Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara | |||||||||
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Part of the Edo-period screen depicting the battle | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Western Army: Forces loyal to Ishida Mitsunari, many clans from Western Japan | Eastern Army: Forces loyal to Tokugawa Ieyasu, clans of Eastern Japan | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Ishida Mitsunari Ukita Hideie Ōtani Yoshitsugu † Shima Sakon † Chōsokabe Morichika Gamō Yorisato † Shimazu Yoshihiro Shimazu Toyohisa † Akashi Takenori Konishi Yukinaga Toda Katsushige † Ankokuji Ekei Mōri Hidemoto Natsuka Masaie † Hiratsuka Tamehiro † Defected: Kobayakawa Hideaki Kikkawa Hiroie Wakisaka Yasuharu Kutsuki Mototsuna Akaza Naoyasu Ogawa Suketada |
Yamauchi Katsutoyo Kyōgoku Takatomo | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
120,000 initially,[1] 81,890 by the time of battle[2] |
75,000 initially,[1] 88,888 by the time of battle[2] | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
8,000–32,000[3] killed ~23,000 defected | 4,000–10,000[4] killed | ||||||||
The Battle of Sekigahara (
Tokugawa Ieyasu took three more years to consolidate his position of power over the Toyotomi clan and the various
Background
Toyotomi clan rule
The final years of Hideyoshi's reign were troubled. While rivals in the Hojo clan were defeated at the Siege of Odawara in 1590, failures in the invasions of Korea significantly weakened the Toyotomi clan's power and its support from bureaucrats who served in the government.[7] Additionally, Hideyoshi ordered the execution of Toyotomi Hidetsugu and his entire family in 1595. Hidetsugu was his nephew and heir, as well as the regent at the time who had been expected to take up leadership after Hideyoshi. When Hideyoshi was on his deathbed in 1598, he set up a regency government, as his new heir, Toyotomi Hideyori, was only five years old. Hideyoshi's death created a power vacuum; there was no appointed shōgun over the armies.[7][8] The respected regent Maeda Toshiie, a neutral party between the clashing factions, kept the peace for a time, but he too died in 1599.
Feuding factions
Two main factions arose during the fading years of Hideyoshi's rule and the immediate aftermath of his death. Tokugawa Ieyasu was unrivaled in terms of seniority, rank, reputation, and overall influence within the regency government, and had the allegiance of many of the lords of eastern Japan. Toyotomi clan loyalists and the lords of western Japan rallied behind Ishida Mitsunari. Tensions between them sometimes boiled into open hostilities, with relations eventually degenerating into the conflicts of 1600 that led to the Battle of Sekigahara.
Katō Kiyomasa and Fukushima Masanori were publicly critical of the bureaucrats, especially Mitsunari and Konishi Yukinaga. Tokugawa Ieyasu took advantage of this situation and recruited them, redirecting the animosity to weaken the Toyotomi clan.[9] Rumours started to spread stating that Ieyasu, at that point the only surviving contemporary ally of Oda Nobunaga, would take over Hideyoshi's legacy just as Nobunaga's was taken. This was especially evident amongst the loyalist bureaucrats, who suspected Ieyasu of agitating unrest amongst Toyotomi's former vassals.
Later, a supposed conspiracy to assassinate Ieyasu surfaced, and many Toyotomi loyalists, including Maeda Toshiie's son, Toshinaga, were accused of taking part and forced to submit to Ieyasu's authority.[9] Uesugi Kagekatsu, one of Hideyoshi's appointed regents, defied Ieyasu by building up his military. When Ieyasu officially condemned him and demanded that he come to Kyoto to explain himself, Kagekatsu's chief advisor, Naoe Kanetsugu, responded with a counter-condemnation that mocked Ieyasu's abuses and violations of Hideyoshi's rules; Ieyasu was infuriated.[10]
Afterwards, Ieyasu summoned the help of various supporters and led them northward to attack the Uesugi clan. However, many of them were at that moment besieging Hasedō. Ishida Mitsunari, grasping the opportunity created by the chaos, rose up in response and created an alliance to challenge Ieyasu's supporters.
