Fujikake Nagakatsu (藤掛永勝)
Nagakatsu FUJIKAKE (1557 - July 7, 1617) was a busho (Japanese military commander) who lived during the Azuchi Momoyama period and the early Edo period. He was a member of the Oda clan.
Biography
Nagakatsu FUJIKAKE was born in 1557 as the son of Nagatsugu ODA.
After Nagatsugu's death in 1558, Nagakatsu was raised by his maternal grandfather, Zenemon FUJIKAKE, and named himself 'Fujikake.'
He began to serve Nobunaga ODA around 1567. Upon the establishment of a bond between the Oda clan and the Azai clan through marriage, Nagakatsu accompanied Oichi no Kata (Lady Oichi), the sister of Nobunaga ODA, to the Azai clan for which he came to serve. When Odani-jo Castle fell, he saved Lady Oichi and Yodo-dono (Lady Yodo) and brought them to the Oda clan, with which they were reunited. In 1579, when Otsugi (Hidekatsu HASHIBA), the fourth son of Nobunaga, was adopted by Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI, Nagakatsu served as an aide to Otsugi by the order of Nobunaga.
After Nobunaga's death, when Hidekatsu was appointed lord of Tanba Province, Nagakatsu was given 6,000 koku (fief) in the village of Ogumo, Hikami County in Tanaba Province. As an aide to Hidekatsu, he also fought the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute. After Hidekatsu died from illness in 1585, Nagakatsu became a vassal of Hideyoshi and built Yatsuai-jo Castle in the fiefdom of Kanbayashi in Tanba Province, where he was given 13,000 koku. He later contributed to the conquest and siege of Odawara and the invasions of Korea. It was particularly during the Bunroku Campaign (part of invasions of Korea) that he went to Korea and performed distinguished military service during the attacks on Jinju Castle.
In the Battle of Sekigahara, he joined the West Camp. After guarding the Korai-bashi Bridge of Osaka-jo Castle, he embarked on the siege of Tanabe-jo Castle in Tango Province (The Battle of Tanabe-jo Castle). Because of his involvement in the West Camp, it is said that his fief in Kanbayashi, Ikaruga County, Tanba Province was reduced to 6,000 koku after the Battle of Sekigahara, or that his fiefs were first confiscated before the 6,000 koku fief in Kanbayashi was subsequently returned to him. Nagakatsu passed away in Kyoto on July 7, 1617. He died at the age of 61.
His son Nagashige FUJIKAKE succeeded him as head of the clan. Throughout the Edo period, the Fujikake clan maintained its status as a taishin hatamoto (greater vassal) (4,000 koku), whose jinya (headquarters) was located in the Yatsuai district in Kanbayashi (currently: Yatsuai-machi, Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture).