Hidesada Hayashi

Hidesada Hayashi is a hereditary retainer of the Oda clan. He began his service under Nobuhide Oda and served as one of Nobunaga Oda's teachers. Later, he and his brother, Michitomo Hayashi rebelled against Nobunaga at Inō with Nobuyuki Oda. After being defeated, Hisesada surrendered and was forgiven by Nobunaga, serving him loyally from then on out. Eventually, however, Nobunaga used the excuse of his old rebellion to banish him from Owari and force his retirement alongside Nobumori Sakuma.

Role in Games
Hidesada is one of Oda's generals under Hanbei Takenaka and Narimasa Sassa. He fights against the Azai at Odani Castle, attacking the main gate alongside Katsuie Shibata..

In Oda Nobunaga Den, Hidesada is one of the main members of the Oda army, in which he acts as a strategist. In Kessen III, he is one of the captains under Katsuie Shibata and fights Nobunaga's army at Inō. In Taiko Risshiden, Hidesada is a vassal of the Oda clan and appears in all series.

Historical Information
Hiyashi Hidesada hailed from the village of Oki in the Kasugai District of Owari Province. He was born to Hiyashi Mitchiyasu. In the past, Hidesada’s name has been mixed up with Hayashi Michikatsu, who was a servant of Matsunaga Hisahide. Hiyashi was one of Oda Nobunaga’s teachers, serving as his chief senior retainer when Nobunaga was placed in charge of Nagoya Castle while still a child. This meant that Hidesada essentially managed the castle for Nobunaga until he completed his coming of age ceremony.

Hidesada served as an assistant at Nobunaga's genpuku (coming of age) ceremony in 1546. Like his other fellow senior retainers, Hidesada was distressed by Nobunaga’s eccentric behavior. These concerns continued to grow after Nobuhide's death in 1551, as Nobunaga refused to amend his behavior, even after Hirate Masahide committed seppuku over Nobunaga’s disrespect to his father’s ashes. Hidesada decided to secretly support Oda Nobuyuki, Nobunaga’s younger and more reasonable brother, as true heir to the Oda clan. Hiyashi joined Shibata Katsuie and his younger brother Hiyashi Michitomo in rebellion in 1556. They gathered troops with Nobuyuki’s support and fought Nobunaga at Inō, where they were defeated. After the rebellion, both Hidesada and Katsuie were pardoned by Nobunaga and even retained their former positions within the Oda clan.

After being forgiven, Hidesada served Nobunaga loyally, functioning as a bureaucrat more than a warrior. Hidesada also occasionally served in battle, like the battle of Harima, but usually held in the back leading reserve units. His main service was as a Soja and Toritsugi for Nobunaga during official meetings and tea ceremonies. In November of 1575, Nobunaga retired as head of his clan, allowing Oda Nobutada to assume his post. When Nobutada became head of the Oda clan, Nobunaga assigned Hidesada to serve the same administrative post for his son.

Despite continuing to hold his place as chief senior retainer and assistant to Nobutada, Hiyashi’s relevance began to fade. Oda officers like Katsuie, Akechi Mitsuhide, Sakuma Nobumori, and Hashiba Hideyoshi gained much glory and stipends through their military service. However, Nobunaga seems to have respected Hidesada's service as late as 1579, when only Hidesada and Murai Sadakatsu were permitted to see Azuchi Castle's decorative roof before it was mounted.

Fortune changed dramatically Hidesada In August 1580. He was banished suddenly by Nobunaga for his participation in rebellion back in 1556, a shock to all involved.Such a late punishment coupled with years of tolerance and honor leaves some to speculate that such a banishment was an excuse to force Hidesada and other older retainers who were not performing excellently into retirement. With no other choice, Hidesada moved into Kyoto and changed his name to Nanbu Tajima. However, he died two month later, at the age 68.