Troop deployment
Ishida, in his home Sawayama Castle, met with Ōtani Yoshitsugu, Mashita Nagamori and Ankokuji Ekei. Here, they forged their alliance, and invited Mōri Terumoto to be its head. They formed what came to be referred to as the Western Army. Mōri seized Osaka Castle for their base of operations, since most of Tokugawa's forces had vacated the area to attack Uesugi.[11]
Ishida wanted to reinforce Mōri at the impregnable Osaka Castle. This would let Ishida control the capital of Kyoto and challenge the Tokugawa. To this end, Ishida's forces headed for Gifu Castle in order to use it as a staging area to move on Kyoto, since it was controlled by his ally Oda Hidenobu.[7]
Back in
Since the Tokugawa army departed from Edo, it could only take two roads, both of which converged on Gifu Castle. Ieyasu marched on Gifu while Ishida Mitsunari was delayed at
Initially, the Eastern Army had 75,000 men, while the Western Army numbered 120,000.
Shima Sakon, one of Mitsunari's commanders, requested permission to attack the nearest Tokugawa troops. Later, Sakon clashed with Honda Tadakatsu at the Battle of Kuisegawa. As a result, the Eastern Army suffered significant losses from the battle and had to pull back from the Mino Akasaka territory to Sekigahara. Not wanting to lose the advantage, Mitsunari ordered his army to surround Ieyasu at Sekigahara. Ishida deployed his troops in a strong defensive position, flanked by two streams with high ground on the opposite banks. His right flank was reinforced by daimyō Kobayakawa Hideaki on Mount Matsuo.[14]
On October 20, 1600, Ieyasu learned that Ishida Mitsunari had deployed his troops at Sekigahara in a defensive position. They had been following the Western Army, and benefited from considerably better weather.
The battle
At dawn on October 21, 1600, the Tokugawa advance guard stumbled into Ishida's army. Neither side saw each other because of the dense fog caused by the earlier rain. Both sides panicked and withdrew, but that resulted in both sides being aware of their adversary's presence.[14]
Ishida held his defensive position while Ieyasu deployed his forces south of Ishida forces, sending his allies' forces in a line to the front and holding his own troops in reserve. Around 8:00 am, wind blew away the fog, and both sides noticed their respective adversary's positions. Last-minute orders were issued and the battle began.[15]
The battle started when Fukushima Masanori, the leader of the Tokugawa advance guard, charged north from the Eastern Army's left flank along the Fuji River against the Western Army's right centre under Ukita Hideie. The ground was still muddy from the previous day's rain, so the conflict there devolved into something more primal. Ieyasu then ordered attacks from his right and centre against the Western Army's left in order to support Fukushima's attack.[14]
This left the Western Army's centre unscathed, so Ishida ordered this unit under the command of Shimazu Yoshihiro to reinforce his right flank. Shimazu refused as daimyō of the day only listened to respected commanders, which Ishida was not.[14]
Fukushima's attack was slowly gaining ground, but this came at the cost of exposing their flank to attack from across the Fuji River by Ōtani Yoshitsugu, who took advantage of this opportunity. Just past Ōtani's forces were those of Kobayakawa Hideaki on Mount Matsuo.[14]
Kobayakawa Hideaki was one of the daimyō who had been courted by Tokugawa. Even though he had agreed to defect to the Tokugawa side beforehand, during the actual battle he was allegedly hesitant and remained neutral, and is reported to have joined the battle only around noon as a member of the Eastern Army. Some later historical accounts claim that as the battle grew more intense, Ieyasu finally ordered his arquebuses to fire at Kobayakawa's position on Mount Matsuo to force a choice. However, the sheer distance between the Eastern Army positions and Kobayakawa's, far out of range of arquebuses and likely too far for a shot to even be heard, make this very unlikely. Historian Shiramine Jun has argued that "the earliest accounts of Sekigahara show that Hideaki’s so-called treachery happened when the battle began, not halfway through",
Fall of the Western Army
Heavily outnumbered, Ōtani had no choice but to retreat. This left the Western Army's right flank wide open, so Fukushima and Kobayakawa began to roll it up. Thus Ishida's right flank was destroyed and his centre was being pushed back, so he retreated.[15]
