Myōtoku-ji (birthplace of Shibata Katsuie at Meitō-ku, Nagoya)
Katsuie was born in the village of Kamiyashiro (present-day Meitō-ku, Nagoya), a branch of the Shiba clan (who descended from the Ashikaga clan, and were the former suzerains of the Oda clan). Note the differences between Shibata (柴田), Shiba (斯波), and the Shibata clan of Echigo (新発田).
In 1556, when control of the Oda clan was contested, Katsuie initially supported his lord, Nobuyuki, against his elder brother Oda Nobunaga. Katsuie launched a coup d'état against Nobunaga. He was defeated at the Battle of Inō, and in the aftermath Nobunaga had his brother executed, but impressed with the retainer's loyalty and bravery, spared the life of Katsuie. Katsuie pledged his services to Nobunaga, earning his praises.
In 1556, According to the records from Tosho Gunkan, Sakai Tadatsugu defends Fukutani castle which besieged by 2,000 cavalry troops of Oda clan led by Shibata Katsuie. Tadatsugu manage to repel the forces of Katsuie as he led a sallying forces outside the castle and routing them.[2][3][unreliable source?][4][unreliable source?][5][unreliable source?][6]
In 1570, while the Oda–Tokugawa coalition fought at the Battle of Anegawa against the Asakura and Azai clans, Katsuie was at Chōkō-ji castle, under siege by 4,000 soldiers of the Rokkaku clan. Katsuie eventually won via an all-out attack, forcing the Rokkaku to retreat.[1]: 220 This action, along with a series of brilliant victories, gained him renown as the "Oni Shibata", or "Demon Shibata".
In 1571, he fought in the first Siege of Nagashima and was severely wounded.
In 1577, Nobunaga sent an army led by Shibata Katsuie and some of his most experienced generals to reinforce Shigetsura from Noto province against Uesugi Kenshin at the Battle of Tedorigawa.
Later in 1582, after the death of Nobunaga, in a meeting at Kiyosu Castle to determine Nobunaga's successor, Katsuie initially supported the choice of Samboshi, Nobunaga's grandson.[8] but he later supported Oda Nobutaka, Nobunaga's third son, for whom Katsuie had performed the genpuku ritual. He then allied with Oda Nobutaka and Takigawa Kazumasu against Toyotomi Hideyoshi who was allied with Oda Nobukatsu. Tension quickly escalated between Hideyoshi and Katsuie, and the following year they clashed at the Battle of Shizugatake.[9]
During the siege, Katsuie implored his wife, Oichi, to take their daughters and leave, but she decided to stay and die with him, while letting their daughters escape. After setting fire to his castle, Katsuie committed seppuku.[11][12][1]: 234
His death poem was:
夏の夜の 夢路儚き 後の名を 雲井にあげよ 山不如
Natsu no yo no
yumeji hakanaki
ato no na o
kumoi ni ageyo
yamahototogisu
"Fleeting dream paths,
In the summer night!
O bird of the mountain,
Carry my name beyond the clouds."
^ abcdeTurnbull, Stephen (2000). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & C0. p. 78,221,228. ISBN1854095234.
^"NHK大河ドラマ「どうする家康」第39話、酒井忠次ゆかりの地として福谷城が紹介されました". Miyoshi city website (in Japanese). Miyoshi City Board of Education Education Department History and Folklore Museum. 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
