Kawakami Tadakatsu
川上忠克
Kawakami Clan
Bushō
Satsuma Province
Lifespan: Eishō 4 (1507) to Bunroku 1 (1592)
Other Names: Genzaburō, Matakurō
Rank: bushō
Title: Deputy Governor of Kōzuke (Kōzuke-no-suke)
Clan: Kawakami
Lord: Shimazu Takahisa → Shimazu Yoshihisa
Father: Kawakami Haruhisa
Siblings: Tadatoyo, Michitaka, Tadakatsu
Children: Tadayori, Hisaaki, Tadazane, daughter, daughter (second wife of Shimazu Sanehisa)
Kawakami Tadakatsu served as a bushō during the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was a retainer of the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province.
In 1507, Tadakatsu was born as the son of Kawakami Haruhisa.
His older brother, Kawakami Michitaka, was of frail health so Tadakatsu inherited the headship of the clan. He possessed approximately 30 hectares of land in Kushikino held since the time of his grandfather.
Around the Tenbun era (1532 to 1555), his second daughter became the second wife of Shimazu Sanehisa of the Sasshū-Shimazu clan, so he supported Sanehisa. After Sanehisa fought against Shimazu Takahisa of the main branch of the Shimazu and was defeated, in the eighth month of 1539, Tadakatsu surrendered to Takahisa. At this time, he was sentenced by Takahisa to exile on the Koshikishima archipelago, but, three years later, was pardoned of his crimes and became a chief retainer of the Shimazu clan.
His second son, Kawakami Hisaaki, was highly regarded by Shimazu Yoshihisa and others for his abilities.
Tadakatsu died in 1592.
