Ōkubo Tadataka

Ōkubo Tadataka (1560-1639), commonly known as Ōkubo Hikozaemon, was a senior retainer of the Tokugawa clan from Mikawa Province (present-day Aichi Prefecture) who served Tokugawa Ieyasu and participated in numerous battles as a seasoned warrior. His later work Mikawa Monogatari, which recounts the founding era of the Tokugawa house through the Osaka Campaign from the perspective of a Mikawa samurai, is prized as a historical source and continues to be read as a document embodying the spirit of bushido and loyalty. Known for his bold character and forthright remonstrations, he was called "the nation's candid counselor." As a battle-hardened warrior within the Tokugawa household, he favored practical swords including the Mikawa uchigatana.