Honda Tadakatsu

Lore & Background

Born in 1548 in present-day Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Tadakatsu rose from the Anjō fudai family to become Ieyasu's most trusted warrior. At age 14 in 1561, he refused a trophy kill offered by his uncle, charging the enemy alone to secure his first kill by his own hand. His loyalty was absolute; when the Ikkō-ikki rebellion erupted, Tadakatsu—whose clan originally followed Jōdo Shinshū—remained steadfastly loyal to Ieyasu, though his personal conversion to Jōdo-shū is not clearly documented as a direct result of the rebellion.

He fought alongside allies like Sakai Tadatsugu and Torii Mototada to suppress the uprising. During one conflict, the Ietada nikki records an engagement involving Tadakatsu, though specific details such as exact numbers or the involvement of Sakai Tadanao are not well-established. By June 1564, he secured the vanguard command at the siege of Yoshida Castle, defeating the garrison; Hachiya Sadatsugu survived the battle and later served the Tokugawa.

Reader's Guide

Tadakatsu's career peaked at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575. Leading a rank of musketeers, his units faced Yamagata Masakage, who was killed by Takeda soldiers firing in cycling volleys. When Naitō Masatoyo broke through with 24 men to reach Ieyasu's camp, Tadakatsu, Yasumasa, and Osuga Yasutaka blocked the path. Takeda chronicles record him engaging Masatoyo's frontline personally until the corps was annihilated; Masatoyo himself was captured.

A retainer named Kaji Masamichi later took the heads of Yamagata Masakage and Baba Nobuharu as prizes. Following this, he helped capture Suwahara Castle. In 1582, after Ieyasu's perilous journey through Ochimusha-gari bandit raids, Tadakatsu fought alongside retainers like Sakai Tadatsugu to repel attackers until reaching friendly Kōka ikki territory. That same year, he received command over 60 members of the Asari clan formerly serving the defeated Takeda.

Did You Know?

• During the Battle of Anegawa, he rode alone against a 10,000-strong Asakura army, prompting Ieyasu to counter-attack.
• At Nagashino in 1575, he personally engaged Naitō Masatoyo's forces on the frontline to prevent them from reaching Ieyasu's main camp.
• In 1582, following the Honnō-ji Incident, Tadakatsu fought through Ochimusha-gari bandits while escorting Ieyasu back to Mikawa.