Database: Shibata Katsuie

Shibata Katsuie was one of Oda Nobunaga's generals yet the sources concerning his origins are not very clear. Originally from the province of Owari, he was probably from a family of small village warriors (dogō). According to source material, his date of birth varies between 1522, 1526, and 1527. In his youth, he entered the service of the Oda, the main lords of the province, and probably received a small fief. Around 1551, he appeared as one of the main vassals of Nobunaga's younger brother, Nobuyuki. He distinguished himself through his command and entered the service of Nobunaga himself after 1560 and became one of his main generals. In 1573, he was one of the commanders of the campaign that Nobunaga led against the Azai and Asakura lords, whose bases he destroyed. Ichijōdani, the capital of the Asakura, was burned and razed, and Katsuie received the castle of Kitanosho (located in the current city of Fukui) with the task of administering the region. In 1575, he was involved in the pacification of the provinces of Echizen, Etchū, and Noto but came up against the warlord Uesugi Kenshin established in Echigo. At Nobunaga's death in 1582, Katsuie did not participate in the campaign to reduce [sic] Akechi Mitsuhide because he was dealing with Kenshin further north. Subsequently, Shibata Katsuie supported Nobutaka, Nobunaga's third son, for succession and clashed with Hideyoshi. The relationship between Nobunaga's two main generals quickly degenerated into an armed conflict and in 1583 Katsuie was defeated at the Battle of Shizugatake. Katsuie took refuge in his castle of Kitanoshō, where he was besieged by his enemies. He committed suicide there with his wife Oichi, who was Nobunaga's younger sister.