Ishida's only remaining forces were on Mount Nangu. However, these forces were there for a reason. Kikkawa Hiroie was one of the commanders on the mountain. Kikkawa's troops formed the front lines of the Mōri army, which was commanded by his cousin Mōri Hidemoto. Earlier, when Hidemoto decided to attack the Tokugawa forces, Hiroie refused to comply, stating he was busy eating and asked to be left alone. This in turn prevented the Chōsokabe army, which deployed behind the Mōri clan, from attacking.[18] When Ishida arrived, Kikkawa betrayed him as well. He kept the Mōri army at bay, and since Ishida had no more support, he was defeated.[15]
The Western Army disintegrated afterwards with the commanders scattering and fleeing. Some, like Ukita Hideie, managed to escape, at least initially.[19] Many others did not. Shima Sakon was shot and fatally wounded by a round from an arquebus[20] and Ōtani Yoshitsugu committed suicide. Ishida, Yukinaga and Ekei were some of those who were captured and a few, like Shimazu Yoshihiro, were able to return to their home provinces.[21] Mōri Terumoto and his forces had remained entrenched at Osaka Castle rather than join the battle, and later quietly surrendered to Tokugawa.[a] Ishida himself was later executed.[19]
Late arrivals
Both sides had forces that did not arrive at Sekigahara in time to participate due to other battles. Ieyasu's son Hidetada led another group through Nakasendō. However, Hidetada's forces were bogged down as he attempted to besiege Sanada Masayuki's Ueda Castle against his father's direct orders. Even though the Tokugawa forces numbered some 38,000, an overwhelming advantage over Sanada's mere 2,000, they were still unable to capture the famous strategist's well-defended position.[13]
At the same time, 15,000 Toyotomi troops were being held up by 500 troops under
Aftermath
Rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate
Following the public executions of Ishida Mitsunari, Konishi Yukinaga and Ankokuji Ekei on November 6, the influence and reputation of the Toyotomi clan and its remaining loyalists drastically decreased.[19] Tokugawa Ieyasu redistributed the lands and fiefs of the participants, generally rewarding those who assisted him and displacing, punishing, or exiling those who fought against him. In doing so, he gained control of many former Toyotomi territories.[25]
At the time, the battle was considered only an internal conflict between Toyotomi vassals. However, after Ieyasu was named Evil-doers and bandits were vanquished and the entire realm submitted to Lord Ieyasu, praising the establishment of peace and extolling his martial virtue. That this glorious era that he founded may continue for ten thousands upon ten thousands of generations, coeval with heaven and earth.[27]
Seeds of dissent from Sekigahara
While most clans were content with their new status, there were many clans, especially those on the Western side, who became bitter about their displacement or what they saw as a dishonorable defeat or punishment. Three clans in particular did not take the aftermath of Sekigahara lightly:
- The Mōri clan, headed by Mōri Terumoto, remained angry toward the Tokugawa shogunate for being displaced from their fief, Aki, and being relocated to the Chōshū Domain, even though the clan did not take part in the battle at all.[21]
- The Shimazu clan, headed by Shimazu Yoshihiro, blamed the defeat on its poor intelligence-gathering, and while they were not displaced from their home province of Satsuma, they did not become completely loyal to the Tokugawa shōgunate either. Taking advantage of its large distance between Edo and the island of Kyūshū as well as its improved espionage, the Shimazu clan demonstrated that it was virtually an autonomous kingdom independent from the Tokugawa shōgunate during its last days.
- The Chōsokabe clan, headed by Chōsokabe Morichika, was stripped of its title and domain of Tosa and sent into exile. Former Chōsokabe retainers never quite came to terms with the new ruling family, the Yamauchi clan, which made a distinction between its own retainers and former Chōsokabe retainers, giving them lesser status as well as discriminatory treatment. This class distinction continued even generations after the fall of the Chōsokabe clan.
The descendants of these three clans would in two centuries collaborate to bring down the Tokugawa shogunate, leading to the Meiji Restoration.
