Matsudaira Nobutaka served as a bushō during the Sengoku period.  Nobutaka was the sixth head of the Matsudaira clan of Mikawa Province.  He also served as the first head of the Mitsugi-Matsudaira family, an illegitimate branch of the Matsudaira clan.  Nobutaka was the granduncle of Tokugawa Ieyasu.  From the perspective of Ieyasu, this was the newest offshoot of the main branch of the Matsudaira clan.  In one historical text, the Mitsugi-Matsudaira is the first genealogy of the clan shown.

Nobutaka was born as the second son of Matsudaira Nobutada, the great-grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

In the twelfth month of 1535, Nobutaka’s older brother, Matsudaira Kiyoyasu, was unexpectedly slayed by a retainer while on a campaign in Moriyama.  This is known as the Collapse at Moriyama.  Kiyoyasu was succeeded by his son, Matsudaira Hirotada, who, in turn, was ousted by his granduncle, Matsudaira Nobusada, from Okazaki Castle.  Nobutaka supported Hirotada and returned to the castle to serve as a guardian for Hirotada, but, through the zealous assertion of authority, gradually took control of Mitsugi (the former territories of his younger brother, Matsudaira Yasutaka).  After coming into conflict with Hirotada and his retainers, Nobutaka lost his standing.  In 1543, while Nobutaka was away, on behalf of Hirotada, to give new year’s greetings to Imagawa Yoshimoto in Sunpu, Nobutaka’s base at Mitsugi Castle was attacked and taken over by Hirotada’s forces.  Upset at these developments, Nobutaka made a direct appeal to Yoshimoto but was turned away.

The Matsudaira and Mizuno clans entered into an alliance while Nobutaka was serving as a guardian for Hitotada.  Nobutaka arranged the engagement of Hirotada and Odai-no-kata (the daughter of Mizuno Tadamasa) and, as a result of his ouster, the alliance between Nobutaka and the Mizuno clan came to an end.

Nobutaka was ousted owing to his plan to forge ties with the Makino clan (who supported the Imagawa) by transferring Nagasawa in response to the advance by the Imagawa into Mikawa, the complicity of Mizuno Nobumoto in the plan, and for a meeting with Imagawa Yoshimoto to seek his approval of the plan under the guise of a courtesy visit.

Based on historical accounts, it can be confirmed that, until 1543, Nobutaka served as a representative of the Matsudaira clan.  Conflict arose among the senior retainers of the Matsudaira, including between Nobutaka and Abe Sadayoshi whereupon Sadayoshi, with the consent of Hirotada, expelled Nobutaka.

After switching his allegiance to the Oda clan of Owari Province, Nobutaka, while based at Yamazaki Castle, joined forces with Matsudaira Tadamichi from Kamiwada Castle (who also switched to the Oda) and Sakai Tadanao of Ueno Castle in Mikawa, opposed Hirotada.  There is also a theory that they acquired the support of Imagawa Yoshimoto as an ally.

After the Battle of Azukizaka, on 4/15 of Tenbun 17 (1548), Nobutaka deployed to the village of Myōdaiji to launch an attack against Okazaki Castle, but, at Sugōkawara, he was struck on the left side of his chest by an arrow shot by a member of Hirotada’s army and was then killed by Ueda Mototoshi.  This occurred at an event known as the Battle of Anjō in the environs of Anjō Castle, also known as the Battle of Mimitori-nawate.  Meanwhile, Mototoshi also incurred injuries that hampered him for the remainder of his life.  Later, upon orders of Ieyasu, Nobutaka’s second daughter wed Mototoshi, but Mototoshi received only a small stipend so she was granted a dowry.