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| Sakuma Morimasa | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sakuma Morimasa |
| Native name | 佐久間 盛政 |
| Birth date | c. 1554 |
| Death date | July 24, 1575 |
| Allegiance | Oda clan |
| Rank | Commander |
| Commands | Etchū Province garrison |
Sakuma Morimasa
Sakuma Morimasa was a samurai commander of the late Sengoku period who served the Oda clan under Oda Nobunaga and later aligned with Shibata Katsuie and Oda Nobutaka. He is best known for his participation in the Battle of Nagashino and the subsequent political and military turmoil that led to his downfall and execution after the Tedorigawa Campaign. His career intersected with major figures and events such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Takeda Katsuyori, Asai Nagamasa, and the power struggles following Nobunaga's death.
Morimasa was born into the Sakuma family, a samurai lineage with ties to the Oda clan and service in Mino Province and Etchū Province. During his formative years he came of age amid conflicts involving the Imagawa clan, Saitō Yoshitatsu, and the shifting alliances of the mid-16th century, overlapping with campaigns by Mōri Motonari and the consolidation efforts of Takeda Shingen. The Sakuma household maintained connections with retainers of Oda Nobunaga, Maeda Toshiie, Niwa Nagahide, and other prominent vassals, situating Morimasa in a network that included Akechi Mitsuhide and Shibata Katsuie.
Morimasa rose through command roles within the Oda clan military structure, participating in sieges and provincial pacifications alongside commanders such as Hashiba Hideyoshi (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi), Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Niwa Nagahide. He held responsibilities in Etchū Province and engaged in conflicts with regional opponents like the Ikkō-ikki and retainers of the Uesugi clan and Sakai Takamasa. Under the patronage networks of Oda Nobunaga and coordination with generals including Shibata Katsuie, Maeda Toshiie, and Sakuma Nobumori, Morimasa commanded fortified positions and participated in campaigns that intersected with the operations against Takeda Katsuyori and the campaigns around Kiso River and Kawagoe.
At the Battle of Nagashino (1575), Morimasa operated under the western Oda command aligned with Shibata Katsuie and engaged forces of Takeda Katsuyori, who employed cavalry tactics inherited from Takeda Shingen. The clash involved combined forces led by Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu using arquebusiers and fortifications inspired by experiences at Nagashino Castle and other engagements such as the Siege of Odawara and skirmishes near Nagashino. In the aftermath, Morimasa's decisions during the retreat and pursuit phase drew scrutiny from contemporaries including Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Niwa Nagahide, and influenced the strategic balance between the Oda clan factions: the supporters of Shibata Katsuie versus those rallying to Hashiba Hideyoshi and Oda Nobutaka.
Following the death of Oda Nobunaga at Honnō-ji, Morimasa aligned with Oda Nobutaka and Shibata Katsuie in the ensuing succession disputes against Hashiba Hideyoshi and his allies such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Maeda Toshiie. The post-Nobunaga realignment culminated in confrontations near Kitanosho Castle and the Battle of Tedorigawa dynamics, where political maneuvering by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and military campaigns led by Hashiba Hideyoshi isolated Katsuie’s faction. Captured after the rout, Morimasa was executed in 1575 on orders associated with victors including Hashiba Hideyoshi and regional authorities such as Maeda Toshiie and Niwa Nagahide, ending his role amid the consolidation that prefaced the rise of Toyotomi rule.
Morimasa's legacy survives in military chronicles, war tales, and local histories alongside figures like Akechi Mitsuhide, Shibata Katsuie, and Oda Nobutada. He appears in dramatic retellings connected to events such as the Honnō-ji Incident, the Battle of Nagashino, and the power struggles that produced Toyotomi Hideyoshi's ascendancy and later the Tokugawa shogunate. Artists, novelists, and filmmakers have depicted him within narratives involving Oda Nobunaga, Hashiba Hideyoshi, and Takeda Katsuyori, and his story is referenced in museum exhibits covering the Sengoku period alongside artifacts related to samurai armor, ashigaru equipment, and the evolution of arquebus tactics showcased at sites like Nagashino Castle and regional repositories in Gifu Prefecture and Ishikawa Prefecture.