Kokudaka of daimyō
○ = Main daimyōs who participated in the Battle of Sekigahara
● = Daimyōs who defected
Chronology
Below is a chronology of the events leading up to the final battle of Sekigahara 1600:
- May 7 – Ieyasu asks Uesugi Kagekatsu for explanations for his military mobilization. Kagekatsu refuses Ieyasu.
- June 8 – Ieyasu calls his allies to punish the Uesugi.
- July 12 – Ieyasu holds a meeting in Osaka to plan the punishment of the Uesugi, attended by Hosokawa Tadaoki, Date Masamune, Mogami Yoshiaki, Satake Yoshinobu and Nanbu Toshinao.
- July 26 – Ieyasu leaves Fushimi Castle after meeting with Torii Mototada.
- August 16 – Mitsunari meets with Ōtani Yoshitsugu and convinces him to take sides against the Tokugawa.
- August 17 – Ishida Mitsunari, Ankokuji Ekei, Ōtani Yoshitsugu and Mashita Nagamori meet in Sawayama and agree to ask Mōri Terumoto to become commander in chief of the alliance. Nagamori secretly sends Ieyasu news about the meeting.
- August 19 – Siege of Tanabe, while Hosokawa Tadaoki was joining army to attack Uesugi, Mitsunari western army, Ikoma Chikamasa forces, attack Tanabe castle led by Onoki Shigekatsu against Hosokawa Fujitaka.
- August 22 – Mōri Terumoto arrives at Osaka Castle and takes command of the Western Alliance.
- August 23 - Battle of Gifu Castle begins, Oda Hidenobu of the western forces against Ikeda Terumasa, Ikeda Sen and Fukushima Masanori of the eastern forces.
- August 27 – Siege of Fushimi, led by Mitsunari and Kobayakawa Hideaki.
- August 29 – Ieyasu establishes his headquarters in Oyama, Shizuoka to discuss strategy with allies.
- August 30 – Battle of Asai, Maeda Toshinaga for the Eastern coalition, stems a force of Niwa Nagashige supported by Uesugi Kagekatsu.
- September 1 – Siege of Shiroishi, Uesugi Kagekatsu loses Shiroishi Castle to Date Masamune's pro-Tokugawa troops .
- September 6 - fall of Tanabe castle to the western army and Fujitaka entered Kameyama castle, the lord of which was Maeda Shigekatsu, western general, in Tanba.
- September 7 – Maeda Toshinaga (Tokugawa ally) attacks his brother, Toshimasa, and besieges Daishoji Castle. The commander of the garrison, Yamaguchi Munenaga, commits seppuku.
- September 8 – fall of Fushimi castle, Torii Mototada and Matsudaira Ietadadies.
- September 10 – Ieyasu returns to Edo Castle from Oyama.
- September 15 – Mitsunari's Western army arrives at Ogaki Castle.
- September 29 – Ogaki Castle.
- September 29 – Fall of Nakasendo.
- September 30 – Mōri Hidemoto lays siege to Annotsu Castle held by Tomita Nobutaka.
- October 1 – Mitsunari returns to Sawayama Castle from Ogaki, asking Terumoto to move. Terumoto was at Osaka Castle defending Toyotomi Hideyori.
- October 7 – Ieyasu leaves Edo at the head of 30,000 men towards Tokaido.
- October 9 – Hidetada reaches Komoro, Nagano and against the orders of his father, diverts his forces towards Ueda.
- October 12 – Ieyasu passes through Shimada in Suruga. Hidetada camps in Sometani village to besieged Ueda Castle against Sanada Masayuki.
- October 13 – Ieyasu passes through Nakaizumi in Tōtōmi. Mōri Hidemoto and Kikkawa Hiroie enters Mino and sets up camp near Mount Nangu. Mōri Hidekane, Tachibana Muneshige and Tsukushi Hirokado besiege Ōtsu Castle, held for Ieyasu by Kyōgoku Takatsugu.
- October 14 - Ieyasu receives a secret messenger from Siege of Hasedo.
- October 16 – Hidetada abandons the Siege of Ueda Castle and heads to Mino.
