, who was also known as Hanbei (半兵衛), was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

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 ...

of the 16th century. Hanbei was the castle lord in command of Bodaiyama Castle. He was a chief strategist and adviser of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

. His father was Takenaka Shigemoto, a local samurai. He initially served the

Saitō clan Saitō, Saito, Saitou or Saitoh (written: or ) are the 10th and 11th most common Japanese surnames respectively. Less common variants are , , and . Notable people with the surname include: Notable people with the surname *, Japanese footballer * ...

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviated fo ...

, but later plotted an uprising and took over the Saitō clan's

Gifu Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city. The castle is also known as . It was designated a National Historic Site in 2011. ...

.Takenaka clan
Harimaya. Accessed October 29, 2007.

Biography

Shigeharu was born in 1544 as the son of Takenaka Shigemoto, the lord of Ōmidō Castle in the

Ōno District ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to: Places Fiji * Ono Island (Fiji) Israel * Kiryat Ono * Ono, Benjamin, ancient site Italy * Ono San Pietro Ivory Coast * Ono, Ivory Coast, a village in Comoé District Japan * Ōno Castle, Fukuoka * ...

and a retainer of the Mino-Saitō clan. In 1556, Shigeharu had his first battle at the

Battle of Nagaragawa The took place along the banks of the Nagara River in the former Mino Province in April 1556. The site of the battle is in present-day Gifu city, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was a battle between Saitō Dōsan and his son, Saitō Yoshitatsu, who ...

. He allied with Saitō Dōsan, and replaced his father as the commander in chief against

Saitō Yoshitatsu or Toki Yoshitatsu was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku period. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)">DF 54 of 80">"Saitō," ''Nobiliare du Ja ...

. In 1560, after the death or retirement of Shigemoto, Shigeharu succeeded him as head of the family and became the lord of Bodaisan Castle. In 1561, after the death of Yoshitatsu, Shigeharu served Yoshitatsu's son and heir,

Saitō Tatsuoki was a daimyō in Mino Province during the Sengoku period 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 Dōs ...

, who took over at the age of thirteen. Tatsuoki, however, indulged in a decadent lifestyle and did not pay attention to affairs of governance. As a result, in 1564, Shigeharu joined the

Mino Triumvirate The was commanded by three Japanese samurai generals serving Saitō clan during the Sengoku Period. * Ujiie Naotomo also known as Ujiie Bokuzen * Andō Morinari also known as Andō Michitari * Inaba Yoshimichi also known as Inaba Ittetsu They ha ...

in attacking Tatsuoki at Inabayama Castle, killing Saitō Hida-no-kami and causing Tatsuoki to flee. Later, Shigeharu returned the castle to Tatsuoki and went into seclusion. In 1567, during the

Siege of Inabayama Castle The of 1567 was the final battle in Oda Nobunaga's campaign to defeat the Saitō clan in their Japanese castle#Architecture and defenses, mountaintop castle and conquer Mino Province, Japan. It was a short, two-week siege, fought between 13 ...

, Shigeharu then directed the defense against the forces 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 ...

. Eventually, Tatsuoki was driven out of Inabayama Castle. After the castle fell, he left the Saitō family, and served as a guest commander under

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering ...

. In 1570, Shigeharu joined the

Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they reached the peak of their power under Oda Nobunaga and fell soon after, several branches of the ...

, participating at the

Battle of Anegawa The Sengoku period (30 July 1570) occurred near Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province, Japan, between the allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, against the combined forces of the Azai and Asakura clans. It is notable as the first battle t ...

in forces led by

Andō Morinari , also known as was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Sengoku period. He served the Saitō clan of Mino Province. Later, he become a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. He served as a head retainer under Saitō Dōsan after Dōsan overthrew Toki ...

, his father in law. After battle, Nobunaga ordered Shigeharu to stay in

Yokoyama Castle Yokoyama (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Akihito Yokoyama (born 1961), Japanese golfer * Ayumu Yokoyama (born 2003), Japanese footballer * Chisa Yokoyama (born 1969), Japanese voice actress and singer ...

along with Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innov ...

was so impressed by him that he invited Shigeharu to join his forces as a strategist. Later in 1576, he joined Hideyoshi and followed Hideyoshi in the '' Chūgoku Campaign''. Shigeharu made many contributions to Hideyoshi with his talents. In 1579, he died of illness during Hideyoshi's attack against the Mōri in the Chūgoku region of Japan, while

Miki Castle was a Japanese castle in Miki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It was built by Bessho Nagaharu in the Sengoku period. Today some ruins and a partial reconstruction remain at the castle site, and its ruins have been protected as a National Historic ...

was besieged. Later, he was succeeded by

Kuroda Yoshitaka , also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku through the early Edo period. Renowned as a man of great ambition, he succeeded Takenaka Hanbei as a chief strategist and adviser to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kuroda b ...

as strategist.

