鳥居強右衛門勝商：2023年6月5日（月）
1575年の長篠の戦いで活躍した奥平家の家臣である。昨日のNHKの大河ドラマ『どうする家康』で登場した。武田勝頼軍に攻囲され籠城していた長篠城主の奥平貞昌（後の信昌，徳川家康の長女の亀姫が正室）は，岡崎城にいた徳川・織田軍の援軍を要請するために，足軽の鳥居強右衛門勝商（とりいすねえもん かつあき）に決死の覚悟で使者として長篠城から岡崎城に送り込んだ。
実は，この鳥居強右衛門勝商の忠臣としての武勇伝について，私は中学生時代から学校でよく聴かされていた。というのは，鳥居強右衛門勝商の生まれ故郷の愛知県豊川市市田町は私が通っていた豊川市立中部中学校のそばにあったからである。私の中学時代の同級生に鳥居強右衛門勝商の子孫もいた。
味方の援軍が来ることを伝える鳥居強右衛門勝商の錦絵）
鳥居強右衛門勝商（当時36歳）は，岡崎城から長篠城に援軍の知らせを伝えるために戻る途中に武田軍に捕らえられ，「援軍は来ないと伝えれば，金品所領を与える」とそそのかされるも，「味方の援軍は来る」と言ったことで磔（はりつけ）にされて命を失った。もし，鳥居強右衛門勝商が忠臣ではなく，裏切り者であったら，その後の江戸時代はなかったかもしれないと考えると，日本の歴史の転換点に立っていたという意味で，日本で最も偉大な足軽と言っても良いかと思う。
Torii Suneemon Katsuaki, the Brave Footsoldier：June 5th(Monday)
He was a retainer of the Okudaira family who played an active role in the Battle of Nagashino in 1575. He appeared in yesterday's NHK Taiga drama "What Will You Do, Ieyasu." Okudaira Sadamasa (later Nobumasa, the lord of Nagashino Castle and the husband of Kamehime, the eldest daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu) was besieged by the Takeda Katsuyori army and sent Torii Suneemon Katsuaki, a foot soldier, as a messenger from Nagashino Castle to Okazaki Castle to request reinforcements from the Tokugawa and Oda armies, risking his life.
In fact, the legendary tale of loyalty and bravery of Torii Suneemon Katsuaki has been often told in my school since my junior high school days. The reason is that the birthplace of Torii Suneemon Katsuaki, Ichida-cho, Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture, is very close to Toyokawa Chubu Junior High School where I attended, and there were descendants of Torii Suneemon Katsuaki among my classmates during my junior high school days.
Torii Suneemon Katsuaki (36 years old) was captured by the Takeda forces on his way back from Okazaki Castle to Nagashino Castle, where he was carrying the news of the reinforcements. They tempted him by offering wealth and land if he conveyed that the reinforcements would not come, but he chose to say that the allied reinforcements were indeed coming. As a result, he was crucified and lost his life. Considering that if Torii Suneemon Katsuaki had been a traitor instead of a loyal retainer, the subsequent Edo period might not have occurred, it can be said that he stood at a turning point in Japanese history, making him one of the greatest foot soldiers in Japan's history.