Takenaka Shigeharu



Takenaka Shigeharu (竹中 重治), who was also known as Hanbei (半兵衛), was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period of the 16th century.

Career
He initially served the Saitō clan of Mino province, but later plotted an uprising and took over the Saitō clan's castle at Mount Inaba. He then directed the defense against the forces of Oda Nobunaga during the Siege of Inabayama Castle. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was so impressed by him that he invited Shigeharu to join his forces as a strategist. Shigeharu made many contributions to Hideyoshi with his exceptional talent in that field.

He died of illness during Hideyoshi's attack against the Mōri in the Chūgoku region of Japan, while Miki Castle was being besieged.

Descendants
Takenaka Shigekado, Shigeharu's son and successor, continued to serve Hideyoshi after his father's death. At the Battle of Sekigahara, he fought on the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and his holdings at Bodaisan were secured. The Takenaka family thus became a family of hatamoto, and would soon move from their old castle of Bodaisan to the new Iwate Castle. The holdings of the Takenaka included Sekigahara Village.

In the mid-19th century, Shigeharu's descendant Takenaka Shigekata served as commander of the Tokugawa forces in Fushimi at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi.

Popular culture

 * He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan, with his partner Pokémon being Pikachu and Raichu), in the Samurai Warriors games from Samurai Warriors 3 and in the game Warriors Orochi 3. A young female version of Takenaka Hanbei is in The Ambition of Oda Nobuna.  He appears in the Sengoku Basara series.