Taira no Chikazane

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Taira no Chikazane (平親真, Taira no Chikazane^?) was the great-grandson to the reputed leader of Taira, Taira no Kiyomori, and son to Taira no Sukemori, a representory general beneath the command of Kiyomori during the Heian Period of the 12th century of Japan. As Chikazane unfortunately suffered from the loss of his father at the year of 1185—at which Sukemori had been reportedly killed within the Battle of Dannoura—he was already of exceedingly young age, and was thus orphaned to a Shinto priest within the neighboring village of Oda for the sake of his own protection. This village, which was within the province of Echizen was seen as a valuable region at which Chikazane would be able to essentially secure his own safety; and as a result to the threat of the Genpei War and growing power within the hands of the Minamoto, Chikazane discarded his surname 'Taira' and equipped himself with a new surname: 'Oda'. Then to ensure that his lineage survived to all means, he created a general line of priests within the village solely for expanding his name. This action would eventually give birth to a selected few individuals of great ability as like that of Oda Nobunaga who rose with such a family line flowing through his blood; although Nobunaga suggestively preferred to be known as a descendant of the Fujiwara, occasionally seizing many circumstances with such a ruse of authority and prestige.