Baba Nobuharu

Who was Baba Nobuharu?

Baba Nobuharu, also known as Baba Nobufusa, was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. He was known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". Baba fought at the battles of Mikatagahara and Nagashino, where he led the vanguard of Takeda Katsuyori's right-wing.

When Takeda Shingen took Fukashi castle in 1550, he entrusted it to Baba. At Mikatagahara in 1573, he led the vanguard in chasing Tokugawa Ieyasu's army back to their Hamamatsu fortress; upon seeing the gates open and braziers lit, Baba mistakenly suspected a trap, and did not press the fleeing army further. It was at Nagashino that Baba was killed, three years later, as two samurai attacked him simultaneously with their spears, taking off his head.

The Koyo Gunkan states that Shingen often consulted Nobuharu on important matters. Prior to Nagashino, Nobuharu was reputed to have fought in 21 battles without receiving a single wound.