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Azai Nagamasa (浅井長政, Azai Nagamasa^? 1545 - August 28, 1573) was a Daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japan. His clan, the Azai, were located in northern Ōmi Province, east of Lake Biwa. He was both the brother-in-law of Oda Nobunaga, starting in 1564, and one of Nobunaga's enemies from 1570-1573. Nagamasa and his clan were utterly destroyed by Oda Nobunaga in August of 1573. Major battles of Azai Nagamasa include the battle of Anegawa in 1570 and the many sieges of Odani castle between 1570 and 1573. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Events February 27 - Battle of Ancrum Moor - Scots victory over superior English forces December 13 - Official opening of the Council of Trent (closed 1563) Battle of Kawagoe - between two branches of Uesugi families and the late Hojo clan in Japan. ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1573 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... “Sengoku” redirects here. ... This ukiyo-e by Hiroshige illustrates the sailboats at Yahashi, one of the Eight Views of ÅŒmi. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Azai Nagamasa was the son of Azai Hisamasa, from whom he inherited clan leadership in 1560. Hisamasa had been compelled to step down by many of his retainers in favor of his son, Nagamasa. Hisamasa retired, and would later commit suicide along with his son in August of 1573. Nagamasa successfully battled both Rokkaku Yoshitaka and Saitō Tatsuoki between 1560 and 1564. He is remembered as being a capable commander of troops on the battlefield. Azai Hisamasa (浅井 久政) (1524 - September 23, 1573) was a son of Azai Sukemasa and the second head of Azai clan. ... Rokkaku Yoshitaka (1521-1598) The son of Rokkaku Sadayori. ...

He married Oda Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564. Nobunaga desired peaceful relations with the Azai clan because of their strategic position in between Oda clan land's and the capitol, Kyoto. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Oichi (sometimes spelt O-Ichi) or Ichi (お市) was born in 1547 during the Sengoku Period of Japanese history. ... For other uses, see Kyoto (disambiguation). ...

In 1570, Oda Nobunaga declared war on the Asakura family of Echizen. The Asakura and Azai had been allies since the time of Nagamasa's grandfather. This sudden war between two Azai clan allies is reported to have divided the clan. Many retainers wished to honor the alliance with the Asakura, while Nagamasa himself is reported to have favored staying neutral, essentially siding with Nobunaga. In the end, the Azai clan chose to honor the generations-old alliance with the Asakura and came to their aid. Initially, this decision caused Nobunaga's army, which was marching upon the Asakura's lands to retreat back to Kyoto. However, within a few months the forces of Nobunaga were again on the march, but this time they marched on Azai lands. The Asakura family (朝倉氏) was a line of daimyō (feudal lords) which, along with the Asai family, opposed Oda Nobunaga in the late 16th century. ...

In the summer of 1570, Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu brought an army estimated between 20-30,000 men into Northern Omi. The Azai called upon their allies, the Asakura, for assistance. The Asakura responded by sending troops. In either June or July, the two sides met at the battle of Anegawa. The combined Azai and Asakura force numbered between 15-20,000 men. The outcome is recorded elsewhere, but briefly: The battle was strongly contested by both sides. Nobunaga is recorded as having decided that his force should directly confront the numerically inferior Azai clan force, while Ieyasu would fight the Asakura force. While Nobunaga's force was being held at bay, and perhaps even slowly losing ground to the Azai force who had fought against numerically superior forces in the past, Ieyasu's force was apparently quickly gaining the advantage against the Asakura force. Ieyasu, or perhaps one of his battle commanders, decided to send part of the Tokugawa force into the Azai flank, forcing the Azai to retreat, and guaranteeing victory. However, the battle was strategically indecisive because the Oda shortly withdrew. Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu The Tokugawa clan crest This is a Japanese name; the family name is Tokugawa Tokugawa Ieyasu (previously spelled Iyeyasu) January 31, 1543 – June 1, 1616) was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until... Combatants forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga Azai and Asakura forces Commanders Tokugawa Ieyasu, Oda Nobunaga, Inaba Ittetsu Azai Nagamasa, Asakura Yoshikage The 1570 battle of Anegawa (姉川の戦い) came as a reaction to the sieges of the castles of Odani and Yokoyama. ...

Over the course of the next two years, with the exception of occasional interventions by the Shogun, Azai Nagamasa was under constant threat of Nobunaga aggression into Omi. Often these threats manifested into sieges of the Azai Capitol, Odani. During this period the Azai are seen as being loosely aligned with numerous anti-Oda forces, including the Asakura, the Miyoshi, the Rokkaku, and several religious complexes.

