Kira Sadaie (吉良貞家)
Sadaie KIRA (dates of birth and death unknown) was a busho (Japanese military commander) during the early Muromachi period. He was a son of Tsuneie KIRA, the third head of the early Tojo-Kira clan in Kiranosho, Hazu County, Mikawa Province (Kira-cho, Hazu County, Aichi Prefecture) and became the first head of Kira clan of Oshu Kanrei (governor of Oshu [Mutsu province]), working towards repression of the Southern Court (Japan) force in Mutsu Province. His official title of kanto (government service) was Meryo (the section taking care of imperial horses), Shuri gon no daibu (Provisional Master in the Office of Palace Repairs), and Ukyo no daibu (Master of the Western Capital Offices).
Brief Personal History
As a legitimate child of Tsuneie of the early Tojo-Kira clan, he is considered to have lived in Tojo-jo Castle in Hazu County, Mikawa Province, but the details about this period is unknown because of lack of historical materials.
At the Genko War, he is considered to have followed the head family of Ashikaga along with other Kira family members, at Kenmu Restoration, he went down to Kanto region, following Tadayoshi ASHIKAGA, younger brother of Takauji ASHIKAGA, and he was appointed as the third tonin (the director) of the six banshu (guards) of Kanto Hisashi ban (people who keep the night watch staying under the eaves of building) in February 1334, getting the assignment to guard Imperial Prince Nariyoshi. His colleagues included Mitsuyoshi KIRA (Saijo-Kira clan) of the same family.
At the Coup of 1335, He followed Takauji ASHIKAGA and moved from place to place to fight in Kinai region (provinces surrounding Kyoto and Nara) and Saigoku (western part of Japan [usually referring to Kyushu, but ranging as far east as Kinki]); when Takauji, who had run away from the Southern Court army and hidden out in Kyushu, recovered Kyoto by counterattack, he was appointed as shugoshiki (provincial constable) of Inaba Province and Tajima Province, and also held a position of the second tonin of the hyojoshu (a member of the Council of State) of Muromachi bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) and naidanshu (Coadjustor of the High Court) of five-turn system.
In 1345, he was appointed as Oshu Kanrei along with Kuniuji HATAKEYAMA, and went down to Taga-jo Castle, the kokufu (provincial office) of Oshu to assume the post, where he fought against the Southern Court army including the Kitabatake clan which had been developing anti-Northern Court activities based in Oshu.
At the Kanno Disturbance, on Tadayoshi's side, he confronted the Hatakeyama clan who was on Takauji's side, in March 1351, he attacked Kuniuji HATAKEYAMA and his father Takakuni HATAKEYAMA at Iwakiri-jo Castle in Mutsu Province (present-day Rifu-cho, Miyagi Prefecture) and made them commit suicide, but he was temporarily forced to leave Taga-jo Castle when he was attacked by Akinobu KITABATAKE of the Southern Court who took advantage of infighting in the Northern Court. However, in April 1352, he recaptured Taga-jo Castle, and in June 1353, he took control of Uzumine-jo Castle, a stronghold of the Southern Court, wiping out the Southern Court force in Oshu.
As for what happened to him after that, there are no historical materials about Sadaie after 1354, so he seems to have died around that time.