was a daimyō in
Mino Province 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 ...
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 was also a nephew of
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...
's first wife,
Nohime herself, a daughter of Saitō Dōsan.
Biography
Saitō Tatsuoki succeeded his father at the age of 13 in 1561. He was, however, an incapable ruler; unlike his father and grandfather.
Tatsuoki became involved in a bitter rivalry with
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...
, and lost to him decisively in 1567. He survived, but from this point on the
Saitō clan were no longer a significant faction in the power struggles of the Sengoku period.
After Oda Nobunaga
conquered the Saito in 1567, he was exiled, though there are at least two accounts of how he managed this. In one account, Tatsuoki abandoned the castle the night before the final attack, took a boat, and fled down the
Sunomata River.
[Soda 1991: 288–92.]
In another account, following the breach of the main gate, Hideyoshi dispatched a messenger to the main tower, where Tatsuoki and his entourage were cornered, with assurances of leniency if the Saitō holdouts would surrender. Tatsuoki accepted the offer and, with Nobunaga's troops forming two lines, Tatsuoki marched out of the main tower with his family and retinue.
[Dening 1904: 147.]
In any event, Tatsuoki eventually found his way to
Nagashima,
Ise Province. He lived in exile for a while,
[Ohta 2003: 54–55.] but eventually sought refuge with
Asakura Yoshikage. He was killed in the
Battle of Tonezaka, at the age of 25, in 1573.
See also
* Akaza Shichirōemon - vassal of Saitō Tatsuoki
References
1548 births
1573 deaths
Daimyo
Tatsuoki
{{daimyo-stub