Author: Sanae Hojo
During japan's Sengoku period, the daimyōs of the Warring States were known for their ability to recruit good warriors and resourceful warriors, such as Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and others who were quite famous even in the history of the world today.
However, behind each Warring States daimyo, there is actually a strong group of courtiers supporting it. For example, in the Three Kingdoms period of China, there were "Wolong Phoenix", "Five Tiger Generals", etc., and the Japanese also gave the various forces and courtiers of the Warring States Period the names of "Four Heavenly Kings", "Four Ministers", "Five Generals" and so on.
Today, I will open a small pit for readers to judge whether these family groups are worthy of the name.
Oda Nobunaga was born in the "Oda Akita Clan" of the Owari Kingdom, and the Omasa Clan was a member of the Owari Oda clan and was one of the "Three Pursuits" of the "Kiyoju Oda Clan", the guardian of the lower four prefectures of the Owari Kingdom.
Ever since Oda Nobunaga's grandfather occupied the fertile island of Tsushima, the Oda Tsushima family has risen in the lower four counties. By the time of Oda Nobunaga's father, Oda Nobunaga, the local samurai in the lower four prefectures, the vassals who guarded the Spoo clan, and the vassals of the main family, the Oda clan of Kiyoshu, were in essence slowly being subordinated to the Oda Clan, and these local forces of the Owari Kingdom formed the earliest group of vassals of the Oda Clan.
However, Oda Nobunaga's death caused the clan members of the Hindaka clan to split into the pro-Oda Nobunaga faction and the pro-Oda Nobunaga faction, and eventually Oda Nobunaga eliminated Oda Nobunaga and incorporated his clan of vassals into his own clan.
With the unification of the Owari Kingdom and the end of the Battle of the Barrel Anda, Oda Nobunaga invaded Mino Kingdom northward, and then opened up the Omi Domain, and the arrival of the new domain led to the addition of new vassals such as the Mino Trio. Oda Nobunaga himself was also eclectic in the appointment and dismissal of personnel, promoting low-born samurai and even commoners such as Hashiba Hideyoshi, Takikawa Kazumi, and Mitsuhide Wise, who gradually merged with the former Oda Tsushimasada clan and formed the strongest Oda clan with the goal of unifying the world after eliminating unqualified vassals.
Among them, the most famous are Shibata Katsuya, Niwa Nagahide, Kazuyoshi Takikawa, and Mitsuhide Takikawa, known as the "Oda Four Heavenly Kings", these four people, together with Hashiba Hideyoshi, are also known as the "Oda Five Generals".
Originally assigned by Oda Nobunaga to Nobunaga's younger brother Oda Nobunaga, Shibata Katsuya initially sided with Nobunaga against Nobunaga, but later saw Oda Nobunaga's abilities and turned to support Oda Nobunaga. It so happened that Oda Nobunaga, who had been pardoned by Oda Nobunaga, rebelled twice, and the matter was reported to Oda Nobunaga by Shibata Katsuya, and he justifiably switched to Oda Nobunaga's command.
Shibata Katsuya's real activity began with Nobunaga Kami-raku, and Shibata Katsuya led his army to capture the Castle of Qinglongji Castle, known as the strongest samurai of the Miyoshi Army, and let people see his skills. After Asai Nagamasa betrayed Oda Nobunaga, the Oda family fell into the dilemma of the Motokame rebellion, and Shibata Katsuya and Sakuma Nobumori and other generals defended the Minami Omi Domain, resisting the counterattack of the former Minami Omi clan to protect the Rokkaku clan, ensuring the passage between the Oda family and Luozhong.
When Ashikaga Yoshiaki first raised an army against Nobunaga, Shibata Katsuya led an army of Shangluo, set fire to Ashikaga Yoshiaki in the Kamigyo district, and then used tactics to lure the defenders of Nijo Castle and capture Nijo Castle when Ashikaga Yoshiaki raised his army for the second time.
