38 Facts About Sakai Tadatsugu

Sakai Tadatsugu was one of the most favored and most successful military commanders serving Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late Sengoku period.

Sakai Tadatsugu is included in another cultural depiction as one of the Tokugawa 16 divine generals.

Sakai Tadatsugu was allegedly involved in the conspiracy that caused the death of Lady Tsukiyama and her son, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.

At some point, Sakai Tadatsugu was commanded by Imagawa Yoshimoto to attack Tada Yasumitsu, an uncle-in-law of Matsudaira Hirotada.

Sakai Tadatsugu managed to seize the castles in Yasumitsu's possession at Imahashi and Tawara areas.

In 1556, according to the records from Tosho Gunkan, Sakai Tadatsugu defends Fukutani castle which was besieged by 2,000 cavalry troops of Oda clan led by Shibata Katsuie.

Sakai Tadatsugu managed to repel the invaders as he led a sallying force outside the castle to engage Katsuie troops.

In 1558, Sakai Tadatsugu accompanied Ieyasu in the Siege of Terabe.

In 1560 at the Siege of Marune, Sakai Tadatsugu served as vanguard of Tokugawa forces along with Ishikawa Ienari.

In 1563, during the Mikawa Ikko-ikki uprising, Tadatsugu faithfully followed Ieyasu while his brother, Sakai Tadanao, chose to support the Ikko-ikki.

Sakai Tadatsugu were tasked to pacify one of those garrisoned temples which was located in Ida village.

Sometime before 1564, the same year, Sakai Tadatsugu married princess Usui, grand-daughter of Matsudaira Hirotada and sister to Ieyasu.

Sometime around 1565, Sakai Tadatsugu urged his superior, Ieyasu, to abandon allegiance towards Imagawa clan.

Later in 1569, Sakai Tadatsugu participated in the Siege of Kakegawa castle.

In 1570, Sakai Tadatsugu were involved in the Battle of Anegawa, where the Tokugawa forces forming the left wing of the Oda and Tokugawa alliance forces.

In 1572, during the Battle of Mikatagahara, Sakai Tadatsugu fought the opposing Takeda clan forces on the far-right position of Tokugawa forces stork-shaped formation.

At first, Sakai Tadatsugu managed to repulse the first wave of Takeda clan's charge led by Oyamada Nobushige.

In 1575, When Takeda Katsuyori laying Siege of Yoshida Castle, Sakai Tadatsugu defend the garrison with 6,000 soldiers.

Later in the same year, during the campaign in Nagashino, during the war council discussion before the battle, Sakai Tadatsugu expressing his idea about night raid, which was quickly rejected by Nobunaga.

Sakai Tadatsugu then was tasked to lead a night raid against the Takeda forces located in Tobinosuyama along with Kanamori Nagachika.

Sakai Tadatsugu led this forces to take the road from Koshu to Horai-ji Temple in Sanshu then crossing a river, until they reached the camp of Takeda forces nearby the besieged Nagashino castle.

The forces of Sakai Tadatsugu successfully ambushed the Takeda forces, which caused the death of two Takeda generals, Takeda Nobuzane and Saegusa Moritomo.

In 1578, Tadatsugu's son, Sakai Ietsugu, took over his father's role as castellan of Yoshida Castle.

In 1579, Sakai Tadatsugu were involved with a tragedy that befalls upon Ieyasu family, which ended with Lady Tsukiyama, Ieyasu wife, executed, and their son, Matsudaira Nobuyasu, forced to commit seppuku.

In 1582, after Honno-ji Incident, Tadatsugu accompanied Ieyasu in arduous journey to escape the enemies of Nobunaga in Sakai and returning to Mikawa.

Sakai Tadatsugu then led a desperate breakthrough and breaking the encirclement and retreat into Wakamiko in Kai province, where he rejoin the Ieyasu's main forces.

In 1584, during the Komaki-Nagakute campaign, Sakai Tadatsugu successfully turned back a move by Toyotomi Hideyoshi forces against Kiyosu Castle, which was led by Toyotomi commander Mori Nagayoshi.

Sakai Tadatsugu joined Okudaira Nobumasa and Matsudaira Ietada in Komaki to launch the attack at dawn.

The soldiers led by Sakai Tadatsugu, who has been deployed at the major entrance, were exhausted after days of fierce fighting, and in the evening, the soldiers of Yasumasa Sakakibara and Ietada Matsudaira entered Kaimonjiguchi in their place.

In 1590, during the Odawara Campaign, Sakai Tadatsugu was ordered to accompany Tokugawa Hidetada, Ieyasu's son and heir, to Kyoto, where he served as hostage for Ieyasu's loyalty to the Toyotomi during that campaign.

Sakai Tadatsugu went into retirement, but his son Ietsugu received a 30,000 koku fudai fief at Usui, in Shimosa Province, and Tadasugu accompanied them there.

Sakai Tadatsugu was the most entrusted Ieyasu's vassal in most of military and political affairs of the Tokugawa clan.

Sakai Tadatsugu described by Oda Nobunaga as Ieyasu's right-hand man.

Sakai Tadatsugu owns at least three sets of Japanese armor:.

In 1560, during that time, it is said Sakai Tadatsugu killed a boar with his katana, earning it the name of the Inoshishi-giri or Inokiri.

The Sakai Tadatsugu clan originated in 14th century Mikawa Province, claiming descent from Minamoto Arichika.

Sakai Tadatsugu was heir to the senior branch of the clan.

The head of the Sakai Tadatsugu clan was ennobled as a "Count" in the Meiji period.