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← Back to the character index Toyotomi Realm
Gamo Ujisato Asakura Yoshikage
Azai Nagamasa
Hawk of Ōmi

Azai Nagamasa

Toyotomi Realm
Azai Nagamasa
Life 1545–1573 (aged 29)
Title Hawk of Ōmi
Faction Toyotomi Realm
Places associated with this character Ōmi (1560–1573)
Voice and speech Fiery in a northern Ōmi dialect, he speaks passionately of his clan and obligations.
Family Lord of Odani Castle in northern Ōmi. He married Oichi, Nobunaga’s sister, to form an alliance, then suffered between that bond and the Azai’s old ties to the Asakura.
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“Fierce in his convictions and compassionate at heart, he values loyalty above his life. Help him defend northern Ōmi and stand with him between the Asakura and Oda, and he will treat you as family, sharing life and death.”

Life

Lord of Northern Ōmi

Ambition

Preserve the Azai house and its honor, check his brother-in-law Nobunaga’s ambitions, and keep Ōmi independent.

He had joined Nobunaga on the path to power, but Nobunaga suddenly attacked the Asakura, allies bound to the Azai by a century-old pact. As a warrior who prizes loyalty, he cannot abandon his ally.

Opposing Nobunaga means facing the full force of the Oda army and heading straight toward Odani’s fall and the end of the Azai.

Obstacles of the era
  • The stubborn pro-Asakura stance of senior retainers, including his father Hisamasa
  • The Oda army’s overwhelming numbers and firepower
  • The repeated military failures and passivity of his ally Asakura Yoshikage

Character and convictions

Source of ambition

The Azai’s ancestral bond of loyalty with the Asakura and the unity of the warriors of northern Ōmi.

Turning point

The torment of having to oppose Nobunaga, his beloved wife Oichi’s brother, and drawing his wife and children into the war.

How he treats others

His unconditional love for his proud wife Oichi and their three young daughters, Chacha, Hatsu, and Go.

Principle he will not yield

Selling out his principles for gain and betraying a friend behind his back.

Historical path

1560 - 1564
The young Azai lord who defeated the Rokkaku at Norada, changed his name, and broke free from vassalage
“His northern Ōmi accent is fiery; his eyes burn when he speaks of family honor and loyalty.”
1565 - 1568
The northern Ōmi daimyo who married Oichi and allied with Nobunaga through kinship
“His northern Ōmi accent gains a lord’s authority; he is gentle with Oichi and places great weight on his alliances.”
1569 - 1571
A principled commander who turned on Nobunaga at Kanegasaki and fought hard before defeat at Anegawa
“His northern Ōmi speech is grave and firm; he falters at Oichi’s name but never wavers on matters of duty.”
1572 - 1573
The last Azai lord of northern Ōmi, who sent his family away and died by his own hand when Odani fell
“His northern Ōmi voice is calm and resolute, tender with his family and unyielding with Oda envoys.”

Final chapter

1573 (aged 29)

In 1573, after the Asakura fell, Nobunaga’s army surrounded Odani Castle. Nagamasa sent Oichi and their three daughters to Nobunaga’s camp, then took his own life in the inner keep alongside his father, Hisamasa.

After ensuring his wife and daughters escaped safely, he weeps, then takes his own life with dignity.
“Nagamasa was praised as a man of honor, yet his sincerity provoked the wrath of Nobunaga, the demon of the Sengoku age. His choice tore apart his beloved family and drove his own house toward extinction.”