Ouchi Sadatsuna (大内定綱)
Sadatsuna OUCHI (1545 - 1610) was a warlord of the Sengoku Period (Period of Warring States). His pseudonyms (common names) are Tarozaemon and Kageyuzaemon. His special title was Governor of Bizen Province. His Buddhist name was Renyasai. His father was Yoshitsuna OUCHI. Chikatsuna KATAHIRA was his younger brother. Among his children was Shigetsuna OUCHI. He was the castellan of the Obama-jo Castle, Adachi District, Mutsu Province. Later he became a vassal of the Date clan. His original surname was Tatara.
Biography
During the reign of his father, Yoshitsuna, Ouchi clan complied with the demand of the Tamura clan and banished their lord, Hisayoshi ISHIBASHI; and Yoshitsuna became the feudal lord of Shionomatsu (eastern part of Adachi District) and belonged under the command of the Tamura clan; however, Sadatsuna, who took over as head of the family, gradually planned to gain independence due to his frustration about decisions made over conflicts between vassals of the Tamura and Ouchi clans.
When Terumune DATE attacked Kosai-jo Castle in 1582, Sadatsuna OUCHI called on Terumune to come under his leadership in his territory. Also around the same time, Sadatsuna had his daughter marry Yoshitsuna NIHONMATSU, the son of Yoshitsugu HATAKEYAMA, the castellan of the Nihonmatsu-jo Castle, to consolidate a foothold. In 1583 he attacked Mitsumasa ISHIKAWA, the castellan of the Domeki-jo Castle in Tamura territory (he banished Hisayoshi in conspiracy with the old retainer of the Ishibashi clan and Yoshitsuna), defeated Kiyoaki TAMURA with the support of Moritaka ASHINA, who was an enemy of the Tamura clan, and succeeded in gaining independence. However, after Masamune DATE, the son of Terumune (his lawful wife was Princess Ai, the daughter of Kiyoaki TAMURA) took over as head of the family in 1584, Masamune sided with the Tamura clan and attacked Sadatsuna, one of such attacks being a clean sweep of opponents in Odemori-jo Castle; thus Sadatsuna abandoned Obama-jo Castle and escaped to Nihonmatsu (a town in Adachi District), and then relied upon the Ashina clan of Aizu Province. During the Battle of Koriyama in 1588, he captured the Nawashiroda-jo Castle as a Japanese military commander of the Ashina clan, but retuned to the Date clan with his younger brother, Chikatsuna KATAHIRA, at the invitation of Shigezane DATE.
He subsequently served with distinction in the Battle of Suriagehara, Kasai-Osaki Ikki Uprisings, and the Bunroku-Keicho War. When Masamune's territory changed to Iwadeyama-jo Castle in 1591, Sadatsuna was granted a territory of over 20 settlements (approx. 10,000 koku) in Isawa-gun, and became the castellan of the Maesawa-jo Castle. In the Battle of Sekigahara, he minded Date's residence in Kyoto in Date's absence. As a result of these achievements, the clan was granted a title during the reign of the son, Shigetsuna.
Sadatsuna was famous for being skilled at battle and stratagem, and is also said to have been an excellent spearman with a cross headed spear.