was a Japanese ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' in

Hizen Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of the Saga Prefecture, Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture, Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen Province, Ch ...

during the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

. Takanobu was the head of the

Ryūzōji clan was a Japanese kin group which traces its origin to Hizen Province on the island of Kyushu. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Hōki"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 802. History The clan was founded by Fujiwara no Suekiyo in 1186. The clan was a ...

Biography

Takanobu was the grandson of Ryūzōji Iekane (1454-1546). His father was Ryûzôji Chikaie and his mother was Keigin-ni. Ryūzōji Takanobu is known for expanding his clan's holdings. He took land from the

Shōni clan was a family of Japanese nobles descended from the Fujiwara family, many of whom held high government offices in Kyūshū. Prior to the Kamakura period (1185–1333), "Shōni" was originally a title and post within the Kyūshū ( Dazaifu) gover ...

. In 1578, Takanobu conquered almost all of

. The following year, the Ryūzōji clan advanced to Chikuzen and Buzen. In 1580, Takanobu retired in Suko castle but he retained the real power until his death. In 1584, Ryūzōji retainer Arima Harunobu split from the clan. Seizing upon this opportunity, several of the local small clans in the Shimabara Peninsula also rose up in arms. Takanobu personally led an army of around 30,000 against the Shimazu-Arima, but was killed in the Battle of Okitanawate by Shimazu Iehisa's army. Ryūzōji Masaie (1556–1607) was the son of Takanobu. Following Takanobu's death, Ryūzōji domain was taken over by Takanobu's chief retainer

Nabeshima Naoshige was a warlord of the Sengoku and early Edo periods and progenitor of the Nabeshima lords of the Saga Domain. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Nabeshima Naoshige"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 680. Naoshige was the second son of . His mothe ...

Biography

References

Further reading