was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period

Azuchi-Momoyama period

The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...

 through early Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

. The son of Katakura Kagetsuna

Katakura Kagetsuna

was a Japanese samurai of the Katakura clan during the late Sengoku period. Also known by his court title, Bichū no Kami , or more commonly, as Katakura Kojūrō. Together with Oniniwa Tsunamoto and Date Shigezane, Kagetsuna was known as one of the "Three Great Men of the Date Clan"...

, Shigenaga was the 2nd man to bear the common name Kojūrō

Katakura Kojuro

was the common name of the head of the Japanese Katakura clan, who served as senior retainers to the Date clan. Following the Date clan's move into Sendai han, they were granted holdings at Shiroishi Castle , which they held through the start of the Meiji Era...

. His name was originally Shigetsuna; however, to avoid conflict with the 4th shogun Ietsuna

Tokugawa Ietsuna

was the fourth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan who was in office from 1651 to 1680. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, thus making him the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.-Early Life :...

's name, he changed it to Shigenaga. In 1614, he took part in the Osaka Campaign, fighting Gotō Matabei at Dōmyōji Temple.

Shigenaga's 2nd wife was the daughter of Sanada Yukimura

Sanada Yukimura

was a Japanese samurai, second son of the Sengoku period daimyo Sanada Masayuki . His proper name was Sanada Nobushige , named after Takeda Shingen's younger brother Takeda Nobushige, who was a brave and respected warrior. He and his father were known as being excellent military tacticians...

, and following the Osaka Campaign, Shigenaga assisted many of the masterless former Sanada retainers.

He was succeeded by his son Kagenaga

Katakura Kagenaga (2nd)

was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period, who served as a senior retainer of the Date clan of Sendai han. Bore the same name as his great-grandfather. The lord of Shiroishi Castle, Kagenaga was the 3rd bearer of the common name Kojūrō. During the Date incident , he was a caretaker for the...

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