Changes

* ''Died: [[1573]]''

* ''Died: [[1573]]''

* ''Titles: Bizen no kami''

* ''Titles: Bizen no kami''

[[Image:Asai_nagamasa.jpg||thumb|left|Asai Nagamasa.]]

[[Image:Asai_nagamasa.jpg||thumb|left|Asai Nagamasa.]]

Nagamasa was born at [[Odani castle|Odani Castle]] and was the son of [[Asai Hisamasa]] ([[1524]]-[[1573]]), the 2nd daimyô of the [[Asai clan|Asai]] family. According to the [[Asai Sandai-ki]], Hisamasa, unlike his father [[Asai Sukemasa|Sukemasa]] ([[1495]]-[[1546]]) was a less then capable leader and lost a number of castles to the Asai's erstwhile overlords, the [[Rokkaku clan|Rokkaku]]. When Fûto fell in [[1560]], Hisamasa was on the verge of submitting to the Rokkaku. When Nagamasa came of age, he was given the name Yoshimasa, the 'Yoshi-' coming from Rokkaku Yoshikata. He was sent to marry a girl from the Rokkaku clan but balked at the arrangement and returned to Odani. By this time, the Asai retainers had decided to remove Hisamasa and compelled him to step down in favor of Nagamasa. Hisamasa acquiesced to the elevation of his 15 year-old son and afterwards lived quietly in Odani.  

Nagamasa was born at [[Odani castle|Odani Castle]] and was the son of [[Asai Hisamasa]] ([[1524]]-[[1573]]), the 2nd daimyô of the [[Asai clan|Asai]] family. According to the [[Asai Sandai-ki]], Hisamasa, unlike his father [[Asai Sukemasa|Sukemasa]] ([[1495]]-[[1546]]) was a less then capable leader and lost a number of castles to the Asai's erstwhile overlords, the [[Rokkaku clan|Rokkaku]]. When Fûto fell in [[1560]], Hisamasa was on the verge of submitting to the Rokkaku. When Nagamasa came of age, he was given the name Yoshimasa, the 'Yoshi-' coming from Rokkaku Yoshikata. He was sent to marry a girl from the Rokkaku clan but balked at the arrangement and returned to Odani. By this time, the Asai retainers had decided to remove Hisamasa and compelled him to step down in favor of Nagamasa. Hisamasa acquiesced to the elevation of his 15 year-old son and afterwards lived quietly in Odani.  

Nagamasa found himself part of a loose anti-Oda confederation that included the unlikely alliance of Asai, Asakura, Rokkaku, and Enryakuji monks, possibly in cooperation with the shôgun [[Ashikaga Yoshiaki]]. Further attempts by Nobunaga to bring down Odani in [[1571]] and [[1572]] were either thwarted by the appearance of the Asakura army or crises elsewhere. Unfortunately, the death of Nobunaga's most formidable enemy, [[Takeda Shingen]], meant that the full attentions of the Oda could be leveled on Ômi and Echizen. In [[1573]], Nobunaga laid siege to Sawayama Castle, which was held by [[Isono Kazumasa]]. Kazumasa managed to hold out for months but in the end was compelled to surrender. Nagamasa responded by putting Kazumasa's elderly mother, a hostage at Odani, to death. Nobunaga turned against Odani once again, drawing out the Asakura army, which was ambushed and routed before it could reach Nagamasa. Now isolated and seeing the end had come, Nagamasa returned O-ichi and his three daughters to Nobunaga, and committed seppuku.  Nagamasa's son and only hier, [[Manpukumaru]], was not allowed to live, and was put to the sword Nobunaga.

Nagamasa found himself part of a loose anti-Oda confederation that included the unlikely alliance of Asai, Asakura, Rokkaku, and Enryakuji monks, possibly in cooperation with the shôgun [[Ashikaga Yoshiaki]]. Further attempts by Nobunaga to bring down Odani in [[1571]] and [[1572]] were either thwarted by the appearance of the Asakura army or crises elsewhere. Unfortunately, the death of Nobunaga's most formidable enemy, [[Takeda Shingen]], meant that the full attentions of the Oda could be leveled on Ômi and Echizen. In [[1573]], Nobunaga laid siege to Sawayama Castle, which was held by [[Isono Kazumasa]]. Kazumasa managed to hold out for months but in the end was compelled to surrender. Nagamasa responded by putting Kazumasa's elderly mother, a hostage at Odani, to death. Nobunaga turned against Odani once again, drawing out the Asakura army, which was ambushed and routed before it could reach Nagamasa. Now isolated and seeing the end had come, Nagamasa returned O-ichi and his three daughters to Nobunaga, and committed seppuku.  Nagamasa's son and only hier, [[Manpukumaru]], was not allowed to live, and was put to the sword Nobunaga.

The Asai's army was considered an effective force and, in fact, at Anegawa, it came very close to defeating Nobunaga's larger force. The Asai relied on the support of their retainer clans, which included the [[Isono clan|Isono]], [[Atsuji clan|Atsuji]], [[Shinjo clan|Shinjo]], [[Akao clan|Akao]], [[Amemori clan|Amemori]], and [[Imai clan|Imai]], and in total could muster some 10,000 men for battle. These troops were equipped with a somewhat higher number of rifles then one might find in a clan of the Asai's means since, during the 1560's, they and the Asakura collaborated on a gun-making workshop at Kunimoto (Ômi).  

The Asai's army was considered an effective force and, in fact, at Anegawa, it came very close to defeating Nobunaga's larger force. The Asai relied on the support of their retainer clans, which included the [[Isono clan|Isono]], [[Atsuji clan|Atsuji]], [[Shinjo clan|Shinjo]], [[Akao clan|Akao]], [[Amemori clan|Amemori]], and [[Imai clan (Owari)|Imai]], and in total could muster some 10,000 men for battle. These troops were equipped with a somewhat higher number of rifles then one might find in a clan of the Asai's means since, during the 1560's, they and the Asakura collaborated on a gun-making workshop at Kunimoto (Ômi).  

One of Asai's daughters would eventually become Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mistress (the famous Yodo-gimi) and would produce the unfortunate [[Toyotomi Hideyori]], with whom she would die at [[Osaka castle|Osaka Castle]] ([[1615]]). Ironically, another ended up married to [[Tokugawa Hidetada]] and was the mother of the 3rd Tokugawa shogun: [[Tokugawa Iemitsu|Iemitsu]].  

One of Asai's daughters would eventually become Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mistress (the famous Yodo-gimi) and would produce the unfortunate [[Toyotomi Hideyori]], with whom she would die at [[Osaka castle|Osaka Castle]] ([[1615]]). Ironically, another ended up married to [[Tokugawa Hidetada]] and was the mother of the 3rd Tokugawa shogun: [[Tokugawa Iemitsu|Iemitsu]].