Honda Tadakatsu

Introduction

Honda Tadakatsu is consistently named in the debate over the most powerful military commander in the Warring States period. Yet, numerous accounts of his bravery are sometimes hard to believe. Such as that he was never injured in 57 battles or stopped a horse from running by holding its nose with one hand.

The spear that Honda Tadakatsu used throughout his life was the “Dragonfly Cutter,” one of Japan’s three most famous spears. His favorite sword was the “Nakamitsu Masamune.” He was always dressed in black thread-threaded armor. His helmet was a “deer horn Wakidate helmet.” The future great ruler of Japan, Nobunaga Oda, praised him as “a military commander with both flower and fruit.” In addition, Hideyoshi Toyotomi called him “Japan’s No. 1, the most daring warrior of all time and unrivalled in Japan.

Honda Tadakatsu has often been highlighted for his battlefield activities. At the same time, he represented the Sengoku and early Edo periods as the Lord of the Kuwana domain in Ise Province, located in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture. He is also renowned as a great ruler who developed the whole region.

In this article, we will introduce Honda Tadakatsu.

Honda Tadakatsu’s Birth and First Battle

It is said that Honda Tadakatsu was born on February 8, 1548, in Nishikuramae Castle, which was located in what is now Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. His father, Honda Tadataka, was a long-time servant of the Matsudaira clan (later the Tokugawa). He was also a military commander who distinguished himself mainly in battles against Oda Nobuhide (father of Nobunaga) of Owari, who was opposed to the Matsudaira clan.

Honda Tadakatsu’s childhood name was Nabenosuke. His mother was Saya, the daughter of Ujiyoshi Uemura, the ancestor of the Uemura family, who later served the Tokugawa clan and became a feudal lord in the early Edo period. It is said that when Honda Tadakatsu was two years old, his father Tadataka was killed in battle. He moved with his mother to Hora Castle (present-day Hora-chou, Okazaki City), relying on his uncle, Honda Tadamasa.

This background led Honda Tadakatsu to serve Matsudaira Motoyasu and later Tokugawa Ieyasu closely from his childhood as a minor retainer. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the future Lord to whom he would pledge absolute loyalty, was five years older than Honda Tadakatsu.

Ieyasu had a difficult childhood, as he was initially offered as a hostage by the Matsudaira clan to the Imagawa clan at the age of 6, but was sold and became a hostage of the Oda clan. At age 8, he became a hostage of the Imagawa clan this time. He also lost his father, Hirotada, to an assassination attempt by a subordinate. Ieyasu and Honda Tadakatsu may have sympathized with each other as both were fatherless.

Immediately after his first year of service, Honda Tadakatsu made his first appearance at only 12 at the Otaka-jo Hyoro-ire (bringing army provisions into Otaka-jo Castle) in 1560, a prelude to the Battle of Okehazama.

At this time, Ieyasu was sent as a hostage to the Imagawa clan. And he was entrusted with the significant role of a general in the battle to capture Toriyane Castle and Washizu Fort.

Honda Tadakatsu also participated in this battle, but it turned out to be a bitter debut for him, as Oda’s general Yamazaki Tajuro almost killed him. Even the strongest warlord in the Warring States period was still an inexperienced young warrior.

However, Honda Tadakatsu was not an ordinary man. His first taking the head of the enemy was at age 15 when the Matsudaira clan was fighting against Obara Bizen, a general of the Imagawa Ujimasa clan.

At that time, his uncle Honda Tadamasa gave him the head of an enemy general he had defeated. He hoped to provide the young Honda Tadakatsu with military credit and prestige.

But Honda Tadakatsu said, “How can I achieve military success with the help of others?”

He then cut his way into the enemy camp, captured the enemy’s head, and returned to his base. The sight of a young man of only 15 years of age achieving military success on his own is said to have convinced all the generals, both friend and foe, that Honda Tadakatsu was no ordinary man.

