Counting back from his death, he is thought to have been born this year. He is said to have come from Kōka District in Ōmi Province, but his early career is unclear. Records say he excelled with firearms from childhood, and it has long been told that he was hired by Oda Nobunaga for that skill (accounts vary).
The Shinchō Kōki records that "Takigawa Sakon's men" took roles at a dance festival held by Nobunaga, so he is thought to have been serving Nobunaga by around this time. He is also said to have been a cousin of Ikeda Tsuneoki, Nobunaga's foster brother, and seems to have earned trust in the Oda house early on.
He distinguished himself as vanguard in the Oda conquest of Ise, bringing the houses of northern Ise under control. The next year he won over relatives of the Kitabatake, governors of Ise, and when Kitabatake Tomonori surrendered Ōkawachi Castle, he was entrusted with taking it over. Afterward he was given five districts of northern Ise as his base.
In Nagashima in northern Ise he faced the Ikkō uprising, while also serving as a mobile force fighting in many places. In the third Nagashima campaign he led a fleet with Kuki Yoshitaka and others, supporting the Oda army with gunfire from the sea. For this he was given Nagashima Castle and five districts of northern Ise, securing his place as a senior Oda retainer.
He took part in the Battle of Nagashino against the army of Takeda Katsuyori. He is said to have commanded the gunners there, putting to use the skill with firearms he had excelled at since his youth. The same year he also joined the suppression of the Ikkō uprising in Echizen, continuing to support Nobunaga's wars of unification across the land.
In the second battle of Kizugawaguchi, his ship sailed with the great vessels led by Kuki Yoshitaka and defeated the Mōri navy. Kazumasu is thought to have been involved in building these ships protected with iron. The next year he won over a commander of Arioka Castle, breaking its defenses, work that led to the surrender of the Honganji.
After Sakuma Nobumori was banished, Kazumasu took over as liaison with Kantō lords such as the Hōjō of Odawara. While joining the campaign in Iga, he also loved the tea ceremony and built a hermitage at Myōshin-ji in Kyoto with his son as its founder, showing interest in culture as well as war.
In the Conquest of Kai he led the main force as overseer of Oda Nobutada's army and cornered Takeda Katsuyori at the foot of Mount Tenmoku. For this he was given the province of Kōzuke and two districts of Shinano and charged with uniting the Kantō lords. A letter survives in which he laments that he wanted a famous tea caddy but was sent to a far province instead, so his luck with the tea ceremony had run out.
When Nobunaga fell in the Honnō-ji Incident, a great Hōjō army invaded Kōzuke. Kazumasu won the first day of the Battle of Kannagawa but was defeated the next, bid farewell to the lords of Kōzuke and withdrew to Ise. The Kiyosu Conference was held while he was on his way back, so he could not attend, and his standing within the Oda house fell sharply.
When Shibata Katsuie and Hashiba Hideyoshi clashed, Kazumasu sided with Katsuie and raised troops in northern Ise. He fought stubbornly at Nagashima Castle against Hideyoshi's great army, but when Katsuie was defeated at the Battle of Shizugatake and died at Kitanosho, he was isolated and finally surrendered. All his lands were taken, and he shaved his head at Myōshin-ji in Kyoto.
In the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute he fought this time on Hideyoshi's side. Crossing the sea from Ise, he seized Kanie Castle and drove a wedge between the bases of Oda Nobukatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu, but surrounded by the main forces of Ieyasu and others, he held out for more than half a month before giving up the castle. Pursued during the withdrawal, he escaped to Ise by ship.
In his later years he took refuge in Echizen with the help of Niwa Nagahide and also took part in diplomacy with Kantō lords on Hideyoshi's behalf. This year he died at Ōno in Echizen. He was a famous commander who wielded power under Nobunaga through firearms, the navy and the management of the Kantō, but lost his power in the great currents after Nobunaga's death.
Oda NobunagaNiwa NagahideKuki YoshitakaTokugawa IeyasuTakeda KatsuyoriOda NobutadaOda Nagamasu (Urakusai)Shibata Katsuie
Sue Harukata (Takafusa)Sen no RikyūShibata KatsuieMiyoshi NagayoshiHachisuka MasakatsuSakai TadatsuguAkechi MitsuhideRyuzoji Takanobu
People of the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.