was a samurai during the Sengoku period, retainer of the Mà Âri clan and was a ji-samurai (koku-jin-ryà Âshà «) of southern Bingo Province. He held many positions including karà  (clan elder) serving Mà Âri Motonari and his father Mà Âri Hiromoto in diplomatic missions with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Narinaga was a bugyà  under Mà Âri Terumoto. From Hideyoshi he received the rank of Hizen-no-kami (èÂ¥åÂÂå®Â). He served as diplomat between the Mà Âri and Hideyoshi. Later he was bestowed the 5th court rank, junior grade Ju go-i-no-ge (å¾ÂäºÂä½Â). The character "nari, å°±" came from his lord Mà Âri Motonari and "naga, é·" from his father Kikuchi Takenaga. Narinaga was one of the few to live through all the Sengoku period.
Hayashi Narinaga was born 1517 in Doi (Ã¥ÂÂ), Kawajiri (å·Âå°»), Bingo Province, today part of Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Narinaga's childhood name is unknown. His birth year is only known from his recorded age at death which was 89 years. In Japan an infant is one year old at birth so in Western years he was 88 years old. His father was Kikuchi Takenaga (èÂÂæ± æ¦é·) and his mother is unknown but there is a tradition that she was a daughter of the Hayashi clan of Kawajiri. His father Takenaga was a descendant of the powerful Kikuchi clan that ruled Higo Province since the 11th century. The Kikuchi clan is believed to be descended from the kings of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
His father, Takenaga, came from a branch of the Kikuchi clan that were koku-jin-ryà Âshà « (ji-samurai) in Hà Âki Province. The relationship with the Kikuchi clan of Higo Province is unclear but in the Hayashi clan genealogy Takenaga is the son of Kikuchi Takekuni (èÂÂæ± æ¦å½) of Higo but this is impossible because of the years of birth. Scholars now believe he must have been a grandson of Takekuni. The Kikuchi clan in Higo were overthrown by the à Âtomo clan, another powerful family of Kyà «shà «.
The Kikuchi clan of Hà Âki Province were based at Odaka-jà  (å°¾é«ÂÃ¥ÂÂ) and were retainers of the Yukimatsu clan of Izumo Province. The Yukimatsu were vassals of the Yamana clan. One famous figure from the Kikuchi clan of Hà Âki Province was Kikuchi Otohachi (èÂÂæ± é³堫) who is remembered as a "moshà Â" (a strong bushà Â) who was killed by Yamanaka Yukimori. In 1560 the Amago clan launched a campaign against the Yamana clan and took control of their land so Narinaga along with his father joined the rebellion to secede from their grasp.
In 1562 Odaka-jà  fell to Sugihara Morishige (æÂÂÃ¥ÂÂçÂÂéÂÂ), a general of the Mà Âri clan. The Kikuchi clan of Hà Âki Province were vassals of the Yukimatsu clan so after their downfall they left to Bingo Province to become retainers of the Mà Âri clan under Mà Âri Motonari. At this time it seems that his father, Takenaga, was adopted into the Hayashi clan of Kawajiri and became known as Hayashi Moku-no-jà  Michiaki (æÂÂæ¨工å ÂéÂÂæÂÂ). The title Moku-no-jà  (secretary of the Bureau of Carpentry) is passed down in the Hayashi clan for a few generations. There is a family tradition that Takenaga married the daughter of the Hayashi clan but there are no records to justify this. There is a record from a tombstone that Hayashi Yajirà  (æÂÂå¼¥äºÂéÂÂ) of Kawajiri died in 1552 and may be the father of his wife. The Hayashi clan of Kawajiri were powerful in the area.
Narinaga may have been known at this time as Hayashi Saburà Âzaemon Shigesato (æÂÂä¸ÂéÂÂå·¦è¡ÂéÂÂéÂÂçÂÂ). A man with this name was lord of Matsuoka Castle (æ¾岡åÂÂ) and it is known that later Narinaga was lord of this castle. He became a vassal of Mà Âri Motonari and was given the position of karà  and also as the ginzan-bugyà  (mining official) of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, a position he held until ca.1585. Other officials at the mine whom Narinaga would have known were Hirasa Nariyuki (å¹³ä½Âå°±ä¹Â) and à Âhashi Hachizà  (大æ©Âå «èµ).'
After the death of his father in 1576 he inherited his title and became known as Hayashi Moku-no-jà  (æÂÂæ¨工å Â).
In July 1562 at the First Siege of Toda Castle, Mà Âri Motonari ordered Hayashi Narinaga to go as a messenger to Honjà  Etchà «-no-kami Tsunemitsu (æÂŒÂÂ常å Â). Honjà  Tsunemitsu held Yamabuki Castle (å±±å¹åÂÂ) in Iwami Province and was originally a vassal of the Amago clan, but defected to Mà Âri Motonari in 1563. Yamabuki Castle was strategically important for control of the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine.<br> Two years later in April, 1564, Narinaga attended the Second Siege of Toda Castle.
