Kanetsugu Naoe

Kanetsugu Naoe 1st appeared in Samurai Warriors 2.

Samurai Warriors
In the 1st game Kanetsugu appeares as a generic officer alongside Kenshin Uesugi. In the 2nd Kanetsugu first serves his lord Kenshin in his famous campaigns Kawanakajima and Tedorigawa. He helps his lord's tactics against his rival and Nobunaga by protecting their allies from danger and executing missions personally given to him. After his lord dies from illness, Kanetsugu joins the western assault on Odawara Castle years later. Whilst walking in the camp, he meets Yukimura and Mitsunari. Tied together by their ideals of honor, the three men form an oath of friendship. Victorious from the siege, the country is thrown into unrest once more when Hideyoshi's dies and Ieyasu stages a rebellion against the Toyotomi family. Insulted by his resistance, Mitsunari and Kanetsugu oppose him. The two friends hoped to trap Ieyasu from two directions and Kanetsugu attacked the Eastern army from the west. They were steadily victorious until news of Mitsunari's defeat reached their camp. Withdrawing at Hasedo, Kanetsugu ensures his men's safety back to Echigo. During their flight, he defeats one of Ieyasu's powerful allies, Masamune. Once he hears news of Mitsunari's execution, he was determined to follow his friend into the afterlife. He is stopped by Keiji who reminds him of the trio's desire to create a honorable Japan. Inspired to take revenge for Mitsunari, they quickly ride to Edo Castle and are joined by Yukimura. They take the castle when Ieyasu is away and trump him in a final confrontation. Though Yukimura laments not knowing Mitsunari's whereabouts, Kanetsugu assures him that he will always live on in their hearts. His dream stage focuses on a "what if?" scenario prior to the Battle of Sekigahara. Wanting to foil the enemy pincer, Ieyasu orders Masamune to attack the Uesugi forces. Staying loyal to his friend, however, Kanetsugu ignores the Date army and heads straight for Ieyasu. Their armies clash at Kawanakajima. Aya notices his talents and invites him to serve the Uesugi in Samurai Warriors 3. Thankful for this opportunity, he swears to live for the Uesugi's conquests but she quickly corrects him. She passes her will on to him, telling him to not mindlessly wage war, but to only fight so that love can spread from the aftermath. Assisting the front at Tedorigawa, they are victorious but Kenshin soon passes away. Sometime after Nobunaga's death at Honnoji, Ieyasu aims to conquer Ueda Castle to gain more power for his vision of unity. Masayuki Sanada requests aid from the Uesugi and Kanetsugu answers the call as his lord's representative. There, he meets and introduces himself to Yukimura, Keiji, Masamune, and Magoichi. They work together to drive back Ieyasu and Ujiyasu, each gaining one another's acquaintance during the battle. Hideyoshi eventually trumps over Ieyasu and begins his conquest of the land. Left with only the Hōjō, the Uesugi assist the siege of Oshi Castle. During the battle, Kanetsugu befriends Mitsunari and Yukimura so that they will always support one another. He also hires Keiji to serve the Uesugi after the battle and works together with the wild man for unifying the land. After Hideyoshi's death, Kiyomasa, Masanori and other Toyotomi officers who disagree with Mitsunari aim to take his life at Kyoto. To rescue their friend, Kanetsugu and Yukimura hurry to Mitsunari's assistance and house their friend in Ieyasu's willing residence for safety. They realize that they will need to one day compete with Ieyasu's ambition for the land and assemble their forces. Ieyasu orders Masamune to attack the Uesugi so Kanetsugu confronts the Date army at Hasedo. Slaying Masamune, they claim victory. However, Mitsunari wasn't as lucky at Sekigahara and the Western army falls. Wanting to protect the Uesugi family, Kanetsugu pushes aside his personal feelings and negotiates a surrender for the Uesugi to Ieyasu. Although Kanbei questions the man's sincerity for obedience, Ieyasu accepts the offer and Kanetsugu's ultimate goal for peace.

Kessen
Kanetsugu appears up as a minor general named "Nao" in Kessen. He leads a relatively large force to reinforce his lord in battle and will protest if he is ordered to help Masamune. He is also a minor enemy in Kessen 3. He is one of Kenshin's closest generals who continues to antagonize Nobunaga after his lord's death. His characteristic "love" helmet can be found as an item on the battlefield.

Voice Actors

 * Alex Eberts - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Masaya Takatsuka - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Hideo Ishikawa - Kessen III (Japanese)

Early Career
Higuchi Yoroku was the eldest son of Higuchi Kanemoto, an influential vassal of Uesugi Kenshin's father, Nagao Masakage. His mother was one of Osaki Shigetomo's daughters. In 1564, Kanetsugu became a page and servant for Kenshin sometime after he adopted his son, Kagekatsu (some stories suggest that he and Kenshin shared a shudō relationship with one another but this has little historical evidence to support it).