With the help of these forces in the field, Ieyasu steadily eliminated the Imagawa forces and established a base of power in the Mikawa region. And Ieyasu changed his family name to Tokugawa and organized a new military unit called “Hatamoto Sentetai” (advance troops of the shogun).

The Hatamoto Sententai was an elite unit under the direct control of Ieyasu, with a core of young generals who excelled in military prowess. And it produced many generals who would support the Tokugawa forces in the future. Many military commanders included in the Hatamoto Sententai in successive generations, such as Sakakibara Yasumasa and Ii Naomasa, later served as Ieyasu’s chief vassals. Hence, the fact that Honda Tadakatsu was selected for the Hatamoto Sententai meant that he was on Tokugawa’s career path.

Honda Tadakatsu was 19 years old and was selected by Ieyasu to lead 54 cavalries. From this point on, he became a close general.

Activities at the Battle of Anegawa

In 1570, the “Battle of Anegawa” was fought in Omi (Shiga Prefecture) between the allied forces of Nobunaga Oda and Ieyasu Tokugawa and the allied forces of Nagamasa Asai and Yoshikage Asakura.

In this battle, Nobunaga marched into northern Omi to defeat Nagamasa Asai, who betrayed him in the Battle of Kanegasaki. When Nobunaga laid siege to Yokoyama Castle, Ieyasu was asked for reinforcements, and the Tokugawa forces joined the battle.

In response, the Asai-Asakura allied forces marched out to save Yokoyama Castle. The two armies faced each other across the Anegawa River, resulting in a full-scale clash.

At this time, Honda Tadakatsu led 2,000 troops to the castle with Sakai Tadatsugu, Ogasawara Nagatada, Ishikawa Kazumasa, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and others. As the Asakura force of 10,000 approached Tokugawa Ieyasu’s main camp, Honda Tadakatsu made a name for himself by engaging in a one-on-one battle with Magara Nao, a great warrior in the Asakura army. As a result, his bravery became known in other countries as well.

Honda Tadakatsu surprised everyone in this battle by charging alone toward the Asakura forces. The soldiers on the Tokugawa side desperately followed him to save him, which worked wonders and played a significant role in defeating the Asakura forces.

Nobunaga is said to have praised Tadakatsu highly for his extraordinary bravery and unorthodox actions on the battlefield. Therefore, he called Tadakatsu “a valiant warrior with a combination of flower and fruit” and “Japan’s Zhang Fei.”

The Tokugawa forces, thus gaining momentum, attacked the Asai forces from the flanks. Consequently, the Oda forces pinched them off, resulting in a complete victory for the Oda and Tokugawa forces in the battle of Anegawa.

The Asai family suffered tremendous damage in the battle of Anegawa. The deaths of prominent vassals such as Naotune Endo, Nagamasa’s younger brother Masayuki Asai, Masazumi Asai, Iesumi Yuge, and Ujinao Imamura were a significant factor in the downfall of the Asai family.

The Asakura clan also suffered heavy losses with the deaths of Naotaka Magara, Naozumi Magara, and Takamoto Magara.

After the battle, the Asai and Asakura clans, which had gradually weakened, realized that they could not stand up to the Oda and Tokugawa clans on their own. So they joined forces with Takeda Shingen and Honganji Kennyo in Kai to form a network to encircle Nobunaga, which later became a significant threat that Nobunaga faced. The deciding factor in this historical turning point may have been Honda Tadakatsu’s seemingly reckless single combat.

Success in the Battle of Hitokotozaka

In 1572, the Takeda forces invaded Ieyasu’s territory of Omi (western Shizuoka Prefecture), putting the Tokugawa forces, inferior in military strength, at a disadvantage.

Knowing that the Takeda forces were about to attack Futamata Castle, a strategic point in the Omi region, Ieyasu personally led an army of 3,000 men to prepare for battle.

