15 Facts About Tsugaru Tamenobu

Tsugaru Tamenobu was a Sengoku period Japanese daimyo and the first daimyo of Hirosaki Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate.

Tsugaru Tamenobu was born as Oura Tamenobu and was a hereditary retainer of the Nanbu clan.

Tsugaru Tamenobu succeeded his father in 1567 or 1568 as castellan of Oura Castle, located in what is part of the city of Hirosaki.

Tsugaru Tamenobu captured castles at Ishikawa, Daikoji and Aburakawa, and he soon gathered the support of many former Nanbu retainers in the region.

Tsugaru Tamenobu successfully took castle after castle in the region due to the divided state of the Nanbu clan, but realizing that in the long term he would need to solicit outside help, he approached the Mogami clan for an introduction to the regime of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Tsugaru Tamenobu initially departed by boat from Ajigasawa, but inclement winds blew the boat north as far as Matsumae.

Tsugaru Tamenobu made attempts to reach Hideyoshi overland in 1586,1587, and 1588, but he was blocked each time by hostile forces in the territories to the south of Tsugaru.

Tsugaru Tamenobu, accompanied by 18 of his closest vassals, participated in the Siege of Odawara in 1590, and was received in audience by Hideyoshi.

Tamenobu was supported by Ishida Mitsunari, Hashiba Hidetsugu and Oda Nobukatsu and as he had pledged fealty to Hideyoshi earlier than Nanbu Nobunao, his claims to Tsugaru were officially recognised.

Tsugaru Tamenobu revived his clan's claims to have been descended from the Fujiwara clan and made lavish presents to the kampaku Konoe Sakihisa into order to receive former recognition of this claim.

Tsugaru Tamenobu changed his family name from Oura to Tsugaru at this time.

So, the situation of the Tsugaru Tamenobu clan was similar to that of the Sanada clan in that it was divided between the two armies.

Tsugaru Tamenobu feared a rebellion within his domains during his absence and had the suspected leader, Morioka Nobumoto, put to death before his departure.

In 1607, Tsugaru Tamenobu received word that his eldest son, Nobutatsu, was ill in Kyoto and set out from Hirosaki to visit him.

Tsugaru Tamenobu's grave is at the Tsugaru clan temple of Kakushu-ji in Hirosaki.