Honda tadakatsu: The Indestructible Samurai

While studying paintings depicting Japan’s most famous battles in the 16th century, you start to notice an interesting thing. Many of them seemed to feature warriors, who threw themselves into the struggle, showing fierce determination on their faces. Who is this terrible person? Anthropomorphism of death? Maybe it’s the Japanese devil? This is actually a guy named Honda tadakatsu.

He is an experienced veteran who reportedly was not injured. He may not be a devil, but all signs indicate that he has a deal with one person.

Portrait of Honda Tadakatsu, Chiba Prefecture Central Museum Collection (c. 17th century)

Tokugawa Ieyasu’s riding or death

Honda tadakatsu was born in Yonegawa Province in modern Aichi Prefecture, and was given to a clan serving matte, which was surrounded by more powerful enemies and lacked military power or reputation. However, tadakatsu doesn’t care about such things.

He decided to be loyal to the young head of the family, Matsudaira Motoyasu, for his life. It turned out to be a good decision, as Motoyasu later became Japan’s third great unity, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who ended the warring state period and established a military government that would rule the country for more than 250 years.

Without the help of Tadakatsu, Ieyasu The preferred Buddhist school Begin to oppose and fight against his Lord. His loyalty, however, is not the reason historians named him one of the four kings of heaven in tokugawa. This is because of his skills on the battlefield.

Images of Negasino folding screen battle (18th century), Honda tadakatsu highlighted in the lower left

A respected warrior and skilled administrator

Tadakatsu allegedly participated in his first battle at the age of 13 and killed his first man when he was 14. The legend says his uncle is willing to let him behead a man he just was killed, but Tadakasu is not interested in second-hand glory, so he accuses the enemy and returns with his head.

Oyasu noticed his talent and continued to transfer him from a soldier to a vanguard commander to the head of the cavalry unit, and ultimately the general. Tadakatsu surpassed this character. In the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, he fought a one-on-one duel with the giant figures of Magara Naotaka, who waved the same huge showdown. adventure sword.

Three years later, Tadakatsu protected Ieyasu from the army of legendary warrior Takeda Shingen (especially a unit led by Naito Masatoyo), who lost their lives in the Battle of Mika Tagahara. It is said that this is also because Ieyasu does not pay the bill and Stained his bra During escape.

Tadakatsu will avenge the battle of Negasino in 1575, where he ordered Musketeer This helped weaken Takeda’s troops and captured the first enemy general of the present day: Masatoyo. Because tadakatsu won’t forgive or forget.

Of course, he was also there in the famous Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which was a decisive victory for Ieyasu, which effectively secured his dominance over Japan. During the conflict, Tadakatsu stood out with his strategy and battlefield courage. He was subsequently appointed as the King of Castle of Kuwana.

Tadakatsu turned out to be a skilled administrator, as skilled as he was a warrior, developing the area around the castle through public works and creating a prosperous back town. He retired in 1609 and died peacefully the following year.

Fashionable samurai

In the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (the main competitor of Ieyasu at the time) had a chance to attack, almost certainly killing Tadakatsu, but ordered his troops to leave him because he thought it would be a waste to put a crazily Sumiri in Japan.

Even Oda Nobunaga, The Demon King himselfhas a lot of respect for him. This is mainly due to his skills on the battlefield, although his unique costumes also did not damage his reputation.

Tadakatsu has a few different battle banners, including a Shoki depicting the powerful guardian of the devil Queller. He also waved Tonbogiri (Dragonfly) spearconsidered one of the three large spears in Japan, is said to have been sharp enough to cut dragonflies into two if it landed on it.

Another weapon of his is Nakatsukasa Sword of Masamune, the greatest swordsman in Japanese history. Tadakatsu’s beating was also rarely missing, which was a large Buddhist rosary that he often slid along his shoulders during battles. But his most unique feature is his helmet with a huge crown of horns on it.

Deer is a powerful symbol in Japanese mythology. It is said that they are the messengers of Amaterasu, who is the goddess of the sun and can be said to be the most important god in the temple of Shinto. And because the deer sheds and regenerates the horns, the antlers are sometimes considered a symbol of death and rebirth.

Tadakatsu is usually associated with the former. But it is a kind of honor for a fighter to kill. Honestly, all his victims on the battlefield would probably thank him without their heads cutting them off.

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