井伊直政

Ii Naomasa, the youngest of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings, earned the fearsome epithet 'Red Devil' by commanding the elite cavalry force clad entirely in vermillion armor — a tradition inherited from the legendary 'Red Brigade' of Yamaga Kansuke under Takeda Shingen. Despite his youth, Naomasa's martial valor was unmatched among Tokugawa retainers. At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he led the vanguard in a bold unauthorized first strike that ignited the decisive battle, only to be gravely wounded by musket fire while pursuing the retreating Shimazu forces. This wound ultimately claimed his life in 1602 at the age of forty-one. Naomasa was not only a fierce warrior but a discerning collector of swords, particularly prizing blades of the Sōshū tradition for their powerful nie and bold character befitting a battle-hardened general. The swords and armor preserved by the Ii clan in Hikone remain among Japan's finest examples of Sengoku military heritage.