In the second year of Tenshō (1574), Shibata Katsuya led an army into tatsumiyama castle in Yamato Province and set out to stabilize the Oda family's domain over the Yamato area. In the second year of Tenshō, Oda Nobunaga came to the rescue of Takatenjin Castle, and during tenshō's three years of nagashino,000 no shadow of Shibata Katsuya was found. Probably because of Shibata Katsuya's ability, after the peace of the Yamato Kingdom, Oda Nobunaga sent Shibata Katsuya into the Echizen Kingdom in August of the third year of Tenshō to fight against the Echizen Kingdom, and also gave the Echizen Kingdom to the Shibata Katsuya as a domain, and sent powerful generals such as the Maeda Toshiya, Mitsuharu Fuchiru, and Sasa Narimasa to serve as shibata Katsuya.
Shibata Katsuya soon pacified Echizen Province, marched toward Kaga Ando Kingdom, and fought against the Uesugi clan, which dominated hokuriku, and around the turn of Honnoji Temple in the Tenshō Decade, Shibata Katsuya captured Uozu Castle, the last stronghold of the Uesugi family in Vietnam, and suppressed the Uesugi family's power back to Echigo.
Unfortunately, during the honnoji Rebellion, Hideyoshi Hashiba took the lead in joining Oda Nobutaka and attacked Mitsuhide. After the Cheongju Conference, Shibata Katsuya supported Oda Nobutaka's refusal to fulfill the resolutions of the Cheongju Conference, which led to the outbreak of a joint battle with Hashiba Hideyoshi and Oda Nobuo, and eventually the soldiers were defeated and killed, and they committed suicide with their second wife, Aichi.
Compared with Shibata Katsuya, Niwa Nagahide's appearance rate is much less, but if you think that Niwa Nagahide has no merit, you underestimate this person. Niwa Nagahide was a close-brother of Nobunaga and had always been a trusted vassal of Oda Nobunaga, and his wife was the daughter of Oda Nobunaga's brother Oda Nobunaga, and his concubine was the daughter of Oda Nobunaga, who had been married to the Oda family for generations.
Beginning with the earliest joint battles with the Kiyoshu Oda family, including the Battle of Barrel Pan, Niwa Nagahide has been active in Nobunaga's various battles. In the fifth year of Nagatoku (1562), Niwa Nagahide became a member of the Oda family's judging body, playing an important role in attacking the rebellious Inuyama Oda family and mino raiders.
In the eleventh year of Nagaro (1568), Oda Nobunaga led an army of Shangluo, Niwa Nagahide, and together with the Oda family's pen master Sakuma Nobumori and Kinoshita Hideyoshi attacked Minsaku Castle, and then participated in the Oda family's conquest of The Ise Kingdom the following year. In the third year of Tenshō (1575), during the Battle of Nagashino, Niwa Nagahide, along with Hideyoshi Hashiba and Kazuyoshi Takikawa, deployed in front of Oda Nobunaga's honjin, responsible for guarding the safety of the honjin and fighting against the Takeda army. After this, Niwa Nagahide also participated in the Ishiyama Battle and the Zaga Raiders, and for a long time as a firefighter, leading the army to run east and west in support of Shibata Katsuya, Mitsuhide Mitsuhide and others.
However, it would be a big mistake to think that Niwa Nagahide's exploits were only those of Takeshi, Niwa Nagahide really showed what an all-round talent is, and when Oda Nobunaga built Azuchi Castle, Niwa Nagahide was appointed as the general of Anto Castle, responsible for building Azuchi Castle, and during the nine-year military parade of Tenshō, the military power of The Wakasa Kingdom under Niwa Nagahide also made the audience at that time sigh.
In the 10th year of Tenshō, Niwa Nagahide, as Oda Nobutaka's second-in-command, prepared for the Shikoku Army and prepared an expedition to the Shikoku kingdoms to fight against Nagamasa's ancestors, but the Honnō-ji Rebellion broke out before setting out. At this time, Gyeonggi was in chaos, and Niwa Nagahide did not dare to fight Against Wise Mitsuhide alone, but only attacked Wise Mitsuhide's son-in-law Oda Nobusumi to prevent him from strengthening the Wise Army. It was not until After Hashiba Hideyoshi returned from China with his army, Niwa Nagahide joined the Haba Army in the Battle of Yamazaki against Mitsuhide.