The Siege of Kà Âzuki Castle occurred in 1578, when the army of Mà Âri Terumoto attacked and captured Kà Âzuki Castle (ä¸ÂæÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ) in Harima Province. Terumoto ordered his uncle, Kobayakawa Takakage, to bring reinforcements and he showed up with a force 30,000 strong. Narinaga and his first son, Motoyoshi, who was 21 years old at the time were present at the battle and helped bring down the castle. At Hiroshima Museum there is a letter of thanks from Mà Âri Terumoto to Narinaga for his son's participation in the battle. Kà Âzuki Castle had been taken by Hashiba Hideyoshi the previous year and entrusted to Amago Katsuhisa. When it fell to Mà Âri Motonari, Katsuhisa committed suicide (seppuku) and his loyal and heroic general Yamanaka Yukimori was captured and killed in the battle. Yukimori was the samurai who had killed Narinaga's family member, Kikuchi Otohachi, many years before.
In 1582 with the death of Oda Nobunaga at the Incident at Honnà Â-ji, Toyotomi Hideyoshi became the most powerful man in Japan. Hideyoshi rewarded Narinaga for his allegiance and merit in battle by making him lord of Mukaiyama Castle (Mukaiyama-jà Â, Ã¥ÂÂå±±åÂÂ) in Gocho-gun, Bingo Province (today Mitsugi District, Hiroshima) and Matsuoka Castle (Matsuoka-jà Â, æ¾岡åÂÂ) in Kà Âzan-cho, Sera-gun, Bingo Province. Matsuoka Castle originally belonged to the Matsuoka clan.
In December, 1583 Narinaga was ordered by Hideyoshi to work on communications with the Mà Âri clan of the Chà «goku region. In 1584 Narinaga donated a statue depicting a seated Mà Âri Motonari to Chà Âan Temple (Chà Âan-ji) at Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine. The statue was moved to its current location at the Mà Âri family home in Bofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
In 1586 Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent a letter of thanks to his army in Chikuzen Province during the Kyà «shà « Campaign. It was addressed to several daimyà  and generals who had succeeded in a great victory attacking a castle. One of the people he addressed was Hayashi Tosa-no-kami Narinaga (æÂÂÃ¥ÂÂä½Âå®Âå°±é·) meaning at this time he held the title "Tosa-no-kami" (an honorary court office) but it is unknown when he had received it. In 1587 he was part of Mà Âri Terumoto's Mapping Committee (æ¯Âå©è¼Âå  æ£å½æ¤Âå°) which he worked with until 1591.
In 1588 it is recorded that Hayashi Tosa-no-kami is promoted to the position where he receives direct orders from Hideyoshi on strategies in Kyà «shà «. The reason Hideyoshi chose Narinaga for this was because he held extensive knowledge of Kyà «shà « where his ancestors from the Kikuchi clan had ruled. This year Hideyoshi bestowed the Toyotomi uji (è±Âè£æÂÂè£, Toyotomi-no-asomi, courtier of Toyotomi) upon his closest followers including Narinaga. In July, 1588 of the same year Narinaga is given the new title of "Hizen-no-kami" (èÂ¥åÂÂå®Â) in accordance with the Junior Fifth Rank, Junior Grade (Ju go-i-no-ge, å¾ÂäºÂä½Âä¸Â). The same month, Emperor Go-Yà Âzei visited Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mansion and the Sword hunt Edict was declared. Three years later in 1591 Mà Âri Terumoto began the construction of Hiroshima Castle.
In April and December 1592 Narinaga was sent as a diplomatic envoy between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Mà Âri clan along with Ankokuji Ekei (å®ÂÃ¥ÂÂ寺æ çÂÂ). One of the reasons they were sent was to deliver a letter of thanks from Hideyoshi to Mà Âri Terumoto for the hospitality he had received when he was visiting Hiroshima Castle
Also this year, Hideyoshi ordered the Invasion of Korea. Narinaga was already 75 years old when he was sent to war across the Sea of Japan. There is a letter held at the Hiroshima Museum addressed to MÃ Âri Terumoto from Toyotomi Hideyoshi and in it he expresses worry for his "old friend" Hayashi Hizen-no-kami who was old and at war.
In 1594 Hayashi Hizen-no-kami returned from Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea after fighting for two years. He was 78 years old and requested retirement to Mà Âri Terumoto who accepted so Narinaga gave his son Motoyoshi Matsuoka Castle and built Aka Castle (Aka-jà Â, 赤åÂÂ) as a retirement castle. It may have been red because the name literally means "red castle". His son, Motoyoshi, received an annual stipend of 2,290 koku which was twice as much as the Hayashi clan had before they left to the Chà Âshà « Domain. Narinaga took the life of a Buddhist monk and took the name Dà Âhan (éÂÂç¯Â). Today there are only ruins of Aka Castle with only the walls and moat remaining. It is measured that it was 480 meters by 57 meters in size and is considered a "yama-shirà Â" (mountain castle) or "residence hall".
In September, 1597 Narinaga who was residing at Aka Castle rebuilt Hijiri Shrine (Hijiri-jinja, èÂÂç¥Â社) which had burned down. The shrine was near his retirement castle and Matsuoka Castle where his son lived. In front of the shrine which still stands today there are town stone dogs and one is believed to be donated by Narinaga. The next year, Toyotomi Hideyoshi died at Fushimi Castle (ä¼Âè¦ÂÃ¥ÂÂ) at the age of 63.
After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 both Matsuoka Castle and Aka Castle no longer belonged to the Hayashi clan who were transferred to Hiroshima Castle and Mihara Castle.<br/> Narinaga died on July 19, 1605, at the age of 89 (88 in Western counting) outliving most of his contemporaries of the Sengoku period. Where he is buried is unknown. The temple sacred to Narinaga today is Mannen-ji (è¬年寺) in Kue, Aki Province (today Hiroshima Prefecture).