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

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

 during the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

 of the 16th century. He initially served the Saitō clan

Saito clan

The was a Japanese clan in Mino Province during the Sengoku period in the 16th century. According to records, the Saitō clan descended from the Fujiwara clan...

 of Mino province

Mino Province

, one of the old provinces of Japan, encompassed part of modern-day Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mino Province bordered Echizen, Hida, Ise, Mikawa, Ōmi, Owari, and Shinano Provinces....

, but later plotted an uprising and took over the Saitō clan's castle at Mount Inaba

Mount Kinka (Gifu)

, also known as Kinkazan, is located in the heart of the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and rises to a height of . Previously called Mt. Inaba , it has long served as the representative symbol of Gifu. It stands along the Nagara River, creating bountiful nature within the city...

. Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

 was so impressed by this tactic that he invited Shigeharu to join his forces as a strategist. Shigeharu made many contributions to Hideyoshi with his exceptional talent in that field.

He died of illness during Hideyoshi's attack against the Mōri in the Chūgoku region of Japan, while Miki Castle was being besieged. Takenaka Shigekado

Takenaka Shigekado

was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period through early Edo Period. The son of Takenaka Hanbei, Shigekado saw his first action at age 12, taking part in the Battle of Komaki in 1585. Following in his father's footsteps and served Toyotomi Hideyoshi, later siding with Tokugawa Ieyasu. In...

, Shigeharu's son and successor, continued to serve Hideyoshi after his father's death. At the Battle of Sekigahara

Battle of Sekigahara

The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...

, he fought on the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu

 was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...

, and his holdings at Bodaisan were secured. The Takenaka family thus became a family of hatamoto

Hatamoto

A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...

, and would soon move from their old castle of Bodaisan to the new Iwate Castle. The holdings of the Takenaka included Sekigahara Village

Sekigahara, Gifu

is a town located in Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.As of July 2011, the town has an estimated population of 7,965. The total area is 49.29 km².In 1600, the Battle of Sekigahara took place here.-History:...

.

In the mid-19th century, Shigeharu's descendant Takenaka Shigekata

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 ....

 served as commander of the Tokugawa forces in Fushimi at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi

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 , when the forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and the allied forces of Chōshū, Satsuma and Tosa domains clashed near Fushimi...

.

Appearances in popular culture

See People of the Sengoku period in popular culture.

External links

• Information on Iwate Castle (in Japanese)
• Information on Bodaisan Castle (in Japanese)
• Woodblock print
• Photo of Shigeharu's Grave