* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Honda Masanobu
本多正信
Tokugawa Ieyasu's Trusted Strategist and Shogunate Elder
Description
Life and Origins
Honda Masanobu (1538–1616) was born in Mikawa Province, the son of Honda Toshimasa. He served Tokugawa Ieyasu from a young age, but during the Mikawa Ikko uprising of 1563 he sided with the rebels against his lord and was exiled from the province, spending years wandering before settling for a time in Kaga.
Return to Ieyasu's Service
Through the intercession of Okubo Tadayo, Masanobu returned to Ieyasu's service, initially as a falconer. Lacking the martial reputation of Ieyasu's other retainers, he distinguished himself instead through administrative skill, strategy, and negotiation, gradually regaining his lord's full trust. In 1586, when Ieyasu submitted to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Masanobu was appointed to the court rank of Sado-no-kami at Hideyoshi's recommendation, and became known thereafter as "Sado-dono."
Governance and the Edo Shogunate
After the 1590 conquest of Odawara and Ieyasu's transfer to the Kanto region, Masanobu received a 10,000-koku fief at Tamanawa in Sagami and became a daimyo, overseeing land surveys and infrastructure as a Kanto administrator. Following the establishment of the Edo shogunate in 1603, he became a central figure in shogunate governance, and from 1607 served as a senior councilor (roju) to the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada.
Legacy
Ieyasu reportedly called Masanobu his "friend" rather than merely a retainer, a rare honor. Many battle-hardened vassals viewed him with suspicion as a scheming advisor, but Ieyasu's trust never wavered. Masanobu died on July 20, 1616, just two months after Ieyasu himself — a coincidence often cited as emblematic of their profound bond. Remembered as a master strategist whose talents lay in governance rather than the battlefield, he is credited with helping lay the administrative foundations of the Tokugawa shogunate.