Samurai warriors

    Katō Kiyomasa 加藤 清正 was one of the strong Samurai well-known to be good at handling spears and building castles. He was a very tall man (around 190cm) in those days when the height of ordinary men was around 160cm. He was reared by Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣 秀吉, and he became such a distinguished Daimyo from a pageboy that even Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川 家康 acknowledged his prowess. Samurai traditionally have several names. (learn more) They change their name to fit different situations and life stages. This was normal within the Samurai rank. The transition of his names are as follows. 夜叉丸→加藤 虎之助 清正→加藤 主計頭 平 朝臣 清正→加藤 肥後守 … Continued

    Saika Magoichi 雑賀 孫一 or Suzuki Magoichi 鈴木 孫一 was a mysterious Samurai leader of gun mercenaries in Sengoku period who fought with Oda Nobunaga 織田 信長 in the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War, supported Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣 秀吉 as a firearms adviser and served Tokugawa-Mito domain in Edo period(1603-1868). Magoichi was not an individual name but the traditional name which the successive heads of the Saika-Suzuki family 雑賀党鈴木氏 adopted. The main leaders who named Saika Magoichi or Suzuki Magoichi are as following 4 men.   鈴木 孫一 重意鈴木 孫一 重兼鈴木 孫一 重秀鈴木 孫一 重朝           1.  鈴木 孫一 重意     Saika-Suzuki family is one of … Continued

Akechi Mitsuhide 明智 光秀 is a famous Samurai in Sengoku period who killed his lord Oda Nobunaga 織田 信長 and was killed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣 秀吉. He excelled at literary and military arts and was a renowned lord of Fukuchiyama region (even nowadays a Shinto festival for Mitsuhide by Goryo shrine; 御霊神社). But he had a bad reputation generally in long history because he earned his place as a disloyal and immoral vassal to make a surprise attack to his lord. Samurai traditionally have several names. (learn more) They change their name to fit different situations and life stages. This was normal within the Samurai rank. The transition of … Continued

  Maeda Keiji is one of the famous samurai for his eccentric behaviors and outlandish style, so-called “Kabukimono 傾奇者”, in the Sengoku period. He was skilled in not only the use of arms but also the culture like the poem and the tea ceremony. He had plenty of anecdotes for his easy-going character. Then the most powerful lords like Toyotomi hideyoshi 豊臣 秀吉, Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川 家康 and Maeda Toshiie 前田 利家 deeply recognized his skills and personality. Samurai traditionally have several names. (learn more) They change their name to fit different situations and life stages. This was normal within the Samurai rank. The transition of his names are as … Continued

  Samurai traditionally have several names. (learn more) They change their name to fit different situations and life stages. This was normal within the Samurai rank.   Mori Ranmaru 森 蘭丸 was one of the famous samurai page who served Oda Nobunaga 織田 信長 and died young. Ranmaru and his younger two brothers named Rikimaru 力丸 and Bōmaru 坊丸, perished defending Nobunaga against Akechi Mitsuhide 明智 光秀 during the Honnō-ji Incident.   The transition of his names are as follows. 乱、乱丸、乱法師→森乱成利→森蘭丸長定→森蘭丸長康     ⒈　乱、乱丸、乱法師     Ranmaru was born in 1565 as the third boy of Mori Yoshinari 森 可成. He had several childhood name, Ran 乱, Ranmaru 乱丸 and … Continued

  Samurai traditionally have several names. (learn more) They change their name to fit different situations and life stages. This was normal within the Samurai rank.   Takeda Shingen 武田 信玄 was one of the most powerful samurai of the Sengoku period who fought with Oda Nobunaga 織田 信長 and Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康. While chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield, Shingen is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries and trade; his rule saw a marked rise in the standard of living of Kai Province. Shingen is famed for his honorable conduct, his military expertise, a long-standing rivalry with Uesugi Kenshin … Continued

    Samurai traditionally have several names. (learn more) They change their name to fit different situations and life stages. This was normal within the Samurai rank.   Uesugi Kenshin 上杉 謙信 was one of the most powerful samurai of the Sengoku period who fought with Oda Nobunaga 織田信長. While chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries and trade; his rule saw a marked rise in the standard of living of Echigo. Kenshin is famed for his honourable conduct, his military expertise, a long-standing rivalry with Takeda Shingen 武田 信玄, his numerous campaigns … Continued

   Samurai traditionally have several names. (learn more) They change their name to fit different situations and life stages. This was normal within the Samurai rank.   Date Masamune 伊達 政宗 was a regional strongman of Sengoku period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai 仙台. An outstanding tactician, he was made all the more iconic for his missing eye, and Date was often called Dokuganryū 独眼竜, or the “one-eyed dragon”. Even Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣 秀吉 was afraid of his military braveness. The transition of his famous names are as follows. … Continued