Battle of Sekigahara

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Battle of Sekigahara

The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keicho
Keicho

was a after Bunroku and before Genna. This period spanned from 1596 to 1615. The reigning emperors were and ....
5, 15th day of the 9th month) which cleared the path to the Shogun

Shogun

is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The Japanese word for "general", it is made up of two kanji characters: sho, meaning "commander", "general", or "admiral", and gun meaning military troops or warriors....
ate for 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....
.

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Commanders of Eastern Army (Tokugawa Force)
	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.... : 30,000 men
	Maeda Toshinaga Maeda Toshinaga was a Japanese daimyo who was the second head of the Kaga Domain. He was the eldest son of Maeda Toshiie and married one of Oda Nobunaga's daughters, Ei-hime....
	Date Masamune Date Masamune was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tohoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai....
	Kato Kiyomasa Kato Kiyomasa was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period and Edo period.Origins and early careerKiyomasa was born in Owari Province to Kato Kiyotada.... : 3,000 men
	Fukushima Masanori Fukushima Masanori was a samurai of the late Sengoku Period to early Edo Period. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the battle of Shizugatake in 1583, and soon became known as one of Seven Spears of Shizugatake which also included Kato Kiyomasa and others.... : 6,000 men
	Hosokawa Tadaoki Hosokawa Tadaoki was the eldest son of Hosokawa Fujitaka. He fought in his first battle at the age of 15. In that battle, he was in the service of Oda Nobunaga.... : 5,000 men
	Asano Yukinaga Asano Yukinaga Japanese samurai and feudal lord of the late Sengoku and early Edo period. Served as one of the Go-Bugyo in the late Azuchi-Momoyama Period.... : 6,510 men
	Ikeda Terumasa Ikeda Terumasa was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. His court title was Kokushi .Terumasa fought in many of the battles of the late Azuchi-Momoyama Period, and due to his service at the Battle of Sekigahara, received a fief at Himeji Domain.... : 4,560 men
	Kuroda Nagamasa Kuroda Nagamasa was a daimyo of Japan. He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei.When Nagamasa was merely a small child, his father was convicted as a spy by Oda Nobunaga, so his son Nagamasa was taken away and was nearly killed as a hostage.... : 5,400 men
	Kato Yoshiaki Kato Yoshiaki was one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's top generals, and commanded elements of Hideyoshi's fleet in his Imjin Wars and campaigns in Kyushu at the end of the Sengoku period of Japanese history.... : 3,000 men
	Tanaka Yoshimasa: 3,000 men
	Todo Takatora Todo Takatora was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through Edo period. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru to become a daimyo.... : 2,490 men
	Mogami Yoshiaki Mogami Yoshiaki Mogami Yoshiaki was a daimyo of the Yamagata domain in Dewa Province, in the late Sengoku period and early Edo period.He was the first son of Mogami Yoshimori, and succeeded his father as daimyo of Yamagata....
	Yamauchi Katsutoyo: 2,058 men
	Hachisuka Yoshishige Hachisuka Yoshishige was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Tokushima Domain. His court title was Kokushi .Yoshishige fought during the Siege of Osaka at the Battle of Kizugawa....
	Honda Tadakatsu Honda Tadakatsu , also called 'Honda Heihachiro' , was a Japanese general of the late Sengoku Period through early Edo period, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu.... : 500 men
	Terasawa Hirotaka: 2,400 men
	Ikoma Kazumasa Ikoma Kazumasa was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who lived into the early Edo period; he served the Oda, the Toyotomi, and then the Tokugawa. He was also the daimyo of the Takamatsu Domain.... : 1,830 men
	Ii Naomasa Ii Naomasa was a general under the Sengoku period Daimyo, and later Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. His family, like Tokugawa's, had originally been retainers of the once-powerful Imagawa clan, and Naomasa, then a very small child, was personally lucky to escape death in the confusion and general chaos which followed the death of the clan's leader, Imagawa Y... : 3,600 men
	Matsudaira Tadayoshi: 3,000 men
	Oda Nagamasu Oda Nagamasu was a Japanese daimyo who lived from the late Sengoku period through the early Edo period. Also known as Urakusai , he was a brother of Oda Nobunaga.... : 450 men
	Tsutsui Sadatsugu Tsutsui Sadatsugu was a cousin and adopted son of Tsutsui Junkei, a feudal lord of the Yamato province.At the death of Junkei in 1584, he was relocated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Iga Province, where he built the Iga Ueno Castle.... : 2,850 men
	Kanamori Nagachika Kanamori Nagachika was a Japanese samurai who lived from the Sengoku period into the early Edo period. He was the first ruler of the Kanamori clan and served as a retainer of the Oda clan, Toyotomi clan, and Tokugawa clan clans.... : 1,140 men
	Tomita Nobutaka
	Furuta Shigekatsu Furuta Shigekatsu was a Japanese samurai who survived the Battle of Sekigahara but died later the same year. He received Matsuzaka in Ise Province from Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded him someplace worth 60,000 koku.... : 1,200 men
	Wakebe Mitsuyoshi
	Horio Tadauji Horio Tadauji Horio Tadauji was a tozama daimyo in the Azuchi-Momoyama period and Edo period.His father was Horio Yoshiharu.In 1600 at the Battle of Sekigahara, acting as a substitute for Yoshiharu who had been injured in the runup to the battle, Tadauji took part in Tokugawa Ieyasu's force....
	Nakamura Kazutada
	Arima Toyouji: 900 men
Commanders of Western Army (Ishida Force)
