Hayakutake Tomokane

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Hayakutaka Tomokane (1534-1584) was a retainer under the Ryūzōji clan of samurai during the late Sengoku Period of Japanese history.

Serving Ryūzōji Takanobu, Tomokane initially served throughout many of the Ryūzōji's battles, gaining both reputation and rank as the years passed, developing a firm bond of conviction and loyalty to Takanobu. As Tomokane was thus considered by the retainers of Ryūzōji as the most capable of their commanding officers^{[citation needed]}, he went on to serve in the 1584 Battle of Okita Nawate, the final battle at which both he and Takanobu would battle the Shimazu clan. Tomokane was killed in this conflict, possibly around the time at which the Shimazu guardsmen broke into Takanobu's personal quarters and delivered a final crucial blow to the Ryūzōji clan. The fate of Tomokane's household remains unknown, but as Takanobu's son was initially forced to submit to the Shimazu following their defeat, it can be expected that they thus survived^{[citation needed]}, remaining as a relatively unknown source, while Tomokane was remembered as being one of Ryūzōji's most capable and influential men^{[citation needed]}.