- October 19 – Ieyasu arrives at Gifu castle in Mino. Kuroda Yoshitaka defeats Ōtomo Yoshimune and other Mitsunari allied generals at the Battle of Ishigakibara.
- October 20 – Ieyasu moves to Sekigahara. The Western coalition heads to Sekigahara from Ogaki Castle.
- October 21 – Battle of Sekigahara
- October - siege of Yanagawa is the last battle of the Kyūshū Sekigahara Campaign.
- October 30 – Date Masamune tries to conquer Fukushima Castle but retires. (In May 1601, during the Battle of Matsukawa, Masamune is repelled by Honjō Shigenaga)
- November 5 - Naoe Kanetsugu called a full withdrawal of all Uesugi forces, putting an end to Uesugi's campaigns in the north.
Notable figures
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2020) |
Before the fateful confrontation in Sekigahara, Ishida Mitsunari claimed Osaka Castle and planned to take hostages from relatives loyal to Toyotomi. He hoped to use them to force his rival generals to join his cause. He sought to make noblewomen Hosokawa Gracia, Yamauchi Chiyo and Kushihashi Teru as political hostages, and other women were targets of Mitsunari's plan.
When Mitsunari's soldiers threatened to take Hosokawa's home, Hosokawa Gracia was killed to protect her honor by a family soldier named Ogasawara Shōsai. He and the rest of the residents committed seppuku to avoid capture. As the last notable survivor of the Akechi clan, the clan responsible for the death of Oda Nobunaga, Gracia's death impacted both armies. The incident did much damage to Ishida's reputation, which greatly reduced his chances of recruiting more allies, some of whom were also secretly Christians.
After Hideyoshi's death, Kodain-in (Hideyoshi's chief consort) left Osaka Castle and lived as a castellan in Kyoto. Hideyoshi's second wife, Yodo-dono, inherited the political power of both figures, as Hideyori was too young to lead the Toyotomi clan. Yodo-dono was present in the maintenance of the Western army, although she did not play a very notable role during the campaign. Subsequently, Ieyasu began to receive hostages, nobles who were involved with the Mitsunari army, such as Maeda Matsu, whose son, Maeda Toshimasa, was involved in the Western army, while her other son, Maeda Toshinaga, was an ally of the Eastern army. After Ieyasu defeated Mitsunari in Sekigahara, Kodain-in received several women from the Western army at her home.
Kuki Yoshitaka, one of Nobunaga and Hideyoshi's top generals, fought alongside the western forces, while his son Kuki Moritaka joined the eastern forces, under Tokugawa Ieyasu. Following Tokugawa's victory, his son successfully guaranteed Yoshitaka's safety from Ieyasu. In a turn of fate, Yoshitaka committed seppuku before the news from Moritaka reached him.
Legend has it that the rōnin Miyamoto Musashi was present at the battle among Ukita Hideie's army and escaped the defeat of Hideie's forces unharmed. Musashi would have been around 16 years of age at the time. There is no hard evidence to prove whether Musashi was present or not for the battle. According to one account, the Musashi yuko gamei, "Musashi's achievements stood out from the crowd, and were known by the soldiers in all camps."[28] Musashi is reticent on the matter, writing only that he had "participated in over six battles since my youth".[29]
The cannons from the Liefde, the trading ship that English sailor William Adams came to Japan on, were used by Tokugawa's forces at Sekigahara.[30] It is unlikely Adams himself was at the battle, although some fictional accounts have entertained the possibility.
Battlefield
The site of the battle was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1931. The site encompasses the sites of the initial position of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康最初陣地), the final position of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康最後陣地), the position of Ishida Mitsunari (石田三成陣地), the Okayama beacon (岡山烽火場), the grave of Ōtani Yoshitsugu (大谷吉隆墓), the east kubizuka (東首塚), and the west kubizuka (西首塚)[31]
Cultural depictions
The Battle of Sekigahara has been depicted in a number of works of literature.
