Akiyama Nobutomo

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Akiyama Nobutomo (秋山 信友? 1531 - December 23, 1575) was a retainer in the service of the Takeda family who served under Takeda Shingen and Takeda Katsuyori.

Nobutomo was born in a respected family and went into the service for Shingen. On 1547 in the campaign for Ina district, he fought with excellence and was given the northern half of Ina, present day Kamiina District. He continued his service mostly given the defensive role of holding such castles as Takato Castle and Iida Castle. Having the nickname of Takeda no Mogyu (武田の猛牛?), lit. raging bull of Takeda clan, he had also served as a diplomat on 1568 to serve as the deputy for Shingen at the marriage of Oda Nobunaga's eldest son Oda Nobutada with a daughter of Shingen at Gifu Castle.

After tasked with holding Iida Castle, Nobutomo was also tasked with a campaign for Mino province. In 1573, he successfully captured Iwamura Castle under a treaty when Toyama Kageto who defended the castle died of sudden illness. The morale of defenders of Iwamura collapsed and Lady Toyama (the wife of Kageto) who happened to be aunt of Nobunaga chose to be wed to Nobutomo to be protected. Nobutomo sent back adopted son of Kageto, Gobomaru (御坊丸?) who would later become Oda Katsunaga to Kai province. He then based his power on this castle to defend the frontline against Mino province.

After Shingen's death, Nobutomo continued to support Katsuyori and his campaigns, but in 1575 after Katsuyori lost at battle of Nagashino, Nobutomo and Iwamura Castle were left without support. Under a repeated siege by Oda Nobutada, Nobutomo managed to hold the castle until November when Nobunaga swept back with the main army. Nobutomo signed a truce to surrender the castle after realizing that he had no chance but Nobunaga broke the truce and ordered all troops under Nobutomo as well as his wife, Nobunaga's aunt, be killed. Nobutomo and his wife were taken to Nagara River where they were hanged on a cross.

A historically accurate account of Nobutomo's life, from the viewpoint of one of his servants, can be found in Erik Christian Haugaard's The Samurai's Tale.