Hisatake Chikanao

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hisatake Chikanao (久武親直, Hisatake Chikanao^?) was a senior retainer of the Chōsokabe clan who lived in the late Sengoku period of Japanese history.

Initially serving Chōsokabe Motochika, Chikanao became the head of the Hisatake clan in 1579, due to the death of his elder brother, Chikanobu, and was generally disliked by the majority of his fellow retainers by means of blatant arrogance and harsh immature treatment to people that he did not favor^{[citation needed]}. To justify this, Chikanao constantly attempted to gain the favor of his master by any suitable means that he could find. In 1586, the heir to the Chōsokabe, Chōsokabe Nobuchika, died in battle, initially leading to Motochika's choosing of his second son, Morichika, as heir. Chikanao agreed with and seconded the nomination. However, as another senior retainer by the name of Kira Chikazane thought that Kagawa Chikazane should be chosen, as opposed to Nobuchika, Chikanao, already having a dislike towards Chikazane, encouraged Motochika to imprison Chikazane lest he were to act to prevent Nobuchika's succession. Chikanao convinced Motochika that Chikazane was in favor of Tokugawa Ieyasu as a justification towards his former defiance and behavior towards the Toyotomi name, leading Motochika to thus put Chikazane to death in 1588, ensuring that such a risk is eliminated. As the Chōsokabe were deprived of their domain within Tosa shortly following this incident, Chikanao, much to the chagrin of his respective retainers, abandoned the Chōsokabe and served the Katō clan of Higo province. Chikanao's fate following this period in time is not ultimately known.