	Mori Terumoto Mori Terumoto Mori Terumoto was the son of Mori Takamoto and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mori Motonari, fought against Toyotomi Hideyoshi but was eventually overcome, participated in the Kyushu campaign on Hideyoshi's side and built Hiroshima Castle.... (official head of the alliance) (not present)
	Uesugi Kagekatsu Uesugi Kagekatsu Uesugi Kagekatsu was a daimyo during the Sengoku period and Edo period of History of Japan. The son of Nagao Masakage and husband of Uesugi Kenshin's elder sister....
	Maeda Toshimasa Maeda Toshimasa was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. Also known as Toshiharu , he was the son of Maeda Toshitaka. Ruled Arako Castle in Owari Province.... (Brother of Maeda Toshinaga Maeda Toshinaga was a Japanese daimyo who was the second head of the Kaga Domain. He was the eldest son of Maeda Toshiie and married one of Oda Nobunaga's daughters, Ei-hime.... )
	Ukita Hideie Ukita Hideie Ukita Hideie was the daimyo of Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province provinces , and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.... : 17,000 men
	Shimazu Yoshihiro Shimazu Yoshihiro was the second son of Shimazu Takahisa and younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa. It had traditionally been believed that he became the seventeenth head of the Shimazu clan after Yoshihisa, but it is currently believed that he let Yoshihisa keep his position.... : 1,500 men
	Kobayakawa Hideaki Kobayakawa Hideaki Kobayakawa Hideaki was fifth son of Kinoshita Iesada and the nephew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.He was adopted by Hideyoshi and called himself Hashiba Hidetoshi and Shusen .... (defected): 15,600 men
	Ishida Mitsunari Ishida Mitsunari Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century.... (de facto head of the alliance): 4,000 men
	Konishi Yukinaga Konishi Yukinaga Konishi Yukinaga was a Japanese Christian daimyo under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was the son of a wealthy Sakai merchant, Konishi Ryusa.In 1587, during the Invasion of Kyushu, he quelled the local uprising in Higo province and was awarded a fief in that province.... : 4,000 men
	Mashita Nagamori Mashita Nagamori was a daimyo in Azuchi-Momoyama period, and one of the Go-Bugyo appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.Also called Niemon or by his court title, Uemon-no-jo ....
	Ogawa Suketada Ogawa Suketada Ogawa Suketada was a daimyo in Azuchi-Momoyama period and Edo period.First, Suketada served Akechi Mitsuhide, and secondly, served Shibata Katsutoyo.... (defected): 2,100 men
	Otani Yoshitsugu Otani Yoshitsugu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period though Azuchi-Momoyama Period. He was also known by his court title, . He was born in 1559 to a father who was said to be a retainer of either Otomo Sorin or of Rokkaku Yoshikata.... : 600 men
	Wakisaka Yasuharu Wakisaka Yasuharu , sometimes referred to as 'Wakizaka Yasuharu', was a daimyo of Awaji Island who fought under a number of warlords over the course of Japan's Sengoku period.... (defected): 990 men
	Ankokuji Ekei Ankokuji Ekei Ankokuji Ekei was a daimyo of Aki Province in Japan, as well as a Rinzai Buddhism monk following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 16th century.... : 1,800 men
	Satake Yoshinobu Satake Yoshinobu was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. The eldest son of Satake Yoshishige, he was the first generation lord of the Kubota Domain....
	Oda Hidenobu Oda Hidenobu was the son of Oda Nobutada and lived during the Azuchi-Momoyama period in the late-16th century. His other name was Sanposhi ....
	Chosokabe Morichika Chosokabe Morichika was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Once the ruler of Tosa Province, his fief was revoked by Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara.... : 6,600 men
	Kutsuki Mototsuna Kutsuki Mototsuna was a samurai commander in Azuchi-Momoyama period and Edo period.His father was Kutsuki Harutsuna . The Kutsuki were a powerful clan at Kutsuki-tani , Takasima-gori, Omi Province.... (defected): 600 men
	Akaza Naoyasu Akaza Naoyasu was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was also known as and , and held the title of . His father, , was a retainer of Oda Nobunaga.... (defected): 600 men
	Kikkawa Hiroie Kikkawa Hiroie was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period.Hiroie's father was Kikkawa Motoharu and his mother was a daughter of Kumagai Nobunao.... (defected): 3,000 men
	Natsuka Masaie Natsuka Masaie was a daimyo in the Azuchi-Momoyama period and one of the Go-Bugyo, or five commissioners, appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.Born in Owari Province, Masaie served Niwa Nagahide who was a retainer of the Oda clan.... : 1,500 men
	Mori Hidemoto Mori Hidemoto was a senior retainer beneath the clan of Toyotomi clan throughout the latter Sengoku Period of Feudal Japan. Hidemoto was the eldest son of Mori Motokiyo and initially began service under the Toyotomi at the time at which he was of the age to become a military commander, with Mori Terumoto--his respective cousin--as the present leading head over... : 15,000 men
	Toda Katsushige Toda Katsushige Toda Katsushige was a daimyo in Sengoku period and Azuchi-Momoyama period.At first, Katsushige served Niwa Nagahide.In 1585, after Nagahide died, Katsushige served Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was given 10,000 koku at Echizen Province.... : 1,500 men
	Sanada Masayuki Sanada Masayuki was a Japanese Sengoku period daimyo. He was the third son of Sanada Yukitaka, a vassal daimyo to the Takeda family in Shinano province. He is known as a master strategist....
	Sanada Yukimura Sanada Yukimura was a Japanese samurai, second son of the Sengoku period daimyo Sanada Masayuki . His proper name was Sanada Nobushige , named after Takeda Shingen's younger brother Takeda Nobushige who was a brave and respected warrior....
	Shima Sakon Shima Sakon , often called , was a samurai working under Tsutsui. Shima eventually left the service of the Tsutsui, and eventually joined Ishida Mitsunari under the banner of the Uesugi Clan.... : 1,000 men

