Ashina Moritaka

Ashina Moritaka was a Japanese samurai and lord of Kurokawa Castle in the early Sengoku period. He was the lord of the Ashina family. He is also known as Heitarō.
Moritaka was born as Nikaido Heishiro, the son of Nikaidō Moriyoshi and Onamihime. He was adopted by Ashina Morioki to continue the family line, and as per that arrangement, married Morioki's daughter and had a son, Kiōmaru. After Moritaka's succession, he, became very unpopular among his retainers. This led to his assassination at the hands of Ōba Sanzaemon in Kurokawa Castle. Ashina Yoshihiro would become Moritaka's successor because his own son, Kiōmaru, had died at the age of 2.