Saito Nobuyoshi (斎藤信吉)
Nobuyoshi SAITO (1559 - February 26, 1610) was a busho (Japanese military commander) who lived in the Sengoku period (period of warring states). Nobuyoshi's common name was Kyuemon no jo. Toshinobu. Nobuyoshi was a younger brother of Nobutoshi SAITO who was the Lord of Jono-jo Castle in Ecchu Province. Nobuyoshi was the second son of Toshimoto SAITO. Nobuyoshi's mother was a lady of the Jinbo clan.
"Kansei Choshu Shokafu" (a collection of family trees and brief personal histories of the shogunate officials such as daimyo and hatamoto [bannermen], which was compiled by the shogunate during the Kansei era) indicates that young Nobuyoshi and his older brother Nobutoshi served Nobunaga ODA, for whom they managed to offer meritorious services in the battle against Nagamasa ASAI, but it is more likely that they served Nobunaga after Kenshin UESUGI's death and when the Oda's army thereby invaded Ecchu Province. At the Battle of Tsukiokano, Ecchu Province, taking place on November 3, 1578, the Oda's army defeated the Uesugi's army, where Nobuyoshi distinguished himself by capturing Imaizumi-jo Castle which was the Uesugi's foothold in Ecchu Province. Nobuyoshi's real name is made up of two characters "信" (nobu) and "吉" (yoshi), the former of which was given by Nobunaga ("信長" in Japanese) ODA due to the tradition of 'henki' (granting subordinates the use of a character from the superior's real name to reward them). When the Incident at Honno-ji Temple ('Honnoji no hen' in Japanese) occurred, the Saito clan took advantage of the opportunity and changed sides and supported the Uesugi, thereby being ruined by Narimasa SASSA later.
Thereafter, the Saito brothers served the Tokugawa clan, and Nobuyoshi worked for Hidetada TOKUGAWA with a stipend of 400 koku in Kazusa Province. In 1600, during the Battle of Sekigahara Nobuyoshi joined Hidetada's army and fought well in the Battle of Ueda-jo Castle in Shinshu district, so that he distinguished himself as one of the Ueda Shichihon-yari (literally, the seven spears of Ueda). Nobuyoshi, however, was condemned for having disobeyed a military command and was thereby being placed under house arrest at Agatsuma in Kozuke Province, and when he was pardoned, he was promoted to one of the oban kumigashira (captains of the great guards), before his death on February 26, 1610, in Fushimi, Yamashiro Province. Nobuyoshi died at the age of 52. Nobuyoshi's homyo (posthumous Buddhist name) was Soin. Nobuyoshi's line survived as a hatamoto.