Shogun

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....
. Though it would take three more years for Ieyasu to consolidate his position of power over the Toyotomi clan

Toyotomi clan

During the Sengoku period in 16th century Japan, the began to thrive. Originating in Owari Province, the Toyotomi served as retainers to the Oda clan throughout the Sengoku period....
and the daimyo

Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
, Sekigahara is widely considered to be the unofficial beginning of the Tokugawa bakufu

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
, the last shogun

Shogun

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
.

Background and pretext

Even though Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Hideyoshi's castle....
unified Japan and consolidated his power following the Siege of Odawara

Siege of Odawara (1590)

The third occurred in 1590, and was the primary action in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign to eliminate the Late Hojo clan as a threat to his power....
in 1590, his ill-fated invasion of Korea significantly weakened the Toyotomi clan's power as well as the loyalists and bureaucrats that continued to serve and support the Toyotomi clan after Hideyoshi's death. Hideyoshi's and his brother Hidenaga

Toyotomi Hidenaga

was a half-brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the most powerful warlords of Japan's Sengoku period. After participating in and helping Hideyoshi win the battle at Kii Province, Hidenaga oversaw the construction of Wakayama Castle in 1585, appointing Todo Takatora to the chief engineer....
's presence kept the two sides from anything more than quarreling, but when both of them died, the conflicts were exacerbated and developed into open hostilities. Since the Toyotomi clan was known to be descended from peasant stock, neither Hideyoshi nor his heir Hideyori

Toyotomi Hideyori

Toyotomi Hideyori , 1593 - June 5, 1615, was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan....
would be recognized or accepted as Shogun

Shogun

Kato Kiyomasa

was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period and Edo period.Origins and early careerKiyomasa was born in Owari Province to Kato Kiyotada....
and Fukushima Masanori

Fukushima Masanori

was a samurai of the late Sengoku Period to early Edo Period. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the battle of Shizugatake in 1583, and soon became known as one of Seven Spears of Shizugatake which also included Kato Kiyomasa and others....
were publicly critical of the bureaucrats, especially Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century....
and Konishi Yukinaga

Konishi Yukinaga

Konishi Yukinaga was a Japanese Christian daimyo under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was the son of a wealthy Sakai merchant, Konishi Ryusa.In 1587, during the Invasion of Kyushu, he quelled the local uprising in Higo province and was awarded a fief in that province....
. Tokugawa Ieyasu took advantage of this situation, and recruited them, redirecting the animosity to weaken the Toyotomi clan.

