 | |
| Sakai Tadatsugu | |
| Born: | 1527 |
|---|---|
| Place of Birth: | Unkown |
| Died: | 1596 |
| Cause of Death: | Unkown |
| Place of Death: | Kyoto |
| Style name: | 酒井忠次 |
| Served: | Matsudaira Sakai Imagawa Tokugawa |
| Participation(s): | Battle of Anegawa Battle of Mikatagahara Siege of Yoshida Castle Battle of Nagashino Siege of Takatenjin (1581) Battle of Komaki and Nagakute |
Sakai Tadatsugu (酒井忠次) was a retainer of the Tokugawa clan. Tadatsugu was one of the Four Kings of Tokugawa.
Biography[]
Sakai Tadatsugu stood among the most esteemed retainers in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu. A loyal and valorous samurai, he distinguished himself on the field of battle, notably at the Battle of Anegawa in 1570 amongst others.[1]
In 1572, at the Battle of Mikatagahara, Sakai Tadatsugu is famed for raising the morale of the retreating Tokugawa forces. This was done by Tadatsugu banging war drums inside a tower near Hamamatsu's gate. This was done as a phycological tactic in which turned successful.[2]
In the year 1575, Sakai Tadatsugu already entrusted with the castle of Yoshida, successfully defended the castle against the forces of Takeda Katsuyori. [3] During the Battle of Nagashino, Tadatsugu was entrusted with command of the Eastern Mikawa forces, playing a critical role in the Tokugawa-Oda victory against the Takeda.[4]
In 1581, during the second Siege of Takatenjin, Sakai Tadatsugu distinguished himself by taking forty-two enemy heads from the Takeda forces.[5]
In 1584, during the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, Sakai Tadatsugu was deployed by Tokugawa Ieyasu to intercept the forces of Mori Nagayoshi.[6] Acting on Ieyasu’s behalf, Sakai had been monitoring Mori’s movements and requested permission to initiate an attack. Upon receiving approval, he was joined at Komaki by Matsudaira Ietada and Okudaira Nobumasa, from where they launched a dawn assault on Mori Nagayoshi’s headquarters at Hachimanbayashi. Okudaira followed intense arquebus fire with a determined charge, while Sakai executed an encircling maneuver against Mori’s rear.[7] The rear attack forced Mori Nagayoshi to withdraw, resulting in approximately 300 casualties.[8]
Sakai Tadatsugu later commanded the strategically important Yoshida Castle (modern-day Toyohashi) and defeated Ikeda Nobuteru during the Battle of Nagakute.[9]
Sources[]
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 75
- ↑ War in Japan by Stephen Turnbull. p. 47
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, pg. 225
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 75
- ↑ The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga, Brill's Japanese Studies Library, Volume 36, Gyūichi Ōta; Editors/Translators: Jurgis S.A. Elisonas and Jeroen P. Lamers, p. 396
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 235
- ↑ Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Stephen Turnbull, p. 38
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 235
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 75