in April 1556. The site of the battle is in present-day Gifu, Gifu, Gifu city, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was a battle between Saitō Dōsan and his son, Saitō ...

. He allied with Saitō Dōsan, and replaced his father as the "commander in chief" against

Saitō Yoshitatsu or Toki Yoshitatsu was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 54 of 80">"Saitō," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', ...

. In 1560, after the death or retirement of Shigemoto, Shigeharu succeeded him as head of the family and became the lord of Bodaisan Castle. In 1561, after the death of Yoshitatsu, Shigeharu served Yoshitatsu's son and heir,

Saitō Tatsuoki was a daimyō in Mino Province during the Sengoku period and the third generation lord of the Saitō clan. He was a son of Saitō Yoshitatsu. His mother was daughter of Azai Hisamasa and nephew of Azai Nagamasa, a grandson of Saitō Dōsan. He ...

, who took over at the age of thirteen. Tatsuoki, however, indulged in a decadent lifestyle and did not pay attention to affairs of governance. As a result, in 1564, Shigeharu joint

Mino Triumvirate The was commanded by three Japanese samurai generals serving Saitō clan during the Sengoku Period. *Ujiie Naotomo also known as Ujiie Bokuzen *Andō Morinari also known as Andō Michitari *Inaba Yoshimichi also known as Inaba Ittetsu They had se ...

to attack Tatsuoki at

Inabayama Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city. The castle is also known as . It was designated a National Historic Site in 20 ...

, killing Saitō Hida-no-kami, causing Tatsuoki to flee. But later, Tatsuoki appeared to have taken back the castle and Shigeharu abandoning the castle. In 1567, during the

Siege of Inabayama Castle The of 1567 was the final battle in Oda Nobunaga's campaign to defeat the Saitō clan in their mountaintop castle and conquer Mino Province, Japan. It was a short two-week siege, fought between 13 and 27 September 1567, or in the Japanese ...

, Shigeharu then directed the defense against the forces 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 unify ...

. But in the end, Tatsuoki was driven out of Inabayama Castle. After the castle fell, he left the Saitō family, and served as a guest commander under

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering h ...

. In 1570, Shigeharu joint

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, several ...

, he participating at the

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 ...

in forces led by

Andō Morinari , also known as was a Japanese samurai warrior in the Sengoku period. served the Saitō clan of Mino province. Later, he become a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. Biography He served as a head retainer under Saitō Dōsan after Dōsan overthrew To ...

, his father in law. After battle, Nobunaga ordered Shigeharu to stay in Yokoyama Castle along with Hideyoshi.

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 ...

was so impressed by him that he invited Shigeharu to join his forces as a strategist. Later in 1576, he joined Hideyoshi and followed Hideyoshi in the '' Chūgoku Campaign''. Shigeharu made many contributions to Hideyoshi with his exceptional talent in that fields. In 1579, he died of illness during Hideyoshi's attack against the Mōri in the Chūgoku region of Japan, while

Miki Castle was a Japanese castle in Miki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It was built by Bessho Nagaharu in the Sengoku period. Today some ruins and a partial reconstruction remain at the castle site, and its ruins have been protected as a National Historic ...

was being besieged. Later, he was succeeded by

Kuroda Yoshitaka , also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods. Renowned as a man of great ambition, he succeeded Takenaka Hanbei as a chief strategist and adviser to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kuroda became a Christian wh ...

as strategist.

Descendants

Takenaka Shigekado, Shigeharu's son and successor, continued to serve Hideyoshi after his father's death. At the

Battle of 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 ...

, he fought on the side of

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 ...

, and his holdings at Bodaiyama Castle were secured. The Takenaka family thus became a family of

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as ''gokenin.'' However ...

, and would soon move from their old castle of Bodaiyama Castle to the new castle called ''Takenaka Jinya''(Tkenaka clan's fortified residence). The holdings of the Takenaka included Sekigahara Village.交代寄合竹中氏
/ref> In the mid-19th century, Shigeharu's descendant

Takenaka Shigekata was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, later a figure in efforts to colonize Hokkaido. He is also known by his court title, ''Tango no kami'' (丹後守). Takenaka Shigekata was born in 1828 in the town of Iwate, in Mino Province, the so ...

served as commander of the Tokugawa forces in Fushimi at the

Battle of Toba–Fushimi The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the shog ...

Popular culture

*He is a playable character in '' Pokémon Conquest'' (''Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition'' in Japan, with his partner

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

being

Pikachu is a fictional species in the ''Pokémon'' media franchise. Designed by Atsuko Nishida and Ken Sugimori, Pikachu first appeared in the 1996 Japanese video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' created by Game Freak and Nintendo, which w ...

and Raichu.) *He is also a playable character in ''

Samurai Warriors 3 is the third installment in the ''Samurai Warriors'' series, created by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in Japan on December 3, 2009, in Europe on May 28, 2010, in Australia on June 10, 2010, and in North America on September 28 ...

'', ''

Samurai Warriors 4 ''Samurai Warriors 4'', known in Japan as , is a hack and slash game by Koei Tecmo, and sequel to ''Samurai Warriors 3''. Unlike past ''Samurai Warriors'' games, this one only has Japanese voice overs. A reboot of the series titled '' Samurai Warr ...

'', ''

Samurai Warriors 5 ''Samurai Warriors 5'', known in Japan as , is a hack and slash game by Koei Tecmo, and a reboot of the ''Samurai Warriors'' series, part of the long-running '' Warriors'' series of hack and slash games published by Koei Tecmo. Announced during a ...

'', ''

Warriors Orochi 3 ''Warriors Orochi 3'', originally released as in Japan, is a 2011 hack and slash video game developed by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This is the fourth installment of the crossover series ''Warriors Orochi'', a ...

'', and ''

Warriors Orochi 4 ''Warriors Orochi 4'', released as in Japan, is a 2018 hack and slash video game developed by Koei Tecmo and Omega Force for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. First announced in March 2018, it is the fifth installmen ...

''. *A young female version of Takenaka Hanbei appears in the anime ''

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna is a Japanese light novel series written by Mikage Kasuga and illustrated by Miyama-Zero. It was adapted into an anime television series animated by Madhouse and Studio Gokumi that aired from July to September 2012. Sentai Filmworks licen ...

'' which includes a lot of cute female versions of

figures. *He appears in the ''

Sengoku Basara is a series of video games developed and published by Capcom, and a bigger media franchise based on it, including four anime shows, an anime movie, a live action show, a magazine series, a trading card game, and numerous drama CDs, light nov ...

'' anime series and game. His weapon of choice is a linked sword and darkness based attacks. In Anime, however, he contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and dies after dueling with Kojuro Katakura. *His nickname, Hanbei, is used in the video game '' Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice''. *Hanbei serves as an important ally to players in the 2020 video game ''

Nioh 2 is an action role-playing video game developed by Team Ninja for the PlayStation 4. It was published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and Sony Interactive Entertainment worldwide on March 13, 2020. It is both a prequel and sequel to ''Nioh'' (2017). Versio ...

''. As with history, he dies mid-game from his illness during a siege. Despite this, he continues to guide the protagonist Hide from the afterlife.

Notes

External links

Information on Iwate Castle
(in Japanese)

(in Japanese)
Woodblock print
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takenaka, Shigeharu 1544 births 1579 deaths Samurai Toyotomi retainers

Biography

Descendants

Popular culture

See also

Notes

External links