Beginning

Tokugawa Ieyasu was no longer rivaled in terms of seniority, rank, reputation and overall influence within the Toyotomi clan after the death of Regent Maeda Toshiie

Maeda Toshiie

was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His father was Maeda Toshimasa....
. Rumors started to spread stating that Ieyasu, at that point the only surviving ally of Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of History of Japan. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo with land holdings in Owari province....
, 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

Conspiracy (political)

In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'?tat or through assassination....
to assassinate Ieyasu surfaced, and many Toyotomi loyalists, including Toshiie's son, Toshinaga

Maeda Toshinaga

was a Japanese daimyo who was the second head of the Kaga Domain. He was the eldest son of Maeda Toshiie and married one of Oda Nobunaga's daughters, Ei-hime....
, were accused of taking part and forced to submit to Ieyasu's authority. However, Uesugi Kagekatsu

Uesugi Kagekatsu

Uesugi Kagekatsu was a daimyo during the Sengoku period and Edo period of History of Japan. The son of Nagao Masakage and husband of Uesugi Kenshin's elder sister....
, 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

Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
to explain himself before the emperor

Emperor of Japan

The of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Imperial House of Japan. Under Japan's present constitution, the Emperor is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people," and is a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy ....
, Kagekatsu's chief advisor, Naoe Kanetsugu

Naoe Kanetsugu

was a Japanese samurai of the 16th-17th centuries. The eldest son of Higuchi Kanetoyo, Kanetsugu was famed for his service to two generations of the Uesugi daimyo....
responded with a counter-condemnation that mocked Ieyasu's abuses and violations of Hideyoshi's rules, in such a way that Ieyasu was infuriated.

Afterwards, Ieyasu summoned the help of various supporters and led them northward to attack the Uesugi clan, which at that moment were besieging Hasedo

Siege of Hasedo

The siege of Hasedo was one of a series of battles fought in the far north of Japan's main island of Honshu contemporaneous with the famous and decisive campaigns between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari further south....
, but Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century....
, grasping the opportunity, rose up in response and created an alliance to challenge Ieyasu's supporters, also seizing various daimyo

Daimyo

Osaka Castle

is a Japanese castle in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.Originally called Ozakajo, it is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period....
.

Ieyasu then left some forces led by Date Masamune

Date Masamune

was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tohoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai....
to keep the Uesugi in check and marched west to confront the western forces. A few daimyo, most notably Sanada Masayuki

Sanada Masayuki

was a Japanese Sengoku period daimyo. He was the third son of Sanada Yukitaka, a vassal daimyo to the Takeda family in Shinano province. He is known as a master strategist....
, left Ieyasu's alliance, although most, either bearing grudges against Mitsunari or being loyal to Ieyasu, stayed with him.

The battle

Mitsunari, in his home Sawayama Castle

Sawayama Castle

is a castle in the city of Hikone, Shiga, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. This castle was an important military stronghold of Omi Province. The Azai clan held this castle in the Sengoku Period....
, met with Otani Yoshitsugu

Otani Yoshitsugu

Mashita Nagamori

was a daimyo in Azuchi-Momoyama period, and one of the Go-Bugyo appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.Also called Niemon or by his court title, Uemon-no-jo ....
, and Ankokuji Ekei

Ankokuji Ekei

Ankokuji Ekei was a daimyo of Aki Province in Japan, as well as a Rinzai Buddhism monk following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 16th century....
. Here, they forged the alliance, and invited Mori Terumoto, who actually did not take part in the battle, to be its head.

