Battle of Shizugatake
date | May 1583 |
---|---|
place | Shizugatake, Ōmi Province , near Lake Biwa |
output | Decisive win for Toyotomi Hideyoshi |
Parties to the conflict | |
---|---|
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's armed forces |
Armed Forces Shibata Katsuies |
Commander | |
Troop strength | |
50,000 men | 27,000 men |
losses | |
moderate |
high |
The Battle of Shizugatake ( Japanese 賤 ヶ 岳 の 戦 い , Shizugatake no tatakai ) in May 1583 was a significant battle in Japanese history . By winning this battle, Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded in consolidating his supremacy in Japan and eliminating his adversary Shibata Katsuie .
prehistory
After his victory at Yamazaki, Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued to fight to become the most powerful man in Japan. In May 1583, Shibata Katsuie, one of Oda Nobunaga's former followers, attacked a number of fortifications that Toyotomi had built at higher elevations north of the Bivouac, including Shizugatake. Although the attackers managed to kill the defense commander Nakagawa Kiyohide, they were unable to take the fortification.
battle
Sakuma Morimasa , the commander of the besiegers, received the order to withdraw from Shibata when the news came that Toyotomi was marching to Shizugatake with a sizeable army. Sakuma, however, continued the siege, believing Toyotomi to be three days' march away. But it took less than 24 hours. Sakuma, forced into a hastily defensive position, was quickly overwhelmed. In this battle seven samurai Toyotomis, henceforth called the Seven Spears of Shizugatake , had the opportunity to distinguish themselves.
literature
- A History of Japan to 1334 , George Bailey Sansom, 1958, ISBN 0-8047-0523-2 .