Asahina Masashige (朝比奈正成)
Masashige ASAHINA (year of birth and death unknown) was a ninja. It is unknown whether he belonged to the Iga-ryu school or the Koga-ryu school. Masashige was put in the Osaka-jo Castle as kanja (spy) by Katsushige ITAKURA, the provincial military governor of Kyoto (later Shoshidai [the representative of Samurai-dokoro in Kyoto]). His common name was Hyoemon.
Activities
Asahina belonged to Nagazane ITO in Osaka-jo Castle and secretly informed Itakura of how the various things were discussed by people in the castle. Ito was also a spy and he secretly informed Ieyasu about the raising of an army planned by Mitsunari ISHIDA prior to the Battle of Sekigahara. He belonged to Higuchi, the Provincial Governor of the Awaji Province, when the Siege of Osaka occurred in 1615 and he informed everything to Itakura. He put his heart and soul into the activities of kanja (spy) in both the Winter Campaign and the Summer Campaign of the Siege of Osaka.