Mitsunari then officially declared war on Ieyasu and lay siege to the Fushimi Castle

Fushimi Castle

, also known as Momoyama Castle or 'Fushimi-Momoyama Castle', is a Japanese castle in Kyoto, Kyoto Fushimi, Kyoto Wards of Japan. The current structure is a 1964 replica of the original built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi....
, garrisoned by Tokugawa retainer Torii Mototada

Torii Mototada

was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through late Azuchi-Momoyama Period, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Torii died at the siege of Fushimi where his garrison was greatly outnumbered and destroyed by the army of Ishida Mitsunari....
on July 19. Afterwards, the western forces captured various Tokugawa outposts in the Kansai

Kansai

The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu. The region includes the prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture, and Shiga Prefecture....
region and within a month, the western forces had moved into the Mino Province

Mino Province

, one of the old provinces of Japan, was composed of nearly the entire southern part of modern-day Gifu Prefecture. Mino Province bordered Echizen Province, Hida Province, Ise Province, Mikawa Province, Omi Province, Owari Province, and Shinano Province provinces....
, where Sekigahara was located.

Back in Edo

Edo

, literally: Headlands and bays-door, "estuary", ), also Romanization of Japanese as Yedo or Yeddo, is the Geographical renaming of the Capital of Japan Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868....
, Ieyasu received news of the situation in Kansai and decided to deploy his forces. He had some former Toyotomi daimyo engage with the western forces while he split his troops and marched west on the Tokaido

Tokaido (road)

The was the most important of the Edo_Five_Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendo, the Tokaido travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshu, hence the route's name....
towards Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle

Tokugawa Hidetada

was the second shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa bakufu....
led another group through Nakasendo

Nakasendo

The was one of the Edo Five Routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected Edo to Kyoto in Japan. There were 69 Stations of the Nakasendo between Edo and Kyoto, crossing through Musashi Province, Kozuke Province, Shinano Province, Mino Province and Omi Province Old provinces of Japan....
. However, Hidetada's forces were bogged down as he attempted to besiege

Siege of Ueda

The siege of Ueda was staged in 1600 by Tokugawa Hidetada, son of the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu, against Ueda castle in Shinano province, which was controlled by the Sanada family....
Sanada Masayuki

Sanada Masayuki

was a Japanese Sengoku period daimyo. He was the third son of Sanada Yukitaka, a vassal daimyo to the Takeda family in Shinano province. He is known as a master strategist....
's Ueda Castle. Even though the Tokugawa forces numbered some 38,000, an overwhelming advantage over the Sanada's mere 2,000, they were still unable to capture the strategist's well-defended position. At the same time, 15,000 Toyotomi troops were being held up by 500 troops under Hosokawa Fujitaka at Tanabe Castle

Siege of Tanabe

The 1600 siege of Tanabe was one of a number of battles which took place in parallel to the more influential series of battles known as the Sekigahara Campaign which led to the unification of Japan under Tokugawa Ieyasu....
in Wakayama Prefecture. Some among the 15,000 troops respected Hosokawa so much they intentionally slowed their pace down. Both these incidents resulted in a large number of Tokugawa and Toyotomi troops not to show up in time at the battlefield of Sekigahara.

Knowing that Ieyasu was heading toward Osaka, Mitsunari decided to abandon his positions and marched to Sekigahara. On September 15, 1600 (Keicho
Keicho

was a after Bunroku and before Genna. This period spanned from 1596 to 1615. The reigning emperors were and ....
5, 8th day of the 8th month), the two sides started to deploy their forces. Ieyasu's eastern army had 88,888 men, whilst Mitsunari's western army numbered 81,890. There were about 20,000 arquebusers and other forms of hand-held gunners deployed in the battlefield, corresponding to over 10% of all troops present.

Fall of the western army

Even though the western forces had tremendous tactical advantages, Ieyasu had already contacted many daimyo on the western side, promising them land and leniency after the battle should they switch sides. This led some western commanders holding key positions to hesitate when pressed to send in reinforcements or join the battle that was already in progress.

Mori Hidemoto and Kobayakawa Hideaki were two such daimyo. They were in such positions that if they decided to close in on the eastern forces, they would in fact have Ieyasu surrounded on three sides. Hidemoto, shaken by Ieyasu's promises, also persuaded Kikkawa Hiroie not to take part in the battle.

