Suzuki Tadashige (鈴木忠重)
Tadashige SUZUKI (1574 - 1658) was a chief retainer of Matsushiro Domain. He was the son of the lord of Nagurumi-jo Castle, Shigenori SUZUKI, who became the vassal of Masayuki SANADA. He was commonly called Ukon. His childhood name was Kotaro.
When the Nagurumi Incident occurred and he was deprived of Nagurumi-jo Castle in Kozuke Province by the lord of Numata-jo Castle, Kuninori INOMATA, who was the vassal of the Hojo clan, he was detained with his mother by the Gohojo clan. After he was released from the castle, he was placed in the custody of Masayuki SANADA and became Masayuki's vassal.
When he ran away at the age of 19, he met Muneaki YAGYU and became his pupil. It is also said that he learned swordplay under Muneyoshi YAGYU at Yagyu no sho (estate).
After 7-year rove, he returned once, however, he ran away again around the Battle of Sekigahara. The detailed reason is not known.
More than 10 years later since then, he returned to the Sanada clan, and served as rusuiyaku (a person representing the master during his absence) at the Sanada family's Fushimi residence in Kyoto. After the death of Masayuki, he served the lord of Numata-jo Castle, Nobuyuki SANADA, as a retainer, and after the Sanada clan was transferred to Matsushiro (Shinano Province) to change its territory, he became one of the senior vassals. It is said that when his lord, Nobuyuki, went to Edo to perform the duty of Sankinkotai (a system under which feudal lords in the Edo period were required to spend every other year in residence in Edo), Tadashige stayed at Matsushiro-jo Castle to take charge of the domain administration.
After Nobuyuki died of illness, he followed suit. He was 84 years old.
As before and after his abscondences and returns there were big battles (Battle of Sekigahara and The Siege of Osaka), there is a theory that he was an intelligence agent of the Sanada clan, however, this there is no documented evidence that could support this theory.