In the Battle of Hitokotozaka, a prelude to the Battle of Futamata Castle between Ieyasu and Shingen, Honda Tadakatsu led a scouting party. Seeing that the enemy was at a disadvantage because of his large force, he insisted on retreating from the battle. He took charge of the rear guard in the retreat battle and safely escaped Ieyasu’s main army.

Such famous commanders led the Takeda forces as Masakage Yamagata, Nobuharu Baba, and Sakon Kosugi. Furthermore, to escape the main force, they were forced to take up the position at the bottom of the hill, which was a very unfavourable situation. Thanks to the efforts of Honda Tadakatsu and Okubo Tadasa, who served as the lord’s troops, the main body of the Tokugawa forces was able to cross the Tenryu River and retreat safely.

Baba Nobuharu, a senior vassal of the Takeda family who led the Takeda forces, cut into the Tokugawa forces’ position from the top of the hill to the bottom and broke through two of the three tiers of the work. In addition, troops led by Sakon Kosugi moved in behind the Honda Tadakatsu forces and opened fire on them, threatening to destroy the Honda Tadakatsu forces.

The force of Honda Tadakatsu’s troops was so great that Honda Tadakatsu himself wielded his beloved spear, “Dragonfly Cutter,” and looked like a god of war. Judging that forcibly trying to stop it would cause significant damage, Kosugi Sakon opened the way and missed the passage of Honda Tadakatsu.

Amid a fierce battle in a disadvantageous situation, and during an almost specific role to kill him, Honda Tadakatsu stopped his horse and, upon hearing Kosugi Sakon’s name, expressed his gratitude before leaving.

Ieyasu, whose life was saved by Honda Tadakatsu at the Battle of Hitokotozaka, praised him as “truly a good general of my family.” And his enemy, Kosugi Sakon, also praised him, saying, “Ieyasu has two great generals: Honda Heihachi (Honda Tadakatsu) at the head of Tang Dynasty.”

In the Battle of Hitokotozaka, Honda Tadakatsu took on the role of a “throwaway stone” that was likely to cost him his life to let the main army escape. In addition, he is a brave general who survives by playing an active role that awe-inspires his opponents. He is, therefore, an “intelligent general” who quickly advises retreat when he sees that the enemy side is at a disadvantage due a large number of people on his side.

Battle of Komaki-Nagakute recognized by Hideyoshi

The boldness of Honda Tadakatsu, which he displayed at the Battle of Ichimizaka, was often demonstrated in later battles. The Battle of Komaki Nagakute, which took place in 1584, was a battle in which Nobunaga’s second son, Nobuo, and Ieyasu joined forces against Hideyoshi, who had defeated Shibata Katsuie in the Battle of Shizugatake.

Although a peace agreement was eventually reached after a stalemate between the two sides, Hideyoshi’s side lost Ikeda Tsuneoki and Mori Nagayoshi, who were killed in between the two battles. Hideyoshi’s army, although significant, was defeated in local wars, and Hideji Toyotomi (Hideyoshi’s sister’s son), who was made general of the military, fled back, which was a complete loss.

Hideyoshi’s main force attacked Ieyasu as he pulled back. The number of Hideyoshi’s troops was said to be 20,000 or 30,000, an overwhelming difference from Ieyasu’s army.

Ieyasu was in a desperate situation.

However, it was Honda Tadakatsu who saved Ieyasu from a crisis. At first, Honda Tadakatsu was in charge of Ieyasu’s absence, but when he learned that the Tokugawa forces were struggling in the face of a large army, he set out with only 500 cavalrymen.

According to “Kansei Choshu Shokafu” (Kansei Continued Lineages of the Various Houses), Honda Tadakatsu stood in front of a large army on his own, rode into the Ryusenji River and showed his horse’s mouth rinsing in the river with ease. Hideyoshi was moved by Honda Tadakatsu’s boldness and loyalty to Ieyasu, who stood alone against the overwhelmingly strong army and forbade him to attack.