Even though Kobayakawa had responded to Ieyasu's call, he remained hesitant and neutral. As the battle grew more intense, Ieyasu finally ordered arquebus

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....
iers to fire at Kobayakawa's position on Mount Matsuo

Mount Matsuo

is a high mountain in Sasayama, Hyogo, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Another name is Mount Kosen-ji, literally, "Mountain of Kosen-ji."...
. At that point Kobayakawa joined the battle on the eastern side. His forces assaulted Yoshitsugu's position, which quickly fell apart as he was already engaging Todo Takatora

Todo Takatora

was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through Edo period. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru to become a daimyo....
's forces. Seeing this as an act of treachery, western generals such as Wakisaka Yasuharu

Wakisaka Yasuharu

, sometimes referred to as 'Wakizaka Yasuharu', was a daimyo of Awaji Island who fought under a number of warlords over the course of Japan's Sengoku period....
, Ogawa Suketada

Ogawa Suketada

Ogawa Suketada was a daimyo in Azuchi-Momoyama period and Edo period.First, Suketada served Akechi Mitsuhide, and secondly, served Shibata Katsutoyo....
, Akaza Naoyasu

Akaza Naoyasu

was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was also known as and , and held the title of . His father, , was a retainer of Oda Nobunaga....
, and Kutsuki Mototsuna

Kutsuki Mototsuna

was a samurai commander in Azuchi-Momoyama period and Edo period.His father was Kutsuki Harutsuna . The Kutsuki were a powerful clan at Kutsuki-tani , Takasima-gori, Omi Province....
immediately switched sides, turning the tide of battle.

The western forces disintegrated afterwards, and the commanders scattered and fled. Some, like Ukita Hideie

Ukita Hideie

Ukita Hideie was the daimyo of Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province provinces , and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi....
managed to escape, while others, like Sakon was shot and wounded by a rifle though it's unknown if he died from it, Otani Yoshitsugu

Otani Yoshitsugu

was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period though Azuchi-Momoyama Period. He was also known by his court title, . He was born in 1559 to a father who was said to be a retainer of either Otomo Sorin or of Rokkaku Yoshikata....
committed suicide. Mitsunari, Yukinaga and Ekei were some of those who were captured and a few, like Mori Terumto and Shimazu Yoshihiro were able to return to their home provinces. Mitsunari himself would be executed.

Rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate

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. Following the public execution of Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century....
, Konishi Yukinaga

Konishi Yukinaga

Ankokuji Ekei

Ankokuji Ekei was a daimyo of Aki Province in Japan, as well as a Rinzai Buddhism monk following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 16th century....
, the influence and reputation of the Toyotomi clan and its remaining loyalists drastically decreased.

From the Toyotomi clan's point of view though, the battle was technically only an internal conflict between Toyotomi vassals.

This view was challenged however because Ieyasu was later made Shogun

Shogun

Ashikaga shogunate

The was a feudal military dictatorship ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga family.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from the Muromachi street of Kyoto where the third shogun Yoshimitsu established his residence....
27 years earlier. In 1664, Tokugawa historian and Yushima Seido

Yushima Seido

, located in the Yushima neighbourhood of Bunkyo, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, was constructed as a Confucian temple in the Genroku era of the Edo period ....
rector Hayashi Gaho

Hayashi Gaho

Hayashi Gaho , also known as Hayashi Shunsai, was a Japanese Neo-Confucianism scholar, teacher and administrator in the system of higher education maintained by the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period....
, writing in 1664, summarized the consequences of the battle: "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."

This change in official rankings also reversed the subordinate position of the Tokugawa clan, thus making the Toyotomi clan subordinates of the Tokugawa instead. In any case, Ieyasu did not gain any casus belli

Casus belli

Casus belli is a Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. Casus means "incident", "rupture" or indeed "case", while belli means "of war"....
to take action against the frail Toyotomi clan; rather, it would take more political maneuvers for Ieyasu to destroy Hideyori once and for all

Siege of Osaka

The was a series of battles undertaken by the Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages , and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate's establishment....
.

Seeds of Dissent

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 Mori clan
Mori clan

The Mori clan was a Japanese clans of daimyo, descended from Oe no Hiromoto and established themselves in Aki Province. Their name was derived from a shoen in Mori, Aiko District, Sagami Province....
, headed by M%C5%8Dri Terumoto, remained angry toward the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the , and the , was a feudalism regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family....
for being displaced from their fief, Aki
Aki Province

or Geishu was a Provinces of Japan in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, comprising the western part of what is today Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan....
, and being relocated to the Choshu Domain, even though the clan did not take part in the battle at all.

The Shimazu clan, headed by Shimazu Yoshihiro
Shimazu Yoshihiro

was the second son of Shimazu Takahisa and younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa. It had traditionally been believed that he became the seventeenth head of the Shimazu clan after Yoshihisa, but it is currently believed that he let Yoshihisa keep his position....
, blamed the defeat on its poor intelligence-gathering
Espionage

Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secrecy or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information....
, and while they were not displaced from their home province of Satsuma
Satsuma Province

was an old provinces of Japan of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima prefecture on the island of Kyushu. Its abbreviation is Sