Tsuda Nobunari (津田信成)

Nobunari TSUDA was busho (Japanese military commander), daimyo (Japanese feudal lord) of Mimaki Domain, Yamashiro Province.

He was born as the second son of the Moritsuki TSUDA in 1562. He worked for Hideyoshi HASHIBA (Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI) and joined the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (1584) and the Siege of Odawara (1590). When the troops were dispatched to Korea in 1592, he set up a camp in Nagoya-jo Castle in Hizen Province. He worked as 御前備衆 at the western citadel, leading 500 soldiers.

He took over the head of the Tsuda family in 1593 because his elder brother Nobuto was arrested for the sennin giri (killing one thousand people with a sword). His family was punished by the diminishment of his territory (35,000 koku to 13,000 koku). He took part in building Fushimi-jo Castle, which started in 1594.

In the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), he sided with the eastern camp, and fought bravely against Katsushige TODA (western camp) at the final battle. After the battle, his territory was accredited and he became the lord of Mimaki Domain. However, he acted violence and assault over 78 beautiful girls including geisha when he visited Gion in Kyoto with Michishige INABA, the lord of Shimizu Domain, Mino Province, in 1607. Ieyasu TOKUGAWA reproached Nobunari and punished him by forfeiting Mimaki Domain. Another theory says that Nobunari took credit for killing Katsushige TODA, in the Battle of Sekigahara, who was actually killed by Nagataka ODA, and Ieyasu reproached Nobunari for that.

He died on October 9, 1645. He was 84 years old when he died.

He also created "hasamibako", a box for carrying.

[Original Japanese]