Sadowara Castle（Miyazaki Prefecture） Sadowara Castle in Miyazaki Prefecture was a Yamajiro, mountaintop castle, first built during the Nanboku-Cho period (1334-1394) by the Tajima clan. Like most castles of the period, the mountain used, Mt. Kakusho, was shaved flat in terraced sections to create the various baileys, or kuruwa, and while there were various [...]
Minamoto no Yorinobu (December 21, 986 - June 1, 1048) Minamoto no Yorinobu Minamoto no Yorinobu was born a member of the influential Minamoto clan, son of the statesman Minamoto no Mitsunaka, an acting governor of ten provinces, Commander in Chief and Defender of the Northern Districts, and [...]
Sassa Narimasa (February 6, 1536 – July 7, 1588) Sassa Narimasa was born in Hira Castle, the grounds of which are now the Koutsu-ji Temple, in Nishi-Ku, Nagoya City. At age 14, following his genpuku coming of age ceremony, he followed his father and became a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. [...]
Kiyosu Kaigi The “Kiyosu Kaigi” was a meeting held at Kiyosu Castle on July 16, 1582, three weeks after the death of Oda Nobunaga at the Honno-ji Incident, and two weeks after the Battle of Yamazaki in which Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeated the troops of Nobunaga’s attacker, Akechi Mitsuhide. The remaining retainers of the [...]
Ouchi Yoshitaka (December 18, 1507 - Committed Seppuku September 30, 1551) Ouchi Yoshitaka was daimyo of Suo Province (Modern-day eastern Yamaguchi Prefecture) ruling from his castle at Yamaguchi. He was 21 when his father, Ouchi Yoshioki died, and the domain was passed to his hands. Yoshitaka’s father was famous [...]
Gunbai, War Fans Gunbai, also known as a Gunbai-uchiwa, were a war fan like device used by samurai commanders to direct troops during battle maneuvers, and as a symbol of rank. Decorative gunbai war fans Gunbai were of various size and shape, and made from either plain or [...]
Daisho, Samurai Swords The Daisho was the pairing of long and short swords, worn as a symbol of the samurai. The Daisho was a symbol of the samurai rank The Daito (long sword) usually a katana, but possibly also a tachi, and Shoto (short sword) [...]
Sanada (Yukimura) Nobushige’s War Fan During the 1614 Winter Siege of Osaka, Matsudaira Naomasa, a grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, fought well against the Sanada clan around the area known as the Sanada-Maru, a large semi-circular fortified plot of land south of Osaka Castle that played a major role in protecting the Toyotomi held [...]
Kutsuki Mototsuna (1549 - October 12, 1632) Kutsuki Mototsuna was a daimyo, born in his namesake Kitsukidani Castle in Omi Province (Shiga Prefecture) in 1549. Mototsuna lost his father to war when he was two, and from then on was head of his clan. Mototsuna served the Ashikaga Shogunate at [...]
Kato Kiyomasa (July 25, 1562 - August 2, 1611) Kato Kiyomasa was an Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo period Daimyo, much respected warrior and castle architect. Kato Kiyomasa, Sengoku period hero Kiyomasa was born in modern day Nakamura Ward, Nagoya City. An interesting episode involves the young Kato Kiyomasa being sent to live with [...]