Baba Nobuharu

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**Baba Nobuharu**  (馬場 (ばば)信春 (のぶふさ), *****Baba Nobuharu*****? Baba Nobuharu) is a retainer of the Takeda Clan, serving under Takeda Shingen. She serves as a recruitable general since Sengoku Hime 1, and has appeared in all 7 of the games in the Sengoku Hime series and 2 of the Tengoku series.

## Introduction

**Sengoku Hime 1:** One of the four Takeda Tenno.
Among the Furinkazan, the chief retainer of the Takeda army who controls the fire. Tsumura Retsuhi no Baba A talented military commander with a hot soul and high ability to judge situations. He is wearing a headgear on his head for some reason.
He is engaged in dissemination activities as a helmet that embodies the spirit of the Takeda cavalry army, but is not accepted by other military commanders.
Contrary to his appearance, he is a sincere and excellent military commander with a serious personality.
Speaking only of his personal fighting power, he boasts the strongest ability of Takeda Shitenno and is also called "Immortal Baba".

風林火山のうち、火を司る武田軍の重臣。通村 烈火の馬場 熱い魂と高い状況判断能力を持つ有能な武将。なぜか頭にの被り物を被っている。
本人は、武田騎馬軍の精神を具現化した兜として普及活動に勤しんでいるが、他の武将には受け入れられない。
見た目に反して、性格は真面目そのものの誠実で優秀な武将。
個人の戦闘力だけでいえば、武田四天王最強の実力を誇り、「不死身の馬場」とも呼ばれる。
原画:真紅

**Sengoku Hime 2:** One of the four Takeda Tenno. Among the Furinkazan, the chief retainer of the Takeda army who controls the fire. He is a talented military commander with a passionate heart and high ability to judge situations. He is wearing a horse headgear on his head for some reason. He is engaged in dissemination activities as a helmet that embodies the spirit of the Takeda cavalry army, but is not accepted by other military commanders.
Contrary to his appearance, he is a sincere and excellent military commander with a serious personality. Speaking only of his personal fighting ability, he boasts the strongest ability of Takeda Shitenno and is also called "Immortal Baba".

武田四天王の一人。風林火山のうち、火を司る武田軍の重臣。熱い心と高い状況判断能力を持つ有能な武将。なぜか頭に馬の被り物を被っている。 本人は、武田騎馬軍の精神を具現化した兜として普及活動に勤しんでいるが、他の武将には受け入れられない。
見た目に反して、性格は真面目そのものの誠実で優秀な武将。個人の戦闘能力だけでいえば、武田四天王最強の実力を誇り、「不死身の馬場」とも呼ばれる。

**Sengoku Hime 3:** Takeda's premier warlord, who was given the name "Fire" by Shingen.

He is cheerful and energetic, always wearing a characteristic horse headgear on his head, and this headgear has an extraordinary commitment. The Baba Cavalry, which she leads, has made a name for himself with overwhelming strength and has participated in numerous battles, but she has never been injured. She recommends everyone a horse headgear ... but they refuse.

明るく元気でいつも頭に特徴的な馬の被り物をつけており、この被り物には並々ならぬこだわりがある。彼女が率いる馬場騎馬隊は圧倒的な強さで天下に名を轟かせ、数多くの戦に参加しているが、未だに傷一つ負ったことがない。皆に馬の被り物を勧めている……が、皆断っている。
ＣＶ：秋野花　デザイナー：井藤ななみ

**Sengoku Hime 4:** A vassal who embodies the Takeda army's passage "Invasion is like fire".
A bright, energetic and playful princess warrior, the mood maker of the Takeda family.
She wears a homemade horse headgear and runs through the battlefield with her hair fluttering like a horse's tail.

明るく元気で茶目っ気たっぷりの姫武将で、武田家のムードメーカー。
お手製の馬のかぶり物かぶり、馬の尾のように髪をなびかせつつ戦場を疾走する。
【デザイナー：開栓注意】　【演者：秋野花】

**Sengoku Hime 5:** A vassal who embodies the Takeda army's passage "Invasion is like fire". A bright, energetic and playful princess warrior, the mood maker of the Takeda family. She wears a homemade horse headgear and runs through the battlefield with her hair fluttering like a horse's tail.

