Honda Tadakatsu
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Honda Tadakatsu | |
|---|---|
| 本多 忠勝 | |
 | |
| Lord of Ōtaki | |
| In office 1590–1601 | |
| Succeeded by | Honda Tadatomo |
| Lord of Kuwana | |
| In office 1601–1609 | |
| Succeeded by | Honda Tadamasa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 17, 1548 Mikawa Province, Japan |
| Died | December 3, 1610 (aged 62) Edo, Japan |
| Relations | Sanada Nobuyuki (son-in-law) |
| Children | Komatsuhime Honda Tadatomo Honda Tadamasa |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Matsudaira clan Tokugawa clan Eastern Army Tokugawa shogunate |
| Unit |  Honda clan |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Anegawa Battle of Mikatagahara Battle of Nagashino Siege of Takatenjin Battle of Komaki and Nagakute Siege of Sakura Siege of Odawara Battle of Kuisegawa Battle of Sekigahara |
Honda Tadakatsu (本多 忠勝, March 17, 1548 – December 3, 1610), also called Honda Heihachirō (本多 平八郎) was a Japanese samurai, general, and daimyo of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Honda Tadakatsu was one of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō) along with Ii Naomasa, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and Sakai Tadatsugu.[1]
Biography[edit]
Tadakatsu was born in 1548,[2] in Kuramae, Nukata, Mikawa Province (present-day Nishi-Kuramae, Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture),[3] the eldest son of Honda Tadataka. The Honda clan was one of the oldest Anjō fudai families, a family of fudai daimyo who had been serving Tokugawa Ieyasu since he was in Anjō.[2]
Ieyasu promoted him from daimyō/lord of the Ōtaki Domain (100000 koku) to the Kuwana Domain (150000 koku) as a reward for his service.[4] In addition, his son Honda Tadatomo became daimyo of Ōtaki.[5]
in 1570, Tadakatsu gained distinction at the Battle of Anegawa against Azai and Asakura clans along with Tokugawa's ally, Oda Nobunaga.[6] In this battle, Tadakatsu were placed in the left flank along with Ōkubo Tadayo.[7]
In 1572, Tadakatsu also served at Tokugawa's greatest defeat, the Battle of Mikatagahara , where he commanded the left wing of his master's army, facing off against troops under one of the Takeda clan's more notable generals, Naitō Masatoyo.[8] As the forces of Tokugawa started clashing in Hitokotosaka,[9] in the prelude of Tadakatsu manage to ward off the first wave, however, the Tokugawa forces getting overun by the next waves of Takeda forces.[10] In the end, the Tokugawa forces manage to withdraw safely from the battle due to dexterous performance of Tadakatsu in organizing the cover of their retreat.[9] It is said that in this battle Tadakatsu gained recognition from the enemy forces for his antler helmet and his Tonbo-giri spear for his exploit in staving off the charges of Baba Nobuharu units.[11][12][13]
Although that battle in Mikatagahara ended in defeat, Honda Tadakatsu was one of those Tokugawa generals present to exact vengeance upon the Takeda at the Battle of Nagashino (1575). Honda commanded a rank of musketeers as the combined Oda-Tokugawa forces annihilated Takeda Katsuyori's army, partly thanks to the skillful use of ranked muskets, as they fired in cycling volleys. One would fire while another was reloading and another was cleaning the barrel of the musket. This enabled the muskets to fire without stopping, effectively destroying the Takeda army.[14] Later, Tadakatsu manage to personally kill Takeda general named Okabe Motonobu at the second Siege of Takatenjin (1581).[15]
His finest moment came in the Komaki Campaign (1584). Left at Komaki while Ieyasu departed to engage Toyotomi troops at Nagakute, Tadakatsu observed a huge host under Hideyoshi himself move out in pursuit. With a handful of men, Tadakatsu rode out and challenged the Toyotomi army from the opposite bank of the Shōnai River. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was said to have been impressed by Tadakatsu and commanded his army to not attack the small units of Tadakatsu.[16]
In 1590, Tadakatsu and Sakai Ietsugu captured Sakura Castle and fought against the Chiba clan, allies of the Hōjō in Shimōsa Province, during the Odawara campaign.
In 1600, Tadakatsu had a major role in the Battle of Kuisegawa, where he successfully rescued the Tokugawa officers Nakamura Kazuhide and Arima Toyouji, who were ambushed by the Western Army officers Shima Sakon and Akashi Teruzumi.
Later, Honda Tadakatsu was present at the Battle of Sekigahara,[17] when Tokugawa Ieyasu's forces defeated the Western Alliance under daimyō Ishida Mitsunari, allowing Tokugawa to assume control of the country, bringing the Sengoku era to a close.