In 1573, Oda laid siege to Odani. Although the Asakura sent a relief force, Nobunaga defeated this force and chased the Asakura into their lands. Shortly thereafter, the Asakura were destroyed. Nobunaga then returned south to prosecute the siege of Odani. Nagamasa had no hope of winning, and chose to commit seppuku. Before dying, he sent out his three daughters and his wife, Nobunaga's sister. They were allowed to live. His only male heir, Manpukumaru, was likely put to the sword by Nobunaga. It should be noted that there are reports that Nobunaga bore a strong grudge against Nagamasa for his perceived betrayal of the their alliance. It has also been reported that Nobunaga had the skulls of Nagamasa, Hisamasa, and the Asakura leader lacquered so that they could be used as cups. Whether this report is historically accurate, or merely made up to inflate the reputation of Nobunaga is debatable at this time. Hara-kiri redirects here. ...

Three of Nagamasa's daughters are famous for marrying famous men. They were

• Chacha, or Yodo dono, second wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and mother of Hideyoshi's heir Hideyori
• Hatsu, wife of the sengoku daimyo Kyogoku Takatsugu
• Oeyo, or Sūgen'in, wife of the second Tokugawa shogun Hidetada and mother of his successor/son Iemitsu.

Yodo-Dono (淀殿, Lady Yodo), also known as Yodo-Gimi (淀君), was the most favoured concubine of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the niece of the great Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga. ... Hideyoshi redirects here. ... Grave of Toyotomi Clan at Mount Koya Toyotomi Hideyori (豊臣 秀頼 Toyotomi Hideyori), 1593-1615, was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. ... “Sengoku” redirects here. ... Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori visits the residence of a retainer. ... Oeyo (於江与) or Satoko (達子) or Sūgenin (崇源院: 1573–September 15, 1626) was the wife of Tokugawa Hidetada (the second Tokugawa shogun of Japan) and the mother of his successor Iemitsu. ... The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ... Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada Tokugawa Hidetada May 2, 1579—March 14, 1632) was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. ... Tokugawa Iemitsu (previously spelled Iyemitsu); 徳川 家光 (August 12, 1604 — June 8, 1651) was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty who reigned from 1623 to 1651. ...

Azai Nagamasa in Popular Culture

• Nagamasa makes appearances as a general in the Main Campaign and in various Historical Battles and Historical Campaigns in the PC game Shogun Total War (by Creative Assembly). (Shogun was re-released June 2006)
• Nagamasa returns as an Heir to the Azai Clan in the fan created Samurai Warlords Mod (aka the Shogun Mod) for Creative Assembly's PC game Medieval Total War. (Medieval was re-released June 2006)
• Nagamasa is an NPC in Samurai Warriors, but makes a playable debut in the sequel, Samurai Warriors 2. He wields a jousting lance. He is depicted as an extremely honorable man, who is forced into a difficult position when Oda Nobunaga attacks the Asakura, but ultimately decides to side with the Asakura since Nobunaga is the aggressor and his clan has been allied with the Asakura for longer. He is also depicted as loving Oichi dearly, often apologizing to her for attacking her brother.
• Nagamasa is an NPC in Sengoku Basara 2, along with Oichi, but becomes playable in the sequel called Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes. He wields a long sword and carries a shield with him. His voice actor there is Tsujitani Kouji. He is portrayed as a justice loving man, much in vein of Ma Chao in Dynasty Warriors, and although he often scolds Oichi for being too apologetic and pessimistic, he deeply loved her, making him a male tsundere.

Shogun: Total War (STW) is the first of Creative Assemblys Total War series. ... Shogun: Total War (STW) is the first of Creative Assemblys Total War series. ... Medieval: Total War (MTW), is a real-time strategy game where the player builds a dynastic empire in medieval Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. ... Medieval: Total War (MTW), is a real-time strategy game where the player builds a dynastic empire in medieval Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. ... This article is about the video game. ... Samurai Warriors 2 (Sengoku Musou 2 in Japan) is a sequel to the original Samurai Warriors, created by Koei and Omega Force. ... Sengoku Basara 2 is the sequel to Sengoku Basara (known outside Japan as Devil Kings), released in Japan on July 27, 2006. ... Sengoku Basara 2 is the sequel to Sengoku Basara (known outside Japan as Devil Kings), released in Japan on July 27, 2006. ... Tsujitani Kōji (辻谷 耕史,born April 26, 1962) is a seiyuu who voices many anime and video game characters. ... Ma Chao (176 - 222) was the eldest son of Ma Teng and a military general during the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. ... The Logo of Shin Sangokumusou 5 (Dynasty Warriors 6) Dynasty Warriors ( 真・三國無双:Shin Sangokumusou in Japan; literally meaning True - Unrivaled Three Kingdoms) is a series of video games created by Koei based loosely around the Romance of the Three Kingdoms epic, and is a spinoff series of another Koei game Romance... Tsundere ) is a Japanese character archetype describing an initially combative personality, which eventually becomes loving and emotionally vulnerable, normally found in Japanese anime and manga. ...

References

• The article incorporates text from OpenHistory.
• http://www.samurai-archives.com/
• http://wiki.samurai-archives.com/index.php?title=Asai_Nagamasa