* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Oniwa Yoshinao
鬼庭良直
The aged Date retainer known as "Oniwa Sagetsusai" who died covering Masamune's retreat at Hitadorihashi
Description
Life
Oniwa Yoshinao (1513-1585) was born the son of Oniwa Motozane, lord of Koyadate Castle in Date District, and served the Date clan as a retainer. When Date Terumune succeeded to clan leadership in 1564, Yoshinao was appointed to the council of elders. In 1575 he retired, passing headship to his son Tsunamoto, and took the name Sagetsusai.
The Battle of Hitadorihashi
In October 1585, after his lord Terumune was abducted and killed by Nihonmatsu Yoshitsugu (the Awa-no-su Incident), a coalition of southern Oshu lords led by Satake Yoshishige struck the Date army — then besieging Nihonmatsu Castle — near Hitadorihashi in Adachi District the following month. Outnumbered, the Date forces collapsed and the enemy closed in on the headquarters of the young lord Masamune. Sagetsusai, entrusted with command and given a golden baton by Masamune, personally took charge of the rearguard and charged into the enemy to cover his lord's escape.
Anecdote and Death
Too old to bear heavy armor, Sagetsusai reportedly wore only a yellow cotton cap in place of a helmet, yet held the front line and fought fiercely; his unit is said to have taken over 200 enemy heads. During this stand, Masamune managed to retreat to Motomiya Castle. Sagetsusai himself was killed by Kubota Jūrō, a retainer of Iwaki Tsunetaka, at the age of 73.
Legacy
Remembered as the loyal elder who staked his aged body to cover his lord's escape at a moment of crisis for the Date house, a memorial stone still stands at the Hitadorihashi battlefield, and he is honored as the veteran retainer who helped secure the Date clan's survival.