Kishizawa Yoichi was a retainer of the Azai clan, as well as a talented swordsman. However, his reputation was marred at the Battle of Maibara

Battle of Maibara

The Battle of Maibara was an engagement during the Sengoku Period of Japan. Kizawa Nagamasa defeated the forces of Rokkaku Yoshikata using ninja to launch fire attacks and sneaky assaults.- Battle :...

 when he killed general Imai Sadakiyo

Imai Sadakiyo

was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who served the Azai clan.Sadakiyo, also known as Imai Kenroku, served under Kizawa Nagamasa at the Battle of Maibara. He blundered when he marched in front of Isono Tamba-no-kami at dawn, who thought he was the enemy. Swordsman Kishizawa Yoichi jumped...

 with a spear, thinking that he was the enemy commander. However, Sadakiyo's column marched out in front of his regiment, precipitating the idea that they were an enemy attack at dawn.

In 1573, he served at the Battle of Anegawa

Battle of Anegawa

The 1570 came as a reaction to Oda Nobunaga's sieges of the castles of Odani and Yokoyama, which belonged to the Azai and Asakura clans. It was also referred to as the Battle of Nomura by the Oda and Azai clans and the Battle of Mitamura by the Asakura clan.As warriors sallied forth from the...

 under Azai Nagamasa

Azai Nagamasa

was a Daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japan. His clan, the Azai, were located in northern Ōmi Province, east of Lake Biwa. He was both the brother-in-law of Oda Nobunaga, starting in 1564, and one of Nobunaga's enemies from 1570-1573. Nagamasa and his clan were utterly destroyed by Oda...

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