* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Magara Takamoto
真柄隆基
Echizen Asakura Warrior Who Fell Alongside His Father at the Battle of Anegawa, Wielder of the Great Sword Jirō-tachi
- Era
- Sengoku period
- Lifespan
- unknown-1570
Description
Life
His year of birth is unknown. He was the son of Magara Naotaka, a formidable warrior who served the Asakura clan of Echizen Province. His common name is said to have been Jūrō. The Magara family was known for generations for men of great strength who favored the great sword (ōdachi). When the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki stayed with the Asakura at Ichijōdani, Takamoto is said to have displayed his strength in his presence by hurling a large stone into the air.
The Battle of Anegawa and His Death
On July 30, 1570 (Genki 1, 6th month, 28th day), Takamoto took part alongside his father, Naotaka, in the Battle of Anegawa, where the allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu clashed with the allied Asakura and Azai forces. His father fought fiercely with the great sword "Tarō Tachi," and when their side was put at a disadvantage, he charged alone into the Tokugawa ranks to cover his comrades' retreat and died in the attempt. Takamoto also fought with a great sword, but turned back to witness his father's final moments and was killed by enemy soldiers, ending his life on the same day as his father. The genealogical record Kansei Chōshū Shokafu notes that the Tokugawa warrior Aoki Kazushige crossed spears with Takamoto and killed him.
Connection to Swords
The great sword that Takamoto is said to have wielded is known as "Jirō Tachi," a name that pairs it with his father's "Tarō Tachi," and it has been handed down to the present. After the Battle of Anegawa, both swords were successively dedicated to Atsuta Shrine, and they are now on public display at the Kusanagikan, the Sword Treasure House of Atsuta Shrine, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.
Later Reputation
The fierce fighting of the Magara father and son at the Battle of Anegawa was retold repeatedly in war chronicles and oral storytelling from the Edo period onward. Alongside the renowned valor of "Magara Jūrōzaemon," the dramatic death of his son Takamoto has also been passed down as an ideal of samurai conduct. The Tarō Tachi and Jirō Tachi that survive today at Atsuta Shrine are precious relics that carry this legend into the present.
Notable Swords
- Jirō-tachi