Descendants

Takenaka Shigekado, Shigeharu's son and successor, continued to serve Hideyoshi after his father's death. At the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

, he fought on the side of

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

, and his holdings at Bodaiyama Castle were secured. The Takenaka family thus became a family of

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the Shōgun, shogunates in History of Japan, Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred ...

, and would soon move from their old castle of Bodaiyama Castle to the new castle called ''Takenaka Jinya''(Takenaka clan's fortified residence). The holdings of the Takenaka included Sekigahara Village.交代寄合竹中氏
/ref> In the mid-19th century, Shigeharu's descendant

Takenaka Shigekata was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, later a figure in efforts to colonize Hokkaido. He is also known by his court title, ''Tango no kami'' (丹後守). Takenaka Shigekata was born in 1828 in the town of Iwate, in Mino Province, the so ...

served as commander of the Tokugawa forces in Fushimi at the

Battle of Toba–Fushimi The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the sho ...

Popular culture

*He is a playable character in '' Pokémon Conquest'' (''Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition'' in Japan, with his partner

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

being

Pikachu Pikachu (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the franchise's mascot. First introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', it was created by Atsuko N ...

and

Raichu Raichu (; Japanese language, Japanese: , Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ) is a List of Pokémon, Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon, ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the Gameplay of Pokémon#Pokémon evolution, evolved form ...

.) *He is also a playable character in ''

Samurai Warriors 3 is a hack-and-slash video game developed by Omega Force and published by Tecmo Koei for the Wii. It is the third installment in the ''Samurai Warriors'' series. The game was released in Japan in December 2009 and internationally in 2010 by Nint ...

'', ''

Samurai Warriors 4 is a 2014 hack and slash game by Koei Tecmo for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita, and the sequel to ''Samurai Warriors 3''. Unlike past ''Samurai Warriors'' games, this one only has Japanese voice overs. A revised version of the ...

'', ''

Samurai Warriors 5 is a hack and slash game by Koei Tecmo, and a reboot of the ''Samurai Warriors'' series, part of the long-running ''Warriors'' series of hack and slash games published by Koei Tecmo. As a "fresh re-imagining" of the franchise, the game features a ...

'', ''

Warriors Orochi 3 ''Warriors Orochi 3'', originally released as in Japan, is a 2011 hack and slash video game developed by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment of the crossover series ''Warriors Orochi'', a co ...

'', and '' Warriors Orochi 4''. *A young female version of Takenaka Hanbei appears in the anime ''

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna is a Japanese light novel series written by Mikage Kasuga and illustrated by Miyama-Zero. It was adapted into an anime television series animated by Madhouse and Studio Gokumi that aired from July to September 2012. Sentai Filmworks has ...

'', which includes female versions of many

figures. *He appears in the ''

Sengoku Basara is a series of video games developed and published by Capcom, and a bigger media franchise based on it, including three anime shows, an anime movie, a live action show, and numerous drama CDs, light novels, manga, and stage plays. Its story ...

'' anime series and game. His weapon of choice is a linked sword and darkness based attacks. In Anime, however, he contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and dies after dueling with Kojuro Katakura. *His nickname, Hanbei, is used in the video game '' Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice''. *Hanbei serves as an important ally to players in the 2020 video game ''

Nioh 2 is a 2020 action role-playing game developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo for the PlayStation 4. It was released by Sony Interactive Entertainment outside Japan on PlayStation consoles. It is a prequel to '' Nioh'' (2017). Versions ...

''. As with history, he dies mid-game from his illness during a siege. Despite this, he continues to guide the protagonist Hide from the afterlife.

Notes

External links

Information on Iwate Castle
(in Japanese)

(in Japanese)
Woodblock print
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takenaka, Shigeharu 1544 births 1579 deaths Samurai Toyotomi retainers

Biography

Descendants

Popular culture

See also

Notes

External links