Probably because of this joint battle, Niwa Nagahide discovered that Hashiba Hideyoshi was not a pool object, and Niwa Nagahide had supported Hashiba Hideyoshi since the Kiyoju Conference, which distributed Oda Nobunaga's inheritance, and eventually occupied a place in the Toyotomi family.
Kazuhito Takikawa's origins are very unknown, both from Owari Kuni and koga-gun from Omi Kuni, and even more so, some people will call him a ninja.
Although Takikawa Kazuyoshi's origin is unknown, it is almost certain that he was related to Nobunaga's brother Ikeda Tsuneyuki, and it was because of this relationship that he was able to become Oda Nobunaga, who is said to be very good at using iron cannons when he was young.
In the 10th year of The Reign of Nagato (1567), Kazumasa Takikawa served as the chief general of the Oda Army in Kita Ise, and since then he has been sitting in Ise Kingdom as a general of the Oda family, winning the trust of Oda Nobunaga.
During the Tenshō period, Takikawa Kazuyoshi participated in the Battle of Nagashiro, the Battle of Echizen Ichiichi, the Battle of Ishiyama, the Battle of Zaga, and the Battle of Kenjō Araki Murashige, and was active in various battlefields. At the same time, Kazuyoshi Takikawa also served as Ishigaki Pushiro of Azuchi Castle, and participated in the "Tenshō Iga Rebellion" in which the Oda Army quelled the Iga Kingdom.
In the 10th year of Tenshō (1582), Oda Nobunaga launched a full-scale crusade against the Takeda clan of Kai, and Takikawa Kazuyoshi also led an army to join the army, and in this battle won the first rank of Takeda Katsurai's father and son. For this merit, Oda Nobunaga rewarded Kazuyoshi Takikawa with the title of Shinano Kunibu and Ueno Kuni, and asked him to stay in kanto as an agent of the Oda family in kanto.
However, before Takikawa Kazuyoshi's ass was hot, the Honnōji rebellion broke out, and the Hojo clan suddenly raised a counter-flag against the Oda family, and defeated Takikawa Kazuyoshi in the Battle of Kamyogawa, and Takikawa Kazuyoshi fled back to his ability in defeat, and did not participate in the Yamazaki Battle and the Cheiseju Conference. During the Battle of Mt. Takikawa, Takikawa Kazuyoshi supported Shibata Katsuya against Hideyoshi Hashiba, and after the defeat of Shibata Katsuya's army, he was confiscated of his domain and went into seclusion.
With the confrontation between Oda Nobuo and Hashiba Hideyoshi, the Komaki Nagatsune War broke out, and Takikawa's son-in-law, Takikawa Yutoshi, invited him to leave the mountain and join Hashiba Hideyoshi.1 At first, Takikawa Kazuyoshi also led the battle of Crab River Castle, but unfortunately, due to the counterattack of Oda Nobuo and Tokugawa Ieyasu, Takikawa Kazumasa castle surrendered.
It is said that in his later years, Takikawa Kazumasa, who was blind and frustrated in his later years, was attacked by the villagers who had always been swept away by himself in the vicinity of the echizen kingdom, and eventually died in Echizen. However, this anecdote is very similar to the story created by the newspaper that was particularly popular in the Edo period.
Next, there is the last of the Oda Four Heavenly Kings, Wise Mitsuhide. Among Oda Nobunaga's courtiers, Mitsuhide was a relatively late nobunaga courtier.
Mitsuhide's origin is unknown, and it is generally believed that he is of the Mino clan, but there is no substantial evidence that it is related to the Mino clan. In his early years, Mitsuhide served as Ashikaga Yoshiaki, but later, like the lord of the family who had previously been subjected by Oda Nobuhide, he gradually fell into the arms of Oda Nobunaga and became a member of the Oda family.
