Naruse Masayoshi (成瀬正義)
Masayoshi NARUSE was a busho (Japanese military commander) who lived in the Sengoku period (period of Warring States). He was a retainer of Ieyasu TOKUGAWA.
Biography
He was born as the first son of Masayori NARUSE, and took over as head of the family to be the castellan of Kido-jo and Mutsuna-jo Castles. He was a retainer of Ieyasu TOKUGAWA, concurrently appointed as tsukaiban (a person responsible for order and patrol in the battlefield) and Hata bugyo (in charge of taking care of flags), and fought in major battles for Ieyasu. In 1562, he put his colleague to the sword and ran away, but after Mikawa Ikko Ikki (an uprising of Ikko sect followers in Mikawa Province) broke out, he was allowed to return to the service and helped suppressing the uprising. In 1568, when Nobunaga ODA went to the capital (Kyoto), he joined the battle as a commander of reinforcement of the Oda clan, and rendered distinguished military service in the attack on Mitsukuri-jo Castle of the Rokkaku clan. In 1570, he fought in the Battle of Anegawa and distinguished himself in the battle.
On February 4, 1573 during the Battle of Mikatagahara, he guarded the headquarters of Ieyasu's army as a member of Hata bugyo and aggressively fought against the army of Shingen TAKEDA. But to prevent the troop of Nobuharu BABA, who was a busho of the Takeda clan, from penetrating his allies, he left future affairs in the hands of his younger brother Masakazu NARUSE (busho in the Sengoku period), and sacrificed himself for Ieyasu and died in the battle. Masakazu took over as head of the Naruse clan.
On the eve of the Battle of Mikatagahara, when Tadahiro TORII scouted the field, he found a large force of Takeda and insisted on holding the castle. Hearing this, Masayoshi called Tadahiro a chicken and they conflicted but made it up. The episode is known as the story of 'Yumizu no Gyozui' (literally meaning to take a quick bath). The place of Masayoshi's death in battle is still called Naruse-dani Valley.
Different opinion
One legend has it that Masayoshi didn't die in the Battle of Mikatagahara and lived to enter into priesthood with his son and prayed for the repose of souls of those who died in the battle.