デザイナー：曽我誠ＣＶ：秋野花

**Sengoku Hime 6:** A vassal who embodies the Takeda army's passage "Invasion is like fire". A bright, energetic and playful princess warrior, the mood maker of the Takeda family. She wears a homemade horse headgear and runs through the battlefield with her hair fluttering like a horse's tail.

デザイナー：曽我誠 演者：秋野花

**Sengoku Hime 7:** One of the four Takeda Tenno. An immortal demon Mino, a feared warlord.
Due to his success, Shingen has given him the character "fire" of Furinkazan.
He surprises people with his eye-catching horse headgear, but he is a very common sense person and a serious and dependable person except that he wears a horse on his head.
She declares that it's her hobby as to why she wears a horse, but she seems to have other practicalities ...

演者:田中理々
武田四天王の一人。不死身の鬼美濃と称され恐れられる猛将。
その活躍により、信玄からは風林火山の『火』の字を与えられている。
ひと際目を引く馬の被り物が人々を驚かせるが、馬を頭に被っていること以外はすこぶる常識人で真面目な頼れる人物。
なぜ馬を被っているかについては、趣味だと明言する彼女だが、それ以外に実用性がある……らしい。

**Tengoku Hime 1:** A vassal who embodies the Takeda army's passage "Invasion is like fire".
A bright, energetic and playful princess warrior, the mood maker of the Takeda family.
She wears a homemade horse headgear and runs through the battlefield with her hair fluttering like a horse's tail.

明るく元気で茶目っ気たっぷりの姫武将で、武田家のムードメーカー。
お手製の馬のかぶり物をかぶり、馬の尾のように髪をなびかせつつ戦場を疾走する。
デザイナー：曽我誠 演者：秋野花

**Tengoku Hime 2:** A vassal who embodies the Takeda army's passage "Invasion is like fire".
A bright, energetic and playful princess warrior, the mood maker of the Takeda family.
She wears a homemade horse headgear and runs through the battlefield with her hair fluttering like a horse's tail.
As the four heavenly kings of Takeda, she participated in the battle as usual, and when she was fighting endlessly, she was summoned to Venard.

明るく元気で茶目っ気たっぷりの姫武将で、武田家のムードメーカー。
お手製の馬のかぶり物かぶり、馬の尾のように髪をなびかせつつ戦場を疾走する。
武田四天王として、いつものように戦に参加し、縦横無尽に戦っていたところ、ヴェナールに召喚された。
デザイナー：曽我誠 演者：秋野花

## Historial Infomation

Baba Nobuharu (馬場 信春, 1514/15 – June 29, 1575), also known as Baba Nobufusa (馬場 信房), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. He was known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". When Takeda Shingen took Fukashi castle (now Matsumoto Castle) in 1550, he entrusted it to Baba.

Baba fought in the Kawanakajima campaigns, and led the Takeda army that besieged and destroyed Katsurayama, a major Uesugi clan stronghold in 1557. In 1573, he took part in the Battle of Mikatagahara, during which the troops under his command chased Tokugawa Ieyasu's army back to Hamamatsu fortress; upon seeing the gates open and braziers lit, Baba mistakenly suspected a trap, and did not press the fleeing army further. Following Takeda Shingen's death, Baba served his successor Takeda Katsuyori.

