Hachisuka Masakatsu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Hachisuka Masakatsu (蜂须贺正胜)
Alias(es)	Hachisuka Koroku; Koroku
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ogawa Band; formerly a retainer of Saitō Dōsan and the Iwakura Oda clan
Occupation/Role	River-route expert, recruiter, armed-band leader, and Ogawa Band organizer
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 20

Background / History

The Hachisuka clan were local warriors of Hachisuka Village in Kaito District, holding a stipend of one hundred kan and maintaining extensive connections along the Kiso River. Masakatsu's father served Saitō Dōsan, while Masakatsu himself served as Dōsan's close attendant. After Dōsan's death, Masakatsu entered the Iwakura Oda clan's service, disappearing following the Battle of Ukino after the clan's defeat. 20 21

By the time Yamauchi Kazutoyo finds him in Miyago Village, Masakatsu is a thirty-four-year-old rōnin living at the Hachisuka Estate under the support of his uncle, Yasui Shigetsugu. He lives with his wife, Matsu, and has a newborn son; his need to provide for them drives him to consider service at Inuyama Castle. 20 21

Maeno Muneyasu directs Kazutoyo to seek out “Hachisuka Koroku” for assistance against Chubei and Nehei. Masakatsu agrees to provide men only if he and his followers are paid after the task, but Kazutoyo's planning, ruthlessness, and generous distribution of the captured wealth convince him that moving to Matsukura Castle may be worthwhile. 19 21 23 24 25

Masakatsu subsequently becomes one of the Ogawa Band's central figures. Drawing on his Kiso River experience and old local connections, he recruits oarsmen, introduces Matsubara Naiku, helps secure Unuma Castle as a base, and organizes craftsmen for the planned Igi Mountain castle. 28 35 40 43

Appearance

At thirty-four, Masakatsu is described as rugged and rough-featured, with the bearing of a hardened rural warrior. 20

• Wears coarse hemp clothing while living in retirement. 20
• Unshaven, with noticeable stubble. 20
• Has a blunt, rugged face that becomes openly intimidating when angered. 20 47
• Uses disguises while operating with the Ogawa Band, including an assistant's guise and a monk's cap that conceals his face. 41 39

Personality

Masakatsu is practical, family-minded, and cautious about employment. He initially resists Kazutoyo's request because he needs a stable position to support his wife and newborn son, and he insists that compensation be delivered only after the work is complete. 21

In combat and intimidation, he is direct and impulsive. He favors force over elaborate preparation, is eager to board merchant vessels and seize valuables, and is initially skeptical of Kazutoyo's dangerous toll-collection scheme. 23 28 39

Despite these instincts, Masakatsu recognizes competence and follows capable leadership. Kazutoyo's careful planning, willingness to share profits, and ambition earn his respect; he eventually pledges himself to the dream of becoming a daimyo and violently suppresses dissent among his own men to protect that goal. 24 40 41 47

Abilities & Skills

Kiso River Navigation and River Trade

Masakatsu possesses detailed knowledge of the Kiso River's vessels, labor requirements, trade conditions, local powers, and navigational dangers. 21 28 40

• Calculates that a thirty-koku boat requires twelve oarsmen; three boats require thirty-six men. 28
• Explains the limited profits and risks of river transport, including flooding, daimyo requisitions, and losses from capsized boats. 28
• Maintains connections with local magnates and river guard bands dating from his clan's earlier position in Kaito District. 21 40
• Introduces the Ogawa Band to Matsubara Naiku, opening a profitable local alliance. 40 41

Recruitment and Command

Masakatsu can rapidly gather reliable manpower from his kin and home village. 23 35

• Brings seven or eight armed men from Miyago Village for the raid on Chubei's household. 23
• Recruits enough oarsmen for the Ogawa Band; his younger brothers also volunteer to join. 35
• Vouches that many recruits are former retainers of his father or men from the same village. 35
• Commands clear authority among his followers, ordering them to obey Kazutoyo's plan during the Yamajiri operation. 23
• Enforces loyalty harshly, threatening to kill even his brother if he again questions the division of Ogawa Band profits. 47

Armed Combat

Masakatsu is a decisive fighter accustomed to violent work.

