Kanamari Chikatsuna (神余親綱)
Chikatsuna KANAMARI (c.1526-August 2, 1580) was a busho (Japanese military commander) in the Sengoku Period (period of warring states). He was a hatamotoshu (retainer) of the Uesugi family in Echigo Province. He was a child of Sanetsuna KANAMARI. He was commonly called Kojiro or Hayato no suke.
Though the Kanamari clan were originally the native bushi of the Province of Awa as well as hikan (low-level bureaucrats) of the Uesugi clan, they started to serve the Uesugi family in Echigo Province. They had been such given important posts as Kyoto zassho and as a diplomat from the time of Masatsuna KANAMARI, Chikatsuna's grandfather, at the latest.
Chikatsuna succeeded his father and grandfather and continued to be given important posts in the service of Kenshin UESUGI who became a lord of Echigo Province.
Staying mainly in Kyoto as a local governor, he also served as a bugyo (magistrate) for selling and buying local products from Echigo Province such as Aoso (fiber materials for clothing) by approaching the Sanjonishi family while he negotiated with the Imperial court and bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun). Trade in Aoso became the most important source of funding for the Nagao clan and financially supported Kenshin's expedition to the Kanto region.
When Kenshin went to Kyoto in 1553 during Kanamari's assignment in Kyoto, he succeeded, after a struggle in securing an audience with the Emperor Gonara. In 1558, he also served as a messenger to celebrate Yoshiteru ASHIKAGA's return to Kyoto.
In 1577, he was appointed a castellan of Sanjo-jo Castle through the diminishing and changing the territories of the Yamayoshi family due to the death of Toyomori YAMAYOSHI who had been a castellan of Sanjo-jo Castle.
Though he was initially minded to take the side of Kagekatsu UESUGI together with Kagenaga YAMAYOSHI and others in Kiba-jo Castle during the Otate War, he participated in the war on the side of Kagetora UESUGI together with Hidetsuna HONJO, a castellan of Tochio-jo Castle.
Later he ignored attempts of solicitation from the Kagekatsu side and attacked Kurotaki-jo Castle. He continued to resist even after Kagetora's suicide, and they destroyed the settlement despite once extending an olive branch. He was killed by the old retainer in Sanjo-jo Castle who accepted the betrayal which was incited by Kagenaga YAMAYOSHI.