The battle did not get a full movie featuring it until 2017, with previous inclusions generally only including a brief snippet in passing, such as the beginning of the 1954 movie
The 2000 video game Kessen is set during the conflict between Tokugawa and Toyotomi clan, and features the Battle of Sekigahara. It also provides an alternate scenario in case the Western forces win the battle. GMT Games produced the 2011 block wargame Sekigahara: Unification of Japan, which attempts to reflect the patchy loyalties of the armies involved by having randomized cards represent the loyalty of specific armies; players know which of their units are "reliable" but their opponents are not necessarily sure.[35] The 2017 video game Nioh includes a mission related to the battle and features heavily fictionalized versions of the events leading up to it.[36]
See also
Notes
- Mori Terumoto betrayed the Western Alliance and made a secret agreement with Tokugawa, rather than simply being misplaced or cowardly. Professor Yoshiji Yamasaki of Toho Universityis one advocate of the theory. If such a neutrality-for-territorial-preservation agreement existed, then it badly backfired on Mōri, as Mōri lands were reduced afterward, and some Mōri faction troops did indeed fight for the Alliance's side at Sekigahara rather than stay neutral.
References
- ^ a b c Davis 1999, p. 204.
- ^ a b Bryant 1995.
- ^ 『関原軍記大成』
- ^ 『関原合戦記』
- ^ "Battle of Sekigahara | Summary, Facts, & Outcome | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ Yoshikawa, Eiji. Taiko. Kodansha International.
- ^ a b c d e f Davis 1999, p. 205.
- ^ Bryant 1995, p. 8.
- ^ a b Bryant 1995, p. 10.
- ^ Bryant 1995, pp. 12, 89.
- ^ Bryant 1995, pp. 12, 90.
- ^ Davis 1999, pp. 205–206.
- ^ a b Bryant 1995, pp. 89–90.
- ^ a b c d e f g Davis 1999, p. 206.
- ^ a b c d Davis 1999, p. 207.
- ^ a b Turnbull, Stephen (28 August 2019). "The battle of Sekigahara – what went right?". Osprey Publishing. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ Bryant 1995, p. 73.
- ^ Bryant 1995, pp. 66, 68.
- ^ a b c d Bryant 1995, p. 80.
- ^ Bryant 1995, p. 51.
- ^ a b Bryant 1995, p. 79.
- ^ "Tanabe Castle Profile". jcastle.info. Archived from the original on 2013-09-14. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
- ^ Bryant 1995, p. 91.
- ^ Bryant 1995, p. 84.
- ^ Bryant 1995, p. 82.
- ^ Davis 1999, p. 208.
- ^ Hoffman, Michael (2006-09-10). "A man in the soul of Japan". Japan Times. Tokyo.
- ^ Wilson 2004, p. 33.
- ^ Wilson 2004, p. 34.
- ^ Cannon use during the winter siege of Osaka.
- ^ "関ヶ原古戦場" [Sekigahara ko-senjō] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- ^ Shogun: The facts behind the fiction
- ^ 'Sekigahara': A bold attempt to portray one of Japan's most decisive battles
- ^ The Shogun
- ^ Sekigahara: The Unification of Japan (2011)
- ^ A Guide To The Real-Life Figures In Nioh
Bibliography
- Bryant, Anthony (1995). Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle For Power. Osprey Campaign Series. Vol. 40. Oxford: ISBN 978-1-85532-395-7.
- Davis, Paul (1999). "Sekigahara, 21 October 1600". 100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-514366-9.
- Wilson, William Scott (2004). The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi. Tokyo: Kodansha International.
Further reading
Paul Davis used the following sources to compile the chapter "Sekigahara, 21 October 1600" in 100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present "Sekigahara, 21 October 1600."
- De Lange, William. Samurai Battles: The Long Road to Unification Groningen: Toyo Press, 2020
- Sadler, A.L. The Maker of Modern Japan: The Life of Tokugawa Ieyasu London: George Allen & Unwin, 1937
- Sansom, George. A History of Japan from 1334–1615 Stanford University Press, 1961
- Turnbull, Stephen. The Samurai: A Military History New York: Macmillan, 1977
External links
- SengokuDaimyo.com The website of samurai author and historian Anthony J. Bryant. Bryant is the author of the above-mentioned Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle for Power.
- Several strategy war games based on the battle: Sekigahara: Unification of Japan