Because of his former career as Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Mitsuhide Mitsuhide remained in Kyoto at the Oda family. In the first month of the twelfth year of Nagatoshi (1569), the Miyoshi family took advantage of Oda Nobunaga's return to Gifu Castle to launch a fierce attack on ashikaga Yoshiaki's national temple, and thanks to the bloody battle of Wise Mitsuhide, ashikaga Yoshiaki prevented ashikaga Yoshiaki from falling into the hands of the Miyoshi family.
After entering the Motokame Rebellion, Mitsuhide was first awarded the Omi Kuni Domain of Omikuni Shigaku and built Sakamoto Castle in the second year of the Motokame (1571) as the main force in the burning of Mt. Hiei-san Enriji Temple.
Unlike the film and television image, Mitsuhide is not a small handsome guy, his age is actually several rounds older than Oda Nobunaga and Hashiba Hideyoshi, in fact, he is an old uncle. In the third year of Tenshō (1575), Mitsuhide Bemoru began to pacify the Tanba Kingdom, and for a time surrendered to the Hatano clan and other powerful people, but with the rebellion of the Akai clan, the Hatano clan also raised a banner against the Oda family, and the Tanba kingdom fell into war.
In the process of pacifying the Kingdom of Tanba, Mitsuhide also led his army to participate in the Battle of Ishiyama, the invasion of Zaga, and the joint battle of Shinkiyama Castle with Matsunaga Hideyoshi, and during the Battle of Ishiyama, the elderly Mitsuhide was once seriously ill and bedridden, and almost confessed in the battle. Despite this, Mitsuhide, after recovering from his illness, continued to make new achievements to elevate his position, and finally completely pacified the Tanba Kingdom at the end of the sixth year of Tenshō. To this end, Oda Nobunaga also made a special trip to Sakamoto Castle on his way to honor mitsuhide's exploits.
After Sakuma Nobumori was exiled, Mitsuhide became the first vassal of the Oda family in Gyeonggi, and Oda Nobunaga was put in charge of contacting the Nagamasa clan of Shikoku to discuss the surrender of the Nagamasa clan to the Oda clan.
The head of Nagamasa's family, Nagasō Ibu, was not a good man, and he repeatedly refused Oda Nobunaga's conditions, showing a strong sense of resistance. After entering the ninth year of Tenshō, Oda Nobunaga's absolute superiority over the daimyōs was established, and both Shimazu and Otomo were willing to surrender, and the Hojo clan had already surrendered a year earlier. Oda Nobunaga changed his attitude toward the Peace Talks between the Maori and Nagamasa clans instead of conquest, and on the issue of Shikoku, he changed from initially making friends with Nagamasa Ibu to befriending the Awa Miyoshi clan, and the supporter behind the Awa Miyoshi clan was Hideyoshi Hashiba.
As Oda Nobunaga formed a crusade against Shikoku, Mitsuhide's position became increasingly awkward, and the Oda family's four-nation policy shift made his presence no longer necessary within the regime. Coupled with the death of Mitsuhide's sister (Nobunaga Side Room), Mitsuhide mitsuhide believes that he will no longer have a foothold in the Oda family. Eventually, mitsuhide, the wise Mitsuhide of Toshige, suddenly mutinied and attacked honō-ji Temple, where the lord Oda Nobunaga was located, and killed Oda Nobunaga.
By the time Mitsuhide of Honnoji had calmed down, he was already embattled, and the Oda family's legions scattered throughout the country had risen up against Mitsuhide, and even Nobunaga's ally Tokugawa Ieyasu had a tendency to take revenge on Yamato.
Although Mitsuhide Satoshi sought reinforcements everywhere, but did not receive support, but the situation of soldiers fleeing under his command continued to appear, Oda Nobunaga's courtiers did not disappoint Nobunaga, defeated the Wise Army in the Battle of Yamazaki, and the late Wise Mitsuhide also ended his life in this battle.