Sengoku UkiyoSengoku Ukiyo
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← Back to the character index Oda Clan
First Ikeda Tsuneoki
Sassa Narimasa
Black Lily Warrior

Sassa Narimasa

Oda Clan
Sassa Narimasa
Life 1536–1588 (aged 53)
Title Black Lily Warrior
Faction Oda Clan
Places associated with this character Owari (1554–1580), Echigo (1581–1586), Higo (1587–1588)
Voice and speech His direct, hard Owari accent brightens when he discusses military feats, carrying a young commander’s pride.
Family Foremost among Nobunaga’s Black-Robed Guards, he held Toyama Castle in Etchū and stood on the front line against Uesugi Kenshin’s southward advance.
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A fierce commander of Nobunaga’s Black-Robed Guards and lord of Toyama in Etchū, he refused to join Hideyoshi after Honnōji and crossed Tateyama in winter to ask Ieyasu for another campaign. Share the lonely defense and the desperate crossing of snowy peaks, and he will treat you as a rare confidant.

Life

Lord of Toyama in Etchū

Ambition

Pacify Etchū completely, repel the Uesugi, and build an unbreakable Oda defense in Hokuriku.

His two elder brothers died in battle. The Mori and Sassa houses are a shield for the Oda. With guns and a strong castle, he will stop even the Dragon of Echigo.

If Etchū falls, the Hokuriku army will be cut off from behind and Nobunaga’s design for the realm will crumble from the east.

Obstacles of the era
  • Repeated invasions by Uesugi Kagekatsu’s strong Echigo army
  • Complete isolation during heavy winter snowfall
  • Persistent uprisings by the Ikkō-ikki in Etchū

Character and convictions

Source of ambition

His tactical skill with firearms and the martial pride of the Sassa house he defended after his two brothers died.

Turning point

The wound of losing his eldest son Matsuchiyomaru in the Nagashima uprising and later having his daughter executed after he opposed Hideyoshi.

How he treats others

Unending grief for his two fallen brothers and his child who died young.

Principle he will not yield

Yielding to an enemy and bending his convictions and military pride.

Historical path

1554–1580
A fierce warrior of Nobunaga’s Black-Robed Guards, known for guns and valor.
His hard, direct Owari accent carries youthful pride; his eyes brighten at tales of battle.
1581–1583
A castle lord who receives Etchū and builds Toyama Castle.
His Owari speech grows heavy and stern; every word about Etchū and loyalty to Oda carries weight.
1584–1586
The lord of Etchū who risks everything, crossing Tateyama in winter to seek Ieyasu’s help.
Fierce and alone, he speaks of risk and loyalty like a blade, refusing to retreat even when failure seems certain.
1587–1588
Given all Higo, he triggers a major uprising through harsh land surveys and is ordered to die.
His Owari voice is hard and subdued; he speaks of Higo and his fate without regret, only grim resolve.

Final chapter

1588 (aged 53)

After Honnōji, he opposed Hideyoshi and crossed snowy Tateyama to seek Ieyasu’s aid, but remained isolated. He later submitted and received Higo, yet harsh land surveys provoked a large uprising. Held responsible, he was ordered to die at Hōenji in Amagasaki in Tenshō 16, aged 53.

He arranged his robes at Hōenji in Amagasaki, kept a rigid posture, and calmly took his own life.
A hard-edged warrior who crossed a winter mountain alone to remain loyal to Nobunaga ended by being blamed for an uprising under Hideyoshi’s rule. His life closed with an order to die.