Fukushima Masanori (1561 – August 26, 1624) Fukushima Masanori Fukushima Masanori was born in Ama, Owari Province (western Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture) in 1561, and is believed to have been a cousin of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He first saw action as a 17-year-old at the Siege of Miki Castle (Hyogo [...]

Ashikaga Yoshiharu (April 2, 1511 - May 20, 1550)   Ashikaga Yoshiharu Ashikaga Yoshiharu, the 12thShogun, was the son of the 11thShogun, Ashikaga Yoshizumi. Yoshiharu held the position of Shogun from 1521 until his abdication in favor of his son, Yoshiteru, in 1546. As with most of the military [...]

Chosokabe Motochika (1539 - July 11, 1599) Chosokabe Motochika, Daimyo of Tosa Chosokabe Motochika, daimyo of Tosa, was born to the 20thhead of the powerful Chosokabe clan, Chosokabe Kunichika in Tosa (Modern-day Kochi Prefecture) in 1539. In 1560, shortly before his own death, Kunichika had subjugated much of Shokoku [...]

Ashikaga Yoshikatsu (March 19, 1434 - August 16, 1443) (ruled 1442 until 1443) Ashikaga Yoshikatsu was the seventh of the Ashikaga Shogun, ruling from the age of eight. Yoshikatsu’s 48 year-old father, the sixth Shogun, Yoshinori, was murdered by Akamatsu Mitsusuke in July of 1441, and so his then eight year-old son, [...]

Baba Nobuharu (1514 /15 - Killed in action June 29, 1575) Baba Nobuharu, also known as Baba Nobufusa was one of the much trusted 24 Generals of the great Takeda Shingen and is often mentioned in the Takeda clan’s Koyo Gunkan, diaries of war matters as a major personal advisor [...]

Asano Naganori (September 28, 1667 – committed seppuku April 21, 1701) Asano Naganori of Ako, master of the famed 47 Ronin was born the first son of Asano Nagatomo, Lord of Ako Domain (Hyogo Pref.) in Edo in 1667. Naganori was just 9 years old when his father died in [...]

Arima Toyouji （May 18, 1569 – November 21, 1642)  Arima Toyouji Arima Toyouji was a late Sengoku, early Edo period Daimyo, Lord of  Tamba Fukuchiyama, and the first Lord of Kurume Domain. He was born at Mitsuda Castle at Miki, Arima-gun, Harima Province (modern-day Hyogo Pref.) He served [...]

Bessho Nagaharu (1558 - committed seppuku, February 2, 1580)   Bessho Nagaharu Bessho Nagaharu was a Sengoku Daimyo born in 1558 in modern day Hyogo Prefecture, the son of local daimyo, Bessho Yasuharu. He became head of the clan in 1570 with the death of his father. Nagaharu was [...]

Azai Sukemasa (1491 - January 21, 1542) Azai family Crest Azai Sukemasa was born to Azai Naotane, a provincial warlord in northern Omi (Shige Pref.) in 1495, and served as a vassal of the Kyogoku clan. He took advantage of continual internal bickering and fighting within the Kyogoku family, [...]

Fujiwara no Tadamichi (March 15, 1097 -March 13, 1164) Fujiwara no Tadamichi ujiwara no Tadamichi was the eldest son of the statesman, Fujiwara no Tadazane, and followed in his father’s footsteps to become Kampaku (Chief Advisor to the Emperor, originally a title before the creation of Shogun) in 1121. [...]