• Leads men armed with long-handled nodachi during the Yamajiri raid. 23
• Holds a tachi to Nehei's neck during Kazutoyo's confrontation with Chubei's family. 24
• Kills a fleeing female member of Nehei's household after blocking her escape. 24
• Boards merchant ships first during the Ogawa Band's toll collections, using grappling hooks to draw vessels together. 39

Construction and Logistics

Masakatsu assumes responsibility for securing labor needed to fortify the Ogawa Band's position.

• Agrees to hire craftsmen for the construction of a castle on Igi Mountain. 43
• Identifies the Anō Band of Ōmi as a potential source of superior castle-building craftsmen. 43

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Tachi — used during the killing of Nehei's household. 24
• Long-handled nodachi — carried by the men he brings to Yamajiri Village. 23
• Grappling hooks — used to pull merchant vessels alongside Ogawa Band boats. 39
• Monk's cap and face covering — used during operations under Jōdo Shinshū banners. 39
• Bows acquired from Inuyama Castle's forces — used to improve the Ogawa Band's armament. 47

Relationships

• Yamauchi Kazutoyo / Iemon — Employer, partner, and eventual aspirational mentor. Masakatsu first joins him for paid work, then becomes convinced by his leadership and shares his aim of becoming a daimyo. 21 24 40 41
• Horio Yoshiharu — Fellow Ogawa Band leader and collaborator in the Yamajiri raid and Kiso River operations. 23 40
• Matsu — Wife; Masakatsu's concern for supporting his wife and newborn son affects his choice of employment. 20 21
• Yasui Shigetsugu — Maternal uncle and guardian figure who effectively raised Masakatsu after his mother's early death. 20
• Hachisuka Masamoto — Younger brother entrusted with distributing money among the Hachisuka men. 47
• Hachisuka Matajuro — Younger brother reprimanded and threatened after questioning Kazutoyo's share of the Ogawa Band's revenue. 47
• Matsubara Naiku — Old acquaintance whose connection with Masakatsu's father enables the Ogawa Band to negotiate support at Matsubara Estate. 40 41
• Osawa Masatsugu — Ogawa Band partner at Unuma Castle; Masakatsu helps negotiate docking rights, warehouse access, and a share of toll revenues. 42 43

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruitment for the Yamajiri Raid

Masakatsu is introduced as the capable but cautious rōnin recommended by Maeno Muneyasu. He accepts Kazutoyo's commission after arranging payment terms and leads armed men against Chubei's household. During the operation, he yields to Kazutoyo's more careful planning and personally kills a member of Nehei's family. 19 21 23 24

Move to Matsukura Castle

After receiving twenty kan in gold and a share for his men, Masakatsu decides to travel directly to Matsukura Castle and inspect conditions before relocating his family. 24 25

Formation of the Ogawa Band

Masakatsu provides the technical foundation for Kazutoyo's Kiso River venture. Though initially alarmed by the plan to collect tolls in Saitō territory, he recruits men and assists in adopting the Ogawa Band's Jōdo Shinshū identity. 28 29 35

Kiso River Toll Operations

He leads boarding actions during the Band's first toll collection, nearly lapsing into robbery before Kazutoyo corrects him. He later introduces Matsubara Naiku, helps establish local support, and becomes increasingly committed to the Band's prospects. 39 40 41

Expansion at Unuma and Igi Mountain

Masakatsu accompanies Kazutoyo to Unuma Castle and helps secure Osawa Masatsugu's cooperation. Afterward, he takes responsibility for recruiting craftsmen for the Igi Mountain castle project. 42 43

Loyalty Test Among the Hachisuka Men

When Matajuro complains that Kazutoyo keeps too much of the Kiso River income, Masakatsu rejects the accusation and makes clear that his ambition to become a daimyo outweighs immediate profit. 47

Notable Quotes

“I... I want to become a daimyo so badly. I dream of it!” 41

“If I hear talk like that again, even if it comes from a brother born of the same mother, I'll cut him down all the same!” 47

Trivia

• Masakatsu and the Yamauchi and Horio families are identified as followers of Nichiren Buddhism before the Ogawa Band adopts Jōdo Shinshū identities for political cover. 29
• His familiarity with the Kiso River comes from his clan's former position as a local warrior family along its route. 21
• He does not share Kazutoyo's abstinence from alcohol and celebrates the Ogawa Band's gains with inexpensive local sake. 47