In later generations, Nobuharu is counted as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Takeda (along with Naitō Masatoyo, Yamagata Masakage, and Kasuga Toratsuna) as well as one of the Twenty-Four Generals of the Takeda. In some sources, he is referred to as Fusanobu. As a senior retainer of the Takeda, Nobuharu served multiple generations of leaders, including Takeda Nobutora, Takeda Shingen, and Takeda Katsuyori. Nobuharu died in the Battle of Nagashino against the allied forces of the Oda and Tokugawa in Mikawa Province in 1575.
Origins
Nobuharu was born either in Eishō 11 (1514) or Eishō 12 (1515).
The Baba clan originated from the Settsu-Genji, descendants of the Sewa-Genji. The Baba were remote ancestors of Minamoto no Nakamasa (Baba Nakamasa), a great-grandchild of Minamoto no Yorimitsu. Nobuharu was a grandchild of Minamoto no Nobumitsu (Toki Mitsunobu), the founder of the Toki clan originating from the Mino-Genji faction of the Settsu-Genji. Nobuharu was a member of the family of Toki Mitsuhira (Minamoto no Mitsuhira) who settled in the Toki District of Mino Province. The family moved to the village of Kyōraishi in Kai Province and adopted the surname of Kyōraishi. Nobuharu adopted the name of Kyōraishi Kagemasa, and later inherited the family name of the Baba clan and changed his name to Baba Nobufusa. He then changed his name from Nobufusa to Nobuharu. His common name was Minbu Shōyū, and, later, Mino-no-kami. Thereafter, he was feared as the Oni-Mino, or Demon of Mino.
Service to the Takeda
Nobuharu served the Takeda clan from the era of Takeda Nobutora. He was a member of the Mukawa group who allocated and controlled the northern part of the Koma District in Kai Province.
Nobuharu participated in an attack on Unnokuchi Castle (located in the Minami-Saku District of Shinano Province) that was the first battle for Takeda Harunobu (later known as Takeda Shingen), and achieved the merit of killing the enemy commander, Hiraga Genshin. In 1541, he had a role in the plan by Shingen to oust Shingen’s father, Nobutora.
Shingen became the nineteenth head of the Kai-Takeda family, and, soon thereafter, Nobuharu made contributions in attacks in the Suwa and Ina areas of Shinano. As a result, Shingen permitted Nobuharu to inherit the Baba clan which family name had come to an end after the murder of the head of their family, Baba Torasada, at the hands of Takeda Nobutora despite having served as a loyal retainer of the Kai-Takeda for generations. At this time, Nobuharu became the commander of a unit of 50 mounted soldiers.
Thereafter, Nobuharu made further contributions to attacks on Shinano by Shingen so, in 1559, his battalion was increased to 120 mounted soldiers and he was appointed to serve in the group of hereditary chief retainers. In 1561, at the Battle of Kawanakajima, he was assigned to lead a detached unit to attack the Uesugi army from behind. In 1562, Nobuharu was permitted to use the name of Mino-no-kami after the retirement of Hara Toratane who last used the name. He then used the name of Baba Mino-no-kami Nobuharu.
In 1568, Nobuharu joined attacks in Suruga. In 1569, at the Battle of Mimasetōge, he made contributions as a member of the vanguard against the Hōjō army. In 1572, he deployed for Shingen’s Western Expedition, and was assigned a unit to attack Tadarai Castle in an invasion of the Tokugawa territory of Tōtōmi Province. Nobuharu also participated in the Battle of Mikatagahara and made further contributions by driving back the Tokugawa army to the area below Hamamatsu Castle.
Latter years
After the death of Shingen in the fourth month of 1573, Nobuharu joined Yamagata Masakage as leaders of the senior retainers to assist Takeda Katsuyori, but similar to Masakage, was alienated by Katsuyori. In the fifth month of 1575, at the Battle of Nagashino, Nobuharu and Masakage advised the forces retreat, but were disregarded, while other options were rejected by close retainers of Katsuyori. The foregoing, however, is not based on authoritative sources, and may have been fabricated in a later period.
