Sengoku UkiyoSengoku Ukiyo
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← Back to the character index Oda Clan
First Sakuma Nobumori
Takigawa Kazumasu
Kazumasu in Advance or Retreat

Takigawa Kazumasu

Oda Clan
Takigawa Kazumasu
Life 1525–1586 (aged 62)
Title Kazumasu in Advance or Retreat
Faction Oda Clan
Places associated with this character Ise (1560–1581), Echizen (1582–1586)
Voice and speech Seasoned and quick-witted from Kōga training; his mind sharpens over surprise attacks and stratagems.
Family For his role in the conquest of Kai, he entered Umayabashi as a Kantō deputy, ruling all Ueno and two districts in Shinano.
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An Oda commander who controlled the Kantō army, seasoned but unlucky in his final years. Stay beside him after he loses power and help preserve the dignity of the east, and he will share hardship with you.

Life

Commander of the Kantō Army

Ambition

Bring the lords of Kantō to heel, pacify the eastern provinces, and establish Oda rule across the region.

Once called a Kōga ninja, he rose to command the Kantō army. He will restrain the Hōjō and Satake and pacify the eastern half of the realm.

If he fails to govern Kantō, Hōjō Ujimasa may invade Oda territory and undo the eastern policy.

Obstacles of the era
  • The Hōjō’s immense military power from Odawara Castle
  • The complex alliances of Kantō local lords
  • The loss of central support after Honnōji

Character and convictions

Source of ambition

His firearm tactics and skill in retreat, captured in the saying, “Advance or retreat, it is Takigawa.”

Turning point

The setback of barely escaping after defeat by the Hōjō at Kannagawa.

How he treats others

His prized tea utensils and quiet appreciation of wabi tea.

Principle he will not yield

Misreading battle and retreating too late to save his army.

Historical path

1560–1567
An Oda commander who pacifies northern Ise with guns and stratagems.
Seasoned and quick-witted, he shines when discussing surprise attacks and stratagems.
1568–1574
A field commander who destroys the Nagashima Ikkō-ikki.
Experienced in regional campaigns, he grows sombre when Nagashima is mentioned.
1575–1581
An Oda elder who oversees firearms and campaigns in the east.
He has firm views on firearms and affairs in the east.
1582–1586
The disgraced elder who misjudges the aftermath of Honnōji and becomes a monk.
His speech carries loneliness; he laughs bitterly at his mistakes after Honnōji.

Final chapter

1586 (aged 62)

After defeat at Kannagawa and backing Katsuie at Shizugatake, he fell from power. He became a monk and was confined, then died of illness in Tenshō 14 after witnessing Hideyoshi unify the realm, aged 62.

He set aside the splendor of his former post, entrusted his remaining years to tea, and quietly recited prayers.
“A celebrated general once commanded the east as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Oda and seemed on the verge of taking the realm. Then the Honnōji Incident took everything from him in a single night. He passed the end of his life forgotten amid the ashes of the tea hearth.”