Battle of Shizugatake

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Battle of Shizugatake
Part of: Japanese Unification Wars
Fictional scene from the battle. Color woodcut by Utagawa Toyonobu, 1883.
Fictional scene from the battle. Color woodcut by Utagawa Toyonobu , 1883.
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

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , Fukushima Masanori , Katō Kiyomasa

Shibata Katsuie , Sakuma Morisama

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