Hirate Masahide
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Hirate Masahide (平手政秀; first named ; 1492-February 25, 1553) was a Japanese samurai, who served the Oda clan for two generations.
Masahide first served Oda Nobuhide. He was talented not only as a samurai but also in various arts like sado and waka, and this helped him to act as a skilled diplomat, dealing with Ashikaga shogunate and deputies of the emperor. In 1533, a well-known regent Yamashina Tokitsugu made a visit to Owari Province, the dominion of Oda clan. Finding the superbness of the reception Masahide prepared, Tokitsugu highly praised Masahide's knowledge. Another evidence of his importance as a diplomat can be found in the fact that he paid a visit to Kyoto to offer the cost needed to repair the Emperor's residence in the name of Nobuhide.
When Nobuhide's son Nobunaga was born (1534), Masahide became the second highest ranking karo as well as the tutor of the new-born heir. In 1547 Nobunaga finished his coming-of-age ceremony, and on the occasion of his first battle, Masahide served beside him. The next year (1548), he exerted himself to establish peace between Nobuhide and his agelong rival Saito Dosan of Mino Province, and to arrange the marriage between Nobunaga and Dosan's daughter No-hime(濃姫). This move made Oda clan possible to concentrate on the fight against Imagawa clan.
In these ways Masahide served the Oda family faithfully, but he was also deeply troubled by Nobunaga's eccentricity. After Nobuhide's death, discord in the clan increased and so did Masahide's concern about the future of his master. In despair, he killed himself in 1553.
The suicide of Masahide is well known as a fair story of wise retainer remonstrating his young master with his own death. However this may not have been the true story. Some believe that he felt responsible for Nobunaga's behavior and took responsibility with his own life, some other believe that Nobunaga had wanted a horse of Masahide's son but Masahide turned it down and this led to a difficult situation for him, or still some other think there were serious conflicts between other retainers. Masahide's death did not help Nobunaga to stop his erratic behaviour, but he did grieve the lost and built a Buddhist temple, Seishuji(政秀寺) dedicated to Masahide.
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