Sassa Narimasa

File:Sassa Narimasa's Tonsure Monument.jpg

Sassa Narimasa was born to Sassa Morimasa in what is now Nishi-ku, Nagoya (situated in contemporary Aichi District, Owari Province). He became a retainer of Oda Nobunaga in 1550. Narimasa was a military commander under Nobunaga, and the leader of Oda's {{Nihongo|Kurohoro-shū|黒母衣衆|{{lit|Black Mantle group|lk=yes}}}}, a Military group with a black Horo (cloak) on their backs.{{cite web| url = https://otonanswer.jp/post/65375/|title =織田信長（下）唯我独尊が招いた相次いだ謀反… 久秀、村重、そして光秀| last = Owada| first = Tetsuo| author-link =Tetsuo Owada| date = 14 June 2020 | orig-date = | editor-last = | editor-first = | website = Otonanswer| publisher = Media Vague| language = ja| trans-title = Nobunaga Oda (Part 2): A Series of Rebellions Caused by Self-Respect... Hisahide, Murashige, and Mitsuhide| access-date = 7 August 2023}}{{cite news| url = https://otonanswer.jp/post/75410/|title =前田利家 武勇と仁愛を兼備、秀吉を支えた「槍の又左」| last = Owada| first = Tetsuo| author-link =Tetsuo Owada| date = 25 October 2020 | orig-date = | editor-last = | editor-first = | newspaper = オトナンサー | マネー、医療、エンタメ、マナー、食など「暮らし」の各カテゴリーについて、オトナンサーは、時事的な話題の解説や、知っていると役立つトリビアの紹介、大人が知っておくべき基礎知識などのコンテンツを提供します。| publisher = Media Vague| language = ja| trans-title = Maeda Toshiie - The "Mataza of the Spear" Who Supported Hideyoshi with His Combination of Bravery and Humanity| access-date = 7 August 2023}}

In 1560, after his brothers were killed in battle, Narimasa took over the family estate and became the lord of the Hirajo Castle.

File:Sassa Narimasa2.jpg 1867]]

Narimasa served Nobunaga throughout the latter's career. He was noted for his ability to lead matchlock forces, a position he regularly held.

In 1567, he fought in the Siege of Inabayama Castle against Saito Tatsuoki from the Saitō clan.

In 1570, Narimasa participated in the Siege of Kanegasaki, leading a few armed forces of horse guards, and worked to support Hashiba Hideyoshi using a firearms troop.

Later, he fought the Azai and Asakura clans in the Battle of Anegawa, where he was in the rear guard.

In 1575, Narimasa fought at the Battle of Nagashino against Takeda Katsuyori from Takeda clan. Later, he was given Komaru Castle in Echizen, where he had recently helped put down rioting Ikkō-ikki, and became a member of Echizen Sanninshu (Echizen Triumvir).

In 1577, he participated in the Battle of Tedorigawa against Uesugi Kenshin from the Uesugi clan.

In 1580, he was involved in stabilizing the Etchu Province, against an uprising of Ikko sect followers who supported Jimbo Nagazumi.

In 1581, he defended Toyama Castle against Kawada Nagayori in the Battle of Arakawa.

In 1582, he and Shibata Katsuie successfully laid siege to Uozu against Uesugi Kagekatsu from the Uesugi clan.{{cite book|last1=Turnbull|first1=Stephen|title=The Samurai Sourcebook|date=2000|publisher=Cassell & C0|location=London|isbn=1854095234|pages=228, 230–231}} He was granted Etchū Province as a reward for helping Shibata Katsuie fight the Uesugi clan.

In 1582, after Oda Nobunaga's death at Honnō-ji, at the Kiyosu meeting, Narimasa took the side of Shibata, but he could not participate in the battle of Shizugatake in 1583, since he could not leave Etchu where he was preparing for the attack of the Uesugi army at Matsukura Castle (Toyama Prefecture). After the death of Katsuie, Narimasa joined Tokugawa Ieyasu.

In 1584, during the battle of Komaki Nagakute, he and the Tokugawa alliance unsuccessfully challenged the Toyotomi force under Maeda Toshiie at the Siege of Suemori.

In 1585, he was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at Siege of Toyama, and later Narimasa submitted to Hideyoshi and his life was spared.

In 1587, after the Hideyoshi Kyushu Campaign, he was given a fief in Higo Province in Kyushu.{{Cite book |last=Berry |first=Mary Elizabeth |title=Hideyoshi |publisher=Harvard Univ Asia Center |year=1989 |isbn=0-674-39026-1 |pages=267 |language=en}}

File:Kawajiri Hidetaka (1527-1582) Battle Standard; Sassa Narimasa (1536-1588) Battle Standard.jpg

In 1588, however, due to difficulties in suppressing a Higo Province local revolt, he committed suicide (seppuku) by Hideyoshi's instruction. The insurrection stemmed from survey of his province, which resulted in a change in the distance in which farmers transported their tax rice from 3 ri to 8 ri.{{Cite book |last=Takekoshi |first=Yosaburo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=euHeCwAAQBAJ&dq=Sassa+Narimasa&pg=PT415 |title=The Economic Aspects of the History of the Civilization of Japan |date=2016-04-01 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-52380-9 |language=en}}

Later, after Higo Province was confiscated from Sassa Narimasa, land in Higo (roughly half of the province) and Kumamoto Castle was granted to Kato Kiyomasa.

• Father: Sassa Morimasa
• Siblings:
• Sassa Magosuke (distinguished as one of the Seven Spears of Azukizaka. Died in Battle of Inabugahara against Oda Nobuyuki; 1556)
• Sassa "Hayato no Kami" Masatsugu (distinguished as one of the Seven Spears of Azukizaka. Died in battle of Okehazama; 1560)
• Wife:
• Haruhime
• Jiko-in
• Concubine:
• Sayuri
• Children:
• Matsuchiyomaru (died in third siege of Nagashima in 1574).
• Zuizen-in, wife of Narimasa's vassal, Matsubara Gorobe.
• Teruko (d. 1630), married kuge Takatsukasa Nobufusa and they had a son, Nobuhisa and a daughter, Takako.[http://nekhet.ddo.jp/people/japan/fstakatukasa.html#morohirast 鷹司家（摂家）] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927231943/http://nekhet.ddo.jp/people/japan/fstakatukasa.html |date=2007-09-27 }}[http://japanworld.info/blog/sassa-narimasa/ japan world]
• Mitsuhide-in, wife of Nobunaga's seventh son, Oda Nobutaka (Oda Nobutaka by Kyōun'in, later Toyotomi Takajuro (1576–1602) adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi)
• Shoju-in, wife of Narimasa's vassal, Jinbo Ujioki.

{{Reflist}}

• Battle of Nagashino{{cite book|last1=Turnbull|first1=Stephen|title=The Samurai|date=1977|publisher=Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.|location=New York|isbn=9780026205405|pages=156–160}}

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Category:1536 births

Category:1588 deaths

Category:Daimyo

Category:Samurai

Category:Suicides by seppuku

Category:Oda retainers

Category:16th-century suicides

Category:People of Azuchi–Momoyama-period Japan

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