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Battle of Mikatagahara

 

 
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Battle of Mikatagahara
 
 
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The (January, 1573; Mikawa Province, Japan) was one of the most famous battles of daimyo Takeda Shingen
Takeda Shingen

of Shinano Province and Kai Provinces, was a preeminent daimyo or feudal lord with military prestige who sought for the control of Japan in the late stage of Sengoku period or "warring states" period....
's campaigns, and one of the best demonstrations of his cavalry-based tactics.

akeda Shingen drove south, seeking to attack Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu

Japanese name|Tokugawa}} was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868....
 at his fortress at Hamamatsu
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka

is a cities of Japan located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and is the largest city in the prefecture. On July 1, 2005, the city merged with 11 surrounding cities and towns....
, his forces were met by the Tokugawa on a high plain called Mikata, just north of the fortress. According to the Koyo Gunkan
Koyo Gunkan

The is a record of the military exploits of the Takeda family, compiled largely by the Takeda vassal Kosaka Masanobu, and completed in 1616 by Obata Kagenori....
, the contemporary Takeda military history, Shingen outnumbered Ieyasu three-to-one, and organized his men in the gyorin (fish-scale) formation, enticing his opponent to attack.






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The (January, 1573; Mikawa Province, Japan) was one of the most famous battles of daimyo Takeda Shingen
Takeda Shingen

of Shinano Province and Kai Provinces, was a preeminent daimyo or feudal lord with military prestige who sought for the control of Japan in the late stage of Sengoku period or "warring states" period....
's campaigns, and one of the best demonstrations of his cavalry-based tactics.

First Attack

As Takeda Shingen drove south, seeking to attack Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu

Japanese name|Tokugawa}} was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868....
 at his fortress at Hamamatsu
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka

is a cities of Japan located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and is the largest city in the prefecture. On July 1, 2005, the city merged with 11 surrounding cities and towns....
, his forces were met by the Tokugawa on a high plain called Mikata, just north of the fortress. According to the Koyo Gunkan
Koyo Gunkan

The is a record of the military exploits of the Takeda family, compiled largely by the Takeda vassal Kosaka Masanobu, and completed in 1616 by Obata Kagenori....
, the contemporary Takeda military history, Shingen outnumbered Ieyasu three-to-one, and organized his men in the gyorin (fish-scale) formation, enticing his opponent to attack. Ieyasu's troops were arranged in a line, so they could make the best use of their arquebusiers
Arquebus

The arquebus is an early Muzzle -loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. In distinction from its predecessor, the hand cannon, it has a matchlock....
.

At around four in the afternoon, snow began to fall, and the arquebusiers opened fire, along with a number of peasant stone-throwers. Firearms being quite new to Japanese warfare, were probably considered an unbalancing factor; Ieyasu may have expected his superior weaponry to defeat Shingen's tactical attempts. Shingen then let loose his famous cavalry charge; his horsemen raced towards the gunners, and overran them; some of the Tokugawa stood firm, but many withdrew or were killed.

Second Attack

Shingen then withdrew these forward troops, offering them an opportunity to rest; a new set of horsemen initiated a new charge, led by Takeda Katsuyori
Takeda Katsuyori

was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku Period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen....
 and Obata Masamori
Obata Masamori

Obata Masamori , also known as Obata Nobusada, was one of Takeda Shingen's 'Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen', his most trusted commanders....
. They were soon joined by the main body of the Takeda army, which drove their adversaries into full retreat. Ieyasu sent one of his commanders, Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo

was a Japanese daimyo and samurai general of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He served Tokugawa Ieyasu. The eldest son of Okubo Tadakazu, he accompanied Tokugawa Ieyasu in all of his campaigns, up until his own death in 1593, and was awarded the fief of Odawara Domain in 1590, with an income of 45,000 koku....
, to plant his giant golden fan standard (uma-jirushi
Uma-jirushi

were massive flags used in feudal Japan to identify a daimyo or equally important military commander on the field of battle. They came into prominence during the Sengoku period....
) to serve as a rallying point at Saigadake, where the high plains began to drop off. He then sought to re-engage the Takeda army, to free his trapped generals, but was persuaded by Natsume Yoshinobu
Natsume Yoshinobu

was relatively a senior retainer beneath the clan of Tokugawa clan throughout the latter Sengoku Period of Feudal Japan. As Yoshinobu began service as vassal to the Matsudaira clan before initially supporting Tokugawa Ieyasu's rise to power during the late 16th century, he would become holder of Hamamatsu castle, a strategic position essent...
 to retreat; Ieyasu's life was too important. Yoshinobu then led a charge into the Takeda line, and was killed.

Retreat

When Tokugawa returned to the Hamamatsu fortress, he was reportedly accompanied by only five men; the battle had gone badly. Nevertheless, he commanded that the fortress gates remain open, and that braziers be lit to guide his retreating army back to safety. Sakai Tadatsugu
Sakai Tadatsugu

was one of the most favored and most and successful military commanders serving Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late-Sengoku period. As a token of respect and appreciation, Ieyasu conferred a special, honorific title, naming him as one of the Four Guardians of the Tokugawa clan ....
 beat a large war drum, seeking to add encouragement to the returning men of a noble, courageous retreat. This tactic is called the "empty fort strategy
Empty Fort Strategy

The Empty Fort Strategy is the 32nd strategy from the Chinese Thirty-Six Strategies. The strategy involves using reverse psychology to deceive the enemy into thinking that an empty fort is full of traps and ambushes, and therefore retreat....
". When the Takeda vanguard, led by Baba Nobuharu
Baba Nobuharu

, also known as Baba Nobufusa, was a samurai of Japan's Sengoku period and one of Takeda Shingen's so-called "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen"; they were his most trusted commanders....
 and Yamagata Masakage
Yamagata Masakage

was one of the 24 generals of the Takeda clan. He was famous for his red armour and skill in battlefield, and was a personal friend of Takeda Shingen....
 heard the drums, and saw the braziers and open gates, they assumed that Tokugawa was planning a trap, and so they stopped and made camp for the night. Had they pushed though, it could be argued that they might have taken the fortress.

In the night, a small band of Tokugawa warriors attacked the Takeda camp, forcing them into a ravine, where they lay helpless. The Takeda withdrew the following morning.