Born July 6, 1421. After his father Makuwari Yasutane usurped the Chiba headship during the Kyotoku War, Suketane succeeded him following Yasutane's death in 1455, and was soon driven from Chiba Castle by To Tsuneyori, fleeing to Sakura. In 1471 he sheltered the Koga Kubo Ashikaga Shigeuji and helped restore him to Koga the following year, anchoring his power in an alliance with the Koga Kubo. During the 1478 Nagao Kageharu Rebellion he sent his son Takatane to support the rebels. During the Bunmei era (c. 1469-1486) he is said to have built Motosakura Castle at Sakura. He died March 13, 1492, at 71, succeeded by Takatane. The castle went on to serve nine generations of the Chiba clan until their fall in 1590.

Records suggest a resilient leader who rebuilt his power around a Koga Kubo alliance after losing his own stronghold, while also governing with an eye toward succession by dispatching his son to campaigns.

The castle served nine generations of the Chiba clan and is now a National Historic Site and one of Japan's "100 Fine Castles," with well-preserved baileys and moats.