Nobushige Oyamada is a Takeda general that served Shingen, but is best known for betraying Katsuyori and directly leading to his demise. His disloyalty displeased the Oda so much that he was promptly executed upon surrendering.
Role in games
In both Samurai Warriors and Samurai Warriors 2, Nobushige often appears as a recurring officer in the Takeda ranks, serving as one of the commanders at Nagashino. Nobunaga, Nō, and Katsuie's story in 2, it is mentioned that Katsuyori opted to retreat to Masayuki's domain instead of Oyamada's domain. Because of this, Oyamada, Nobukimi Anayama, and Yoshimasa Kiso have already switched sides and join the Oda's attack on Ueda Castle. Because of their status as traitors, they are immediately targeted by Kanetsugu Naoe and must be protected to further lower the Takeda's morale. In 3, Oyamada acts as the Takeda's rear guard. In Nobunaga and Hanbei's version, Nobushige will begin advancing when Shingen reveals himself. In Kanbei, Mitsuhide, and Ranmaru's version, Nobushige will only begin moving during the rout to buy Katsuyori and Yukimura time to rendezvous.
In Samurai Warriors 4, Oyamada, Anayama, and Kiso all appear as one of the early ambush parties against Katsuyori at Mt. Tenmoku, much to the surprise of both Yukimura and Nobuyuki. In Samurai Warriors 5, Oyamada defects shortly after Kiso's defection, and will deny Katsuyori entry and stalls to allow the Oda forces catch up. Because of his betrayal, however, Moritomo Oyamada will arrive to attack Nobushige from behind.
In Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada, Nobushige is one of Shingen's longstanding generals and participates during the daimyō's final battle with Kenshin at Kawanakajima. Nobushige would grow increasingly jealous when his lord begins favoring both Katsuyori and Masayuki Sanada more throughout the campaigns against the Imagawa and Hōjō. After their lord's untimely demise after Mikatagahara, Nobushige chooses to support Katsuyori's decision to attack Nagashino castle even after Oda reinforcements. When the Oda-Tokugawa forces pierce into Takeda territory, both Nobushige and Katsusuke Atobe argue to have Katsuyori flee to Iwadono Castle, against Masayuki's suggestion to head towards the Sanada's domain at Shinano. Although Katsuyori senses Nobushige's wavering loyalties by this point, he chooses to go to Iwadono regardless to prevent the Sanada's destruction. Kunoichi would later report Nobushige's betrayal to a frustrated and bereaved Masayuki.
Historical Information
Nobushige was the second son of Nobuari Oyamada, a local of the Gunnai region (modern-day Eastern Yamanashi prefecture). Nobushige's date of birth is unknown, but it is confirmed that during Nobuari's visit to Daizenji Temple at Mt. Kashio, he already had two sons, one of which was Nobushige. In 1552, Nobuari passed away, leaving control to his eldest son, Yasaburo, but Yasaburo would also pass away in 1565 without a heir, leaving Nobushige to take control of the clan.
Nobushige's first battle was believed to be during the first battle of Unnodaira near Shinano, serving as part of the vanguard, although the Kōyō Gunkan erroneously mentions Yasaburo instead of Nobushige. Nobushige would be among the many clan vassals that would write letters of assurance to Shingen following the Yoshinobu incident, and was part of the vanguard during the invasion of Suruga. During the Takeda invasion of Odawara, Nobushige was instructed to attack the smaller castles rather than Odawara itself, and targeted Takiyama, Hachigata, and Ontake castles and caused relative damage.
During the Mikatagahara campaign, Nobushige once again was assigned the vanguard position. In the Oda and Tokugawa records, Oyamada was stated to have led the Takeda's slinger unit, but this is disproven due to the lack of evidence to suggest as such. Following Shingen's death, the Oda-Tokugawa forces would siege Nagashino Castle, and Katsuyori would send Oyamada with Nobufusa Baba and Nobutoyo Takeda, but the castle's defender, Nobumasa Okudaira, surrendered before their arrival. Katsuyori soon launched his own siege on Nagashino, and Nobushige was one of many commanders, including Baba, Masatoyo Naito, Masatane Hara, Masakage Yamagata, and Masatsugu Tsuchiya, that advised caution and withdrawal against the Oda army.
Their warnings would go heedless as Katsuyori's reckless order to attack led to catastrophic results with many of Nobushige's peers losing their lives. Oyamada would be among the few lucky to survive the battle, serving as Katsuyori's rear guard during their retreat. During the Takeda's time of severe weakness, another nearby dispute would erupt as the Uesugi would enter a civil war, with both sides requesting support from Katsuyori to legitimize their claim. Katsuyori would ultimately side with Kagekatsu Uesugi and sent Oyamada to Echigo to serve as the Takeda's diplomat with the Uesugi, and later the Hōjō as a truce was successfully negotiated.
Unfortunately, the Takeda's third-party force would be pulled back due to a Tokugawa invasion, and fighting in Echigo quickly resumed, resulting in Kagekatsu's final victory against Kagetora Uesugi. Nobushige would remain as the diplomat with the Uesugi despite this development. As the conflict with the Oda and Tokugawa worsened, Katsuyori headed towards Oyamada's domain at Iwadono Castle for shelter. Upon Katsuyori's arrival, Oyamada stalled for time before denying Katsuyori entry, and this led to Katsuyori's downfall at Tenmokuzan. Afterwards, Oyamada attempted to surrender to the Oda forces, but Nobutada Oda was displeased with Nobushige's disloyalty and had him executed alongside his mother, wife and children.
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