One theory is that Hideyoshi ordered that Honda Tadakatsu be kept out because he wanted to add him to his vassalage when he destroyed the Tokugawa family.

Although the battle ended in victory for Toyotomi, Hideyoshi praised Honda Tadakatsu as “the bravest warrior in the eastern part of Japan.”

In 1586, Honda Tadakatsu joined Ieyasu in the service of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was appointed to the rank of Ⅽhuugi Daisuke, the fifth highest-ranking official.

He was a veteran of many famous battles in Japanese history, including the Mikawa Uprising, the Battle of Anegawa, the Battle of Hitokotozaka, and the Battle of Nagashino. He was known as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa” along with Ii Naomasa, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and Sakai Tadatsugu, who were also vassals of Tokugawa.

Battle of Sekigahara and Kuwana Castle

In 1600, two years after Hideyoshi’s death, Honda Tadakatsu, now 53 years old, naturally participated in the Battle of Sekigahara.

At that time, Honda Tadakatsu and Ii Naomasa were given command of the advance party. Still, Ii Naomasa fell ill just before the battle, and Honda Tadakatsu, who was to command the 3600 Ii troops, had his second son Tadamasa take command of them.

His heir, Tadamasa, led the 2500 troops, and Honda Tadakatsu himself led only a few hundred.

At this time, Honda Tadakatsu was in charge of operational command as “military commander,” the supreme commander of the Eastern Army.

He also sent letters to the Western Army lords, such as Yoshikawa Hiroie, to rally them, and supervised the Eastern Army lords in Kiyosu Castle as the military commander of the Eastern Army generals.

However, Honda Tadakatsu led only a few hundred troops to the battlefield where tens of thousands of soldiers were clashing with each other, and he could take 90 heads.

This feat was praised by Masanori Fukushima, a great general who also belonged to the eastern army, but Tadakatsu Honda said only one thing: “The enemy was too weak.”

For the veteran Tadakatsu Honda, it did not seem to matter much whether he was fighting in a battle that would divide the country or not or was going into battle as the supreme commander of his country.

In addition to his work on the battlefield, Honda Tadakatsu’s contributions were remarkable. The Battle of Sekigahara ended with an overwhelming victory for the Eastern Army due to the turnover of the Western Army generals. And Honda Tadakatsu was involved in the manipulation of this battle. In every respect, he played a major role in the victory of the Eastern Army.

For this achievement, Honda Tadakatsu was transferred from Otaki Castle in Kamisoka Province to 100,000 koku in Kuwana, Ise Province (present Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture).

At this time, Ieyasu offered to give Honda Tadakatsu his old domain of Otaki. Still, Honda Tadakatsu declined the offer, and 50,000 koku of Otaki was given to his second son, Tadatsuo.

Upon entering Kuwana, Honda Tadakatsu immediately began constructing Kuwana Castle along the Ibigawa River to establish the domain government.

Kuwana Castle has a four-story, six-story, 17-meter high keep, 51 turrets, and 46 tamon (a combination armory and fortification) towers, and a landing place was also built.

At the same time the castle was built, the castle town and the Tokaido Highway station were developed, which became the foundation of Kuwana’s development.

For this reason, Honda Tadakatsu is called “the great sovereign who founded the Kuwana domain.”

Incidentally, his second son Tadatomo, given 50,000 koku of Otaki at this time, is also known as the person who saved the lives of 317 crew members of a Spanish ship that ran aground off the coast of present-day Oyado, Chiba, in 1609. He thus established the basis for friendly relations between Japan, Spain, and Mexico.

The End of Honda Tadakatsu

After his arrival in Kuwana, the region’s development was remarkable, and Honda Tadakatsu, who also utilized his wits in politics and warfare, was and is still regarded as a great ruler.

However, even though Honda Tadakatsu was active in literary and military affairs, he became ill around 1604 and retired from the central role of the Edo shogunate.