In 1609, Tadakatsu retired, and his other son Tadamasa took over the position of the head of Honda clan.[18] Tadakatsu's daughter, Komatsuhime was Sanada Nobuyuki's lawful wife and mother of Sanada Nobumasa, daimyō of Matsushiro Domain. His grandson, Tadatoki, married the granddaughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Senhime. Despite his years of loyal service, Tadakatsu became increasingly estranged from the Tokugawa shogunate (bakufu) as it evolved from a military to a civilian political institution. This was a fate shared by many other warriors of the time, who were not able to make the conversion from the chaotic lifetime of warfare of the Sengoku period to the more stable peace of the Tokugawa shogunate.[citation needed]
Personal info[edit]
Tadakatsu reputation has gained praise from Oda Nobunaga, who was notoriously disinclined to praise his followers called him a "samurai among samurai". Moreover, Toyotomi Hideyoshi noted that the best samurai were "Honda Tadakatsu in the east and Tachibana Muneshige in the west". Even Takeda Shingen praised Honda, saying that "he is a luxury of Tokugawa Ieyasu". It was widely acknowledged that he was a reputed samurai and a loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu.[19]
Tadakatsu is nicknamed as "The Warrior who surpassed Death itself" because he never once suffered a significant wound, despite being the veteran of over 57 battles by the end of his life.[20][9] <ref name="シリーズ藩物語 桑名藩"> In theater and other contemporary works, Tadakatsu is often characterized as polar opposite of Ieyasu's other great general, Ii Naomasa. While both were fierce warriors of the Tokugawa, Tadakatsu's ability to elude injury is often contrasted with the common depiction of Naomasa enduring many battle wounds, but fighting through them.[citation needed]
His horse was known as Mikuniguro.
Tonbokiri spear[edit]
His spear was named Tonbokiri or Dragonfly Cutter, because legend held that the tip of the spear was so sharp, that a dragonfly that landed on it was cut in two. Tonbokiri was made by Fujiwara Masazane. Tadakatsu's fighting prowess with it was so great that it became known as one of the "Three Great Spears of Japan".
Nakatsukasa sword[edit]
Aside from this incredible spear, Tadakatsu also used the katana - Nakatsukasaa made by Masamune (中務正宗), a 67 cm blade, another national treasure of Japan.
Popular culture[edit]
Honda Tadakatsu appears in numerous Japanese jidaigeki (historical dramas for television) set in the 16th century. He is a minor character in Akira Kurosawa's movie Kagemusha.
Honda Tadakatsu, or fictive characters based loosely on the historical figure, appears in several video games and associated anime, including the Sengoku Basara games and anime, Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi, Nioh 2, Pokémon Conquest, and Kessen.
Honda appears as a playable character in the Mobile/PC Game Rise of Kingdoms.
Notes[edit]
- ^ "「榊原康政」の解説". kotobank. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ a b Ōtaki-cho, (Chiba-ken) (1991). Ōtaki-cho shi (大多喜町史). Ōtaki-cho. p. 479.
- ^ Kōri, Yoshitake (2009). Kuwana-han (Dai 1-han ed.). Gendai Shokan. p. 13. ISBN 978-4-7684-7117-3. OCLC 469634113.
- ^ "桑名藩". Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ "大多喜藩". Archived from the original on 2012-01-28. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen (1987). Battles of the Samurai. Arms and Armour Press. p. 62. ISBN 0853688265.
- ^ Mitsutoshi Takayanagi; Tadachika Kuwata (1965). 織田信長 (in Japanese). 人物往来社. p. 109. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen (2000). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & C0. pp. 222–223. ISBN 1854095234.
- ^ a b c Stephen Turnbull. Samurai Vs Ashigaru Japan 1543–75. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 10, 46, 61. ISBN 9781472832429. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Conrad Totman (1983). Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shogun A Biography (Paperback). Heian. p. 38. ISBN 9780893462109. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ 尾崎 晃 (2009). 本多忠勝(一五四八～一六一〇)--徳川幕府創出の功労者 (in Japanese). 千葉史学 / 千葉歴史学会 編. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ 村上郷土史. 村上本町教育会.
- ^ 村上郷土史. 村上本町教育会. 1931. p. 90.
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen (1977). The Samurai. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. pp. 156–160. ISBN 9780026205405.
- ^ "デジタル版 日本人名大辞典+Plus「岡部長教」の解説". kotobank. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Mikawa Go Fudoki Seisetsu Daizen Volume 42 & 43 (in Japanese). Aichi Prefectural Library. 1853. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Dupuy, Trevor N.; Johnson, Bondard (1992). The Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography. HarperCollins. p. 345. ISBN 9780062700155.
- ^ 郡義武. シリーズ藩物語 桑名藩 (in Japanese). シリーズ藩物語. pp. 15, 18. ISBN 978-4-7684-7117-3. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Papinot, Edmond (1906). Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon (in French). p. 199.
- ^ "朝日日本歴史人物事典「本多忠勝」の解説". kotobank. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
Further reading[edit]
- "Tadakatsu Honda". Kuwana-city Tourist guide. Kuwana-City. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
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