Harada Naomasa

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Harada Naomasa (原田直政; ?-May 30, 1576) is a retainer and samurai of Oda clan. He was also called Kurozaemon(九郎左衛門) and was referred by the title of Bitchu no Kami(備中守). Initially he had the family name of Ban(塙), but on 1575 received the name of a respected clan, Harada which he took as his own.

He started out as a member of Oda Nobunaga's elite royal force and bodyguards. After 1568 when Nobunaga entered Kyoto to become the de facto ruler, Naomasa handled paperworks and was tasked with organizing ceremonies to receive a slice of flagrant wood imported from Southeast Asia on 9th century. On June 1574, he became the ruler of Yamashiro Province and gained Yamato Province eight months later. Until this point, his records are that of an effective bureaucrat.

Since 1574, Naomasa took parts in military actions and on 1575, he joined the battle of Ise Nagashima and a crack down on the Echizen Province's Buddhist led rebellion. From his successes, he was counted among such retainers as Akechi Mitsuhide and Niwa Nagahide to have the title of Bitchu no Kami and to be granted to call himself by Harada.

On May 1576, Naomasa took a part in the campaign against Honganji in Osaka along with Akechi Mitsuhide, Araki Murashige, and Hosokawa Fujitaka. As the main army of this campaign, he took on the siege of Mitsuji but he was surprised by Honganji troop and lost his life in the ensuing chaos.