, also known as Sakonshōgen (左近将監), was a samurai retainer and military commander 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 ...

, and later

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 ...

, during Japan's

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 ...

. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Toshihisa and later Kazumasu served Nobunaga alongside Toshimasu's adopted uncle,

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 ...

Military Life

An account cited that Kazumasu served as an envoy for Nobunaga. He was, for instance, sent to

Akagawa Motoyasu (died March 1567) was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. Motoyasu was the son of Akagawa Fusanobu, the former head of the Akagawa clan. Motoyasu became the head of the Akagawa clan following the death in battle of his older brother, Akaga ...

in the latter's effort of consolidating his power in 1561. Kazumasu served in the vanguard of the Oda army for two invasions of

Ise Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today includes most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered on Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History The name of Ise appears ...

in 1567 and 1568 that crushed numerous families of Ise. Later, Nobunaga send Kazumasu on a campaigns against the

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 con ...

Sieges of Nagashima The , taking place in 1571, 1573, and 1574, were part of Oda Nobunaga's campaigns against the Ikkō-ikki, arguably among his greatest enemies. Nagashima, in Owari Province along Japan's Pacific coast, was the location of a string of river island fo ...

(1571–1574). In 1572, Kazumasu along with

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 ...

was sent by Oda Nobunaga to provide reinforcement to

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 ...

when he was attacked by

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...

Battle of Mikatagahara The was a battle of the Sengoku period of Japan fought between Takeda Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu in Mikatagahara, Tōtōmi Province on 25 January 1573. Shingen attacked Ieyasu at the plain of Mikatagahara north of Hamamatsu during his cam ...

. Under Nobunaga, he took part in a great many battles, including the

Siege of Ichijodani Castle A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...

(1573), 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 taki ...

(1575) served as the commander-in-chief of the infantry units. After Nagashino, he participated in the

Battle of Tennoji 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 force ...

(1576). Later, Nobunaga order him to Conquest

Kii province , or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kii''" in . Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Pro ...

, also aided in the

Battle of Tedorigawa The took place near the Tedori River in Japan's Kaga Province in 1577, between the forces of Oda Nobunaga against Uesugi Kenshin. Kenshin tricked Nobunaga into launching a frontal attack across the Tedorigawa and defeated him. Having suffered ...

(1577). In 1578, at the Second

Battle of Kizugawaguchi The two were fought during Oda Nobunaga, Oda Nobunaga's attempted Siege of Ishiyama Hongan-ji, sieges of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji in Osaka. The Ishiyama Hongan-ji, Hongan-ji was the primary fortress of the Ikkō-ikki, mobs of warrior monks, priests, ...

, Kazumasu commanded a ''white ship'' to accompany the six ''black ships'' commanded by

Kuki Yoshitaka (1542 – November 17, 1600) was a naval commander during Japan's Sengoku Period, under Oda Nobunaga, and later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was also the ninth headmaster of the Kuki family's school of martial arts, Kukishin-ryū and thus a very sk ...

against

Mori Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname, and also a Persian pet name for Morteza. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one clan in India. Italian surname *Barbara Mori, Uruguayan-Mexican actress * Camilo Mori, Chilean painter * Cesare ...

navy. In 1579-1581, he fought in the

Tenshō Iga War is the name of two invasions of Iga province by the Oda clan during the Sengoku period. The province was conquered by Oda Nobunaga in 1581 after an unsuccessful attempt in 1579 by his son Oda Nobukatsu. The names of the wars are derived from the ...

Iga Province was a province of Japan located in what is today part of western Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Iga" in . Its abbreviated name was . Iga is classified as one of the provinces of the Tōkaidō. Under the ''Engishiki'' cl ...

. Kazumasu's achievements include the capture of Seki castle. In 1582, Kazumasu along with

Kawajiri Hidetaka was a Japanese samurai warrior during the Sengoku period , and was one of the vassals of Oda Nobunaga . He was the first samurai in the "Kuro-horo-shu" (bodyguard unit in black) elite troops selected from Nobunaga's aides, and later served ...

became military commander against

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 Taked ...

last remnants. Later, Takigawa was appointed '' Kantō-

kanrei or, more rarely, ''kanryō'', was a high political post in feudal Japan; it is usually translated as ''shōguns deputy''. After 1349, there were actually two ''Kanrei'', the ''Kyoto Kanrei'' and the ''Kantō Kanrei''. Originally, from 1219 until ...

'' (Shōgun's Deputy in the East) by Nobunaga; in this post, with a portion of

Kōzuke Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Gunma Prefecture. Kōzuke bordered by Echigo, Shinano, Musashi and Shimotsuke Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Kōzuke was ran ...

as his domain, he was assigned to keep an eye on the powerful

Hōjō clan The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this period ...

, based at

Odawara is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in the far western por ...

. Following Nobunaga's death in 1582, Takigawa defended Oda territory, but lost in the

Battle of Kanagawa The Battle of Kanagawa took place during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japanese history, between Oda and Hōjō forces. History Following the sudden death of Oda Nobunaga, the Hōjō family soon took advantage of the situation and lau ...

(1582) against

Hojo clan Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones *A nickname for Howard Jones *MGR-1 Honest John, the first nuclear-capable missile ...

and back to

. In 1583, 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 ...

along with many of the Oda retainers, initially opposed Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but he was defeated defending

Kameyama Castle (Mie) is a Japanese castle located in Kameyama, northern Mie Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Kameyama Castle was home to the Ishikawa clan, ''daimyō'' of Ise-Kameyama Domain. The castle was also known as . History The original Kam ...

, after Hideyoshi used mines to bring down the castle.

Death

After Kazumasu submitted to Hideyoshi and assisted during the

Komaki Campaign The was a series of battles in 1584 between the forces of Hashiba Hideyoshi (who would become Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1586) and the forces of Oda Nobukatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hideyoshi and Ieyasu had both served Oda Nobunaga and had not previou ...

(1584) by attacking Kanie castle along with

. When he performed badly for killing his cousin, Maeda Tanetoshi, in this campaign, he shaved his head, become a Buddhist monk and retired from battle in shame. He is thought to have died in Echizen around 1586. Takigawa's standard was three red circles arranged vertically.

References

* Frederic, Louis (2002). ''Japan Encyclopedia'', Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. * Sansom, George (1961). ''A History of Japan: 1334–1615'', Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:Takigawa, Kazumasu 1525 births 1586 deaths Daimyo Oda retainers