Matsudaira Nobuyasu

Matsudaira Nobuyasu (1559-1579) was the eldest son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, a young warrior of outstanding martial prowess who was eagerly anticipated as his father's successor. Betrothed in 1563 to Tokudhime, daughter of Oda Nobunaga, he served as lord of Okazaki Castle and defended Mikawa Province. His martial nature was said to surpass even that of his father Ieyasu, but in 1579, on Nobunaga's orders (under suspicion of treason and reportedly at the instigation of Tokuhime's letter of complaint), Ieyasu ordered his disinheritance and seppuku, and he died a tragic death at the age of twenty-one. This 'Nobuyasu Incident' is considered the greatest tragedy of Ieyasu's life and has been depicted in countless stories and works of literature ever since. He is said to have excelled in all martial arts and favored uchigatana and tachi in accordance with the tradition of Mikawa warriors. As the young warrior who should have carried forward the dream of national unification that his father had not yet achieved, his short life is deeply engraved in sword history as an emblem of the warrior's tragedy.