Magara Naotaka

Magara Naotaka (?–Genki 1 (1570)) was a warrior of the Sengoku period and an Asakura retainer who served Asakura Yoshikage, the Sengoku daimyō of Echizen Province. His common name was Magara Jūrōzaemon. As a hero who wielded the great sword "Tarōtachi," he appears repeatedly in war chronicles and oral tradition and is famed in later times.

Tarōtachi and the Legend of the Giant

In discussing Magara Naotaka, the indispensable item is the great sword he is said to have favored, the "Tarōtachi." He is said to have possessed a physique and strength far beyond those of ordinary men, and to have wielded with ease a blade of great length, far exceeding that of ordinary swords. The "Tarōtachi" is said to be housed in the Atsuta Shrine Treasure Hall in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and because of its overwhelming size it is known as a material that conveys the legend of Magara Naotaka, the giant hero, to the present day. However, there is a dissenting view that the sword at Atsuta Shrine is in fact the "Jirōtachi" used by his younger brother, Magara Naozumi, and that Naotaka's own Tarōtachi is a great sword transmitted at Shirayama Hime Shrine in Ishikawa Prefecture. The attribution of the two swords is still debated.

The Battle of Anegawa

In Genki 1 (1570), at the battle fought at Anegawa in Ōmi Province between the combined Oda and Tokugawa forces and the combined Asai and Asakura forces (the Battle of Anegawa), Magara Naotaka fought valiantly, wielding his great sword. As the prospects of defeat grew dark for the Asakura side, the war chronicles relate that, to let his allies escape, he charged alone into the headquarters of Tokugawa Ieyasu and broke through the enemy formations that had been arrayed in many layers.

However, after fighting until his strength was spent, he is said to have been cut down by the Sagisaka brothers. At the end, an anecdote is handed down that he gave his own head to the enemy as a feat of arms. This tale is passed on as a symbol of his boldness.

Later Assessment

Magara Naotaka is taken up in war chronicles including the Shinchō Kōki, and has been positioned as one of the central figures of the valorous tales that color the Battle of Anegawa. He has been told later in a mixture of fact and legend, including the anecdote of his single combat with Honda Tadakatsu. Together with the Tarōtachi, he continues to be popular to this day as a figure representing the image of a Sengoku hero.