When he became of age, he was noticed by Naoe Kagetsuna, a close confidant of Kenshin. Impressed by the young man's abilities, he adopted Yoroku into his family. His name then became Naoe Kanetsugu. He participated in minor administrative duties for the Naoe and Kenshin clans until he was commissioned to be an aide for Kagekatsu three years later. In 1581, Kagetsuna's son, Naoe Kagetaka, and another strategist, Yamazaki Shiyusen, were murdered by Mōri Hidehiro. Through Kanetsugu's persuasion, Kagekatsu ordered the newly widowed Osen no Kata -Kagetaka's wife- to marry Kanetsugu and ensure the future of the Naoe family. He legally became Kagetsuna's son-in-law and the clan's successor.

Kanetsugu continued to serve the Uesgui's administrations but soon went to battle against Shibata Katsuie in 1583. He took advantage of the wetland terrain and forced the Shibata forces to retreat to Niigata Castle in 1586. He then cut off their enemy's water supply, which eventually lead to Katsuie's defeat on November the same year. For his effort, Toyotomi Hideyoshi granted him his family name and, for a time, Kanetsugu carried it. With the new alliance between Hideyoshi and Kagekatsu, he also participated in the siege of Odawara Castle by assisting to overthrow Hachiōji Castle. After they helped stopped a riot at Tsuruga-oka Castle, the Uesugi were allowed to own it and expand their land.

With his steady position in the Toyotomi family, Kanetsugu helped the improvident Echigo and restored order by improving the land's agriculture and giving more rights to farmers. He also encouraged commerce and trade, requesting that the locals grow local ramie for clothing materials (ramie was believed to be preferred over cotton at the time). His efforts helped his land return to peace. He gave Hideyoshi the gold mines in Echigo which promoted him to a magistrate. After a transfer in funds, the Uesugi clan was granted permission to expand their territory near Aizu. This would later be a bridge between the two armies at Sekigahara.

Sekigahara Camaign
In 1598, the tensions between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari were becoming abundantly clear. Daimyo from nearly every sector in Japan were being asked to side with either the Western or Eastern Army. By July 1600, Kagekatsu was already in the midst of fortifying his country's defenses for a battle. Ieyasu noticed this and sent a letter requesting an explanation. His reply didn't come from Kagekatsu but rather from Kanetsugu. The letter was rather cynical, saying that while citified samurai wasted their time drinking tea, country samurai were raising weapons. Kagekatsu also attempted to assassinate one of Ieyasu's messengers, who was believed to be a spy. The reasons for his lord's actions are never truly confirmed, but most historians agree that Kanetsugu most likely advised him to resist Ieyasu. A popular theory is that the Uesugi were already in a secret alliance with Mitsunari but little is written to prove this account.

Not long after this incident, Kagekatsu lead troops to attack Ieyasu. A few weeks after their first attack, Tokugawa allies, Date Masamune and Mogami Yoshiakira, countered them. Though they were temporarily pushed back, the Uesugi army was confident that Mitsunari would support their assault so they continued to attack from Aizu. Kanetsugu lead a siege on Hasedo Castle but was forced to flee once they received news of Mitsunari's defeat. During their escape, Kanetsugu's trusted vassal and friend, Maeda Toshimasu, served as their rear guard. Afterward, the Uesugi clan surrendered, swore loyalty to Ieyasu, and changed their family name to Shigemitsu. In 1601, their holdings were transferred to the much smaller fief of Yonezawa, with an income of 60,000 koku.

Later Years
Kanetsugu continued to oversee flood control near Yonezawa Castle by creating a bank to prevent Mogami River from over flooding, calling his invention "Naoe Stone Levee". He continued to encourage new industrial advancements and commissioned a town to be built near their home. He shared good relations with Tokugawa's generals, Honda Masanobu and Masashige. Masashige married one of Kanetsugu's daughters and adopted his wife's family name. He won high honors during his participation in the Battle of Shigeno, a part of the Winter Osaka Campaign. Kanetsugu passed away in a local residence in Edo due to illness. He was 60.

His biological son, Kageaki, served Tokugawa Hidetada and died of illness when he was young (either 18 or 22) in 1615 and his eldest daughter was married into the Honda family. His second daughter became a nun. The reasons for why he was never granted a proper successor are unclear. It's popularly argued that it was done to protect the Uesugi family from outsiders or due to a possible rupture with the Uesugi family. After the death of his wife, the Naoe family was extinguished. Hirabayashi Masaoki, Kanetsugu's right hand vassal, succeeded the Naoe family rights but chose to be called the lord in title only. He enshrined his master and family and worked to keep their power intact to the best of his ability.

In 1924, Kanetsugu was posthumously given the title of Jushi (従四位), an honorary rank for his contributions to Japanese society. With his name once again known to the public, he has since been romanticized as one of the men responsible for the Uesugi's survival.