Masashige was the 4th son of Honda Toshimasa and a younger brother of Honda Masanobu. He at first served Tokugawa Ieyasu and became known for his bravery in combat, to the extent that Oda Nobunaga himself made mention of Masashige's prowess. Yet, not long after serving at the battle of Nagashino and assisting in the recapture of Futamata castle in 1575, Masashige left the Tokugawa and took up service with Oda retainer Takigawa Kazumasu. In 1583 Masashige left Takigawa to serve Maeda Toshiie and led troops for the latter against Sassa Narimasa. Not one to settle down for long, it would seem, Masashige next entered the employment of Gamô Ujisato and fought with distinction in the Kyushu Campaign (1587). Masashige next came into some sort of dispute with the Gamô and departed their service. Finally, in 1596, Masashige returned to the Tokugawa and fought under their standard at the Battle of Sekigahara (1600). He was afterwards given a fief in Shimôsa province but retired in 1616 and went to Kyoto, where he died the following year.
References
- Initial text from Sengoku Biographical Dictionary (Samurai-Archives.com) FWSeal & CEWest, 2005