Sakai Tadatsugu
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Sakai Tadatsugu (酒井忠次?) (1527-1596), one of the most notable officers under Tokugawa Ieyasu, being ranked as one of the Four Guardians of the Tokugawa following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
After the year of 1560, when Ieyasu split his ties with the Imagawa, with the help of Tadatsugu, Tadatsugu was given command of the Yoshida Castle. In they year of 1573, during the Battle of Mikatagahara, Tadatsugu secured the Tokugawa's right flank, seeing his troops being badly beaten by the opposing Takeda forces, when his units fled. During the Battle of Nagashino, he led a night attack against the Takeda, which proved out very successful, with the help of Kanamori Nagachika.
During the Komaki Campaign, he was commanded to turn back a Toyotomi move against Kiyosu, which was led by a Toyotomi commander known as Mori Nagayoshi. Tadatsugu successfully completed the task. In the year of 1590, during the Odawara Campaign, Tadatsugu was to accompany Tokugawa Hidetada, the third son of Ieyasu, to Kyoto, since he was meant to be the current hostage for the Toyotomi.
After they moved from the Kanto region, Tadatsugu received a 50,000-koku fief at Takasaki. Even though Tadatsugu was a high ranked officer under the Tokugawa, some say that Ieyasu would forever have a personal grudge against him. Due to an incident that took place in the year of 1579: When Tadatsugu was to visit Oda Nobunaga due to diplomatic reasons, Tadatsugu was confronted with the fact that Tokugawa Nobuyasu was plotting against the Oda. Since Tadatsugu was no friend whatsoever to Nobuyasu, Tadatsugu made no attempt to refute the charges, and forced Nobuyasu to commit suicide.
When Tadatsugu himself died in the year of 1596, he was succeeded by his son, Sakai Ietsugu.
