was a Japanese samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

 who was the fourth son of the famed feudal warlord Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

 and was adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

 at a young age. His original name was .

At the time of Nobunaga's death in 1582, Hidekatsu was at Kojima

Kojima District, Okayama

was a district located in Okayama, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 15,872 and a density of 514.32 persons per km². The total area was 30.86 km²....

 in Bizen Province

Bizen Province

was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of Honshū, in what is today the southeastern part of Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bitchu and Bingo Provinces. Bizen borders Mimasaka, Harima, and Bitchū Provinces....

. During the funeral, he held his birth father's mortuary tablet (ihai). Afterwards, Hidekatsu received Kameyama Castle

Kameyama Castle (Kyoto)

is a castle located in Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It guarded the northwest passage into Kyoto for nearly three-hundred years.- References :...

 in Tamba Province

Tamba Province

was an old province of Japan. The ambit of its borders encompassed both the central part of modern Kyoto Prefecture and the east-central part of Hyōgo Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Tango Province...

 (modern day Kameoka

Kameoka, Kyoto

is a city located in Kyoto, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 93,323 and a density of 415 persons per km². The total area is 224.90 km². It is known as one of Japan's foggiest cities....

, Kyoto Prefecture

Kyoto Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kyoto.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Kyoto prefecture was known as Yamashiro....

).

Shortly after Nobunaga's death, Hidekatsu assisted Hideyoshi during the Battle of Yamasaki, leading up to the defeat of Akechi Mitsuhide

Akechi Mitsuhide

, nicknamed Jūbei or called from his clan name and title, was a samurai who lived during the Sengoku period of Feudal Japan.Mitsuhide was a general under daimyo Oda Nobunaga, although he became infamous for his betrayal in 1582, which led to Nobunaga's death at Honno-ji...

. Later, he also served Hideyoshi during the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute

Battle of Komaki and Nagakute

The consisted of two battles in 1584 between the forces of Hashiba Hideyoshi and the forces of Oda Nobukatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hideyoshi and Ieyasu had both served Oda Nobunaga and had not previously come into conflict; this would in fact be their only period of enmity...

. Hidekatsu suddenly died in 1585, with many people believing that Hidekatsu was killed on the orders of Hideyoshi.