In addition, among the Tokugawa vassals, the civilian faction began to rise in place of the warrior faction, and the former Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa, including Honda Tadakatsu and Sakakibara Yasumasa, gradually moved away from the center of politics.

Honda Tadakatsu, perhaps having some reservations about such a situation, proposed to Ieyasu to retire due to illness, but Ieyasu once consoled him, and he decided not to do so.

However, he also began to suffer from eye disease, and in 1609, he handed over the governorship to his heir, Tadamasa, and retired from the family. His health never recovered, and he died in 1610 at 63.

It is said that Honda Tadakatsu participated in 57 large and small battles and that he did not suffer a single scratch in any of them. His only knife wound is said to be a small cut on his finger caused by an accidental slip of his hand while engraving his name on a Buddhist statue with a small knife a few weeks before his death.

Honda Tadakatsu himself muttered, “If Honda Tadakatsu gets a wound, it is the end of him,” and he died of illness afterwards.

On his deathbed, Honda Tadakatsu said:

“A samurai does not retreat in the face of difficulty, even if he does not take the head, even if it is not to his credit. A samurai is a man who dies side by side with his lord and remains loyal to him.”

You can say that he lived a life of a Samurai who did not back down even a single step without suffering a single wound in a world of warring states full of difficulties.

Honda Tadakatsu and his beloved spear

Honda Tadakatsu’s favorite spear, “Dragonfly Cutter,” is one of the “Three Great Spears under Heaven” along with “Otegine” and “Nihon-go.”

There are various theories as to the origin of the name. It is said that when Honda Tadakatsu was resting with the spear erect, a dragonfly perched on the tip of the spear was cut in half, giving rise to the name.

This spear has become a trademark of Honda Tadakatsu, so much so that the following willow poem was composed. It is believed to have been made by “Fujiwara Masazane,” a swordsmith who moved to Mikawa. “When a dragonfly appears, it scatters spiderlings, and the dragonfly in its hand and the horns on its head are so sharp that one cannot tell whether it is an ogre or a man.”

One of the characteristics of the dragonfly cutter is its length. While most spears are about 4.5 meters long, the dragonfly cutter is about 6 meters long.

The longer the spear or sword, the more power it requires; longer is not always better. Still, Honda Tadakatsu wielded a 6-meter spear at will, while an ordinary man could only handle a 4.5-meter spear. You can glimpse the greatness of Honda Tadakatsu in this way. He forced Kosugi Sakon to open the way for him in the Battle of Hitokotozaka.

However, in 1601, the year after the Battle of Sekigahara, Honda Tadakatsu practiced his spear on the riverbank. He cut down the length of the handle of his dragonfly cutter from 6 meters to about 90 cm upon his return to Kuwana Castle.

His retainers wondered why he trimmed the handle, to which Honda Tadakatsu replied, “Tools must be suited to one’s strength.”

In the Kowakamai dance performance “Atsumori,” it was sung that “humans live for 50 years.” Honda Tadakatsu was 54 years old at the time. Even the “best soldier of his time” must have felt his physical strength deteriorating during training. He immediately reflected this in his dragonfly cutter.

Summary

Honda Tadakatsu was admired by many not only as a military commander who was peerless under heaven but also as a statesman who developed the region he ruled and as a man of honor who remained loyal to a single sovereign throughout his life.

Starting with the Battle of Okehazama, he participated in all of Ieyasu’s significant battles, including the Battle of Anegawa, the Battle of Hitokotozaka, the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, and the Battle of Sekigahara. And he distinguished himself in all of them.

Nobunaga described Tadakatsu as “a man of both flower and fruit,” a reference to his superior martial arts and command abilities and the mental strength that supported them.

One of the factors that enabled Ieyasu to become the ruler of Japan was that he was considered worthy of loyalty by a man like Honda Tadakatsu.