On 5/21, at the decisive battle against the allied forces of the Oda and Tokugawa at Shitaragahara, 700 soldiers from the Takeda army were positioned as the core of the right wing while the forces led by Nobuharu established a position at Maruyama to confront the main force of the Oda with 6000 soldiers led by Sakuma Nobumori. The Baba forces divided into two groups to attack the Oda forces and finally recovered Maruyama. However, owing to inferior numbers, the allies could not sustain the offensive for long, the Takeda army gradually began to break down, capable soldiers fell one after another, and the front line collapsed, compelling Katsuyori to order a retreat. The Baba forces maintained the front line until the end, and then served as a rear guard for the Takeda army. As Katsuyori began to retreat, Nobuharu and Naitō Masahide, with several hundred soldiers, took advantage of the steep mountain gorge on the path of retreat to stop the approach of the large allied army. After Katsuyori disappeared from sight and he confirmed their retreat. At this point, Nobuharu was still unharmed, but after he turned back to fight against the Oda army, he was killed in battle by Kawai Sanjūrō, a retainer of Harada Naomasa of the Oda army. This occurred along the Toyo River in Suzawa.
In the authoritative account known as the Shinchō kōki, Baba Mino-no-kami demonstrated incomparable skill in the battle. He was sixty-one years old.
Character
While serving three generations of leaders in the Takeda clan for over forty years, Nobuharu participated in over seventy battles, but, until the Battle of Nagashino, was unharmed. As a result, he was later referred to as the Immortal Baba of Mino or Immortal Demon of Mino.
According to one account, during the time that he was in the Kyōraishi clan, Nobuharu learned the art of building castles from a commander of the foot soldiers named Yamamoto Jinsuke. Thereafter, he is said to have built or renovated many secondary castles for the Takeda (especially in the Tōkaidō Region), including Fukashi and Makinoshima in Shinano Province, Ejiri and Tanaka in Suruga Province, and Suwahara and Koyama in Tōtōmi Province. He was praised in later generations as a skilled builder of castles.
In texts compiled in the latter part of the Edo period, Nobuharu is praised as a brave and intelligent commander having the ability to serve as governor-general of a province.
Nobuharu is often discussed along with Yamagata Masakage as a mainstay within the Takeda family, but unlike Masakage who is confirmed as a central figure in military affairs and named as an official on licenses marked with seals, no such licenses have been confirmed under Nobuharu’s name so his status within the Takeda military is not certain.
The other members of the Four Heavenly Kings were in their twenties and commanded a cavalry of 100 men, and by their forties, commanded a cavalry of 300 soldiers. By comparison, Nobuharu’s promotions were delayed, so at the age of forty-four, he commanded a cavalry of 120 men.
In the second month of 1582, Nobuharu’s eldest son, Baba Masafusa, during the Conquest of Kōshū, turned over Fukashi Castle in Shinano to Oda Nagamasu. His whereabouts thereafter are unknown, and he is believed to have either died in battle or was executed. Nobuharu’s younger brother, Baba Nobuyori, inherited the Baba clan. Nobuyori’s son, Baba Nobuhisa, appeared in a kabuki performance.
Anecdotes
In 1568, Nobuharu served in the vanguard of an attack in Suruga Province. During this conflict, Shingen feared the burning of valuables and precious items that had been collected by the Imagawa clan, so he ordered the valuables to be brought to him. Upon hearing these instructions, Nobuharu rushed to the scene he told the others that avaricious bushō would be made fun of in the afterlife, but everyone around ignored him and continued to burn the valuables. After hearing this outcome, Shingen was struck by the honor displayed by Nobuharu to care about his name in the afterlife.

**Lord(s):** Takeda Nobutora 武田信虎 → Takeda Shingen 信玄 → Takeda Katsuyori 勝頼

**Father:** Kyōraishi Nobuyasu 教来石信保

**Sibling(s):** **Nobuharu**, Nobuyori 信頼

**Spouse(s):** Daughter of Odagiri Shimotsuke-no-kami 小田切下野守

**Children:** Masafusa 昌房, Nobuyoshi 信義, Fusakatsu 房勝, Odagiri Masamatsu 小田切昌松, daughter (wife of Torii Mototada 鳥居元忠), Baba-dono 馬場殿 (wife of Sanada Nobutada 真田信尹), daughter (wife of Hajikano Masahisa 初鹿野信昌)

**Adopted Children:**