NHK's program "Heroes' Choices," which spotlights heroes who made decisions that dramatically changed history, will air "The Truth About the Genius Strategist Takenaka Hanbei" on NHK BS on May 4th at 9 PM. The program will feature Takenaka Hanbei, the strategist who supported Hideyoshi's rise to power. Later writings portrayed him as a gentle, scholarly man, but recent excavations of his castle have revealed a completely different picture... The program will delve into the truth.
The most famous anecdote about Takenaka Hanbei is that he seized Inabayama Castle to admonish his lord, Saito Tatsuoki, but the truth is that he wanted to show his strength in response to the insult. Excavations of his castle, Bodaiyama Castle, reveal the image of a Sengoku period warlord who holed up in a strong fortress and faced tensions with neighboring countries.
Although he is said to be a retainer of Hideyoshi, he was actually a retainer of Nobunaga and was assigned to assist Hideyoshi. The last battle in which the two fought together was the "Harima Campaign." What difficult choice did Hanbei, who was terminally ill and had little time left, have to make...?
