Obu Toramasa

飯富虎昌

Senior Retainer of the Takeda Clan, Founder of the Akazonae

Era

Sengoku period

Lifespan

1504-1565

Associated Sword Tradition

Takeda clan (served two generations, Nobutora and Shingen)

Description

Life

Born in 1504 into a family of hereditary senior retainers (karō) of the Takeda clan in Kai Province. He served under Takeda Nobutora, and in 1541 he was one of the central figures, along with Itagaki Nobukata, who exiled Nobutora to Suruga Province and installed his son Harunobu (later known as Shingen) as head of the clan.

Military Campaigns

After senior retainers Itagaki Nobukata and Amari Torayasu were killed in succession at the Battle of Uedahara, Toramasa became a core figure in the Takeda military. While defending Shinano's Uchiyama Castle, he is said to have repelled an enemy force of some 8,000 with only about 800 men, earning him the nickname "Fierce Tiger of Kōzan."

Anecdote: Founder of the Akazonae

He is known as the founder of the "Akazonae" (Red Corps), a military unit whose armor, banners, and horse tack were unified in red. His younger brother (or, by another account, nephew) Yamagata Masakage later inherited this retainer band and the red armament, which became renowned as one of the Takeda army's elite units.

The Yoshinobu Incident and Death

In 1565, when Shingen's heir Yoshinobu came into conflict with his father over policy toward the Imagawa clan and allegedly plotted rebellion (the "Yoshinobu Incident"), Toramasa, who had served as Yoshinobu's guardian, was implicated and took his own life to bear responsibility, at the age of 62. Accounts differ as to whether this was a purge ordered by Shingen or whether Toramasa took the blame to shield Yoshinobu; the full truth remains debated.

Later Reputation

As the founder of the "Akazonae," the emblematic red armament of the Takeda military, his legacy was carried on by his brother Yamagata Masakage. Remembered as a senior retainer who served two generations of Takeda lords and as one of the clan's fiercest generals, he is still spoken of today under his epithet, the "Fierce Tiger of Kōzan."