Okabe Motonobu was a hereditary senior retainer of the Imagawa family, and his grandfather had even been the victor in the previous round of Imagawa succession disputes. Imagawa Yoshimoto owed much to the Okabe family's efforts in becoming the family head.
Okabe Motonobu himself was a seasoned warrior, having distinguished himself in the Second Battle of Azukizaka. Later, he scaled the walls of Anxiang City and played a part in capturing Oda Nobuhide's eldest illegitimate son.
Because of this, he was greatly trusted by Imagawa Yoshimoto, who replaced the Yamaguchi family with him, making him the City Lord of Nagami Castle.
Now, he demonstrated his worth. Amid the panic following Imagawa Yoshimoto's death, he managed to hold Nagami Castle even as morale wavered. The Oda Family's allied clans assaulted the castle for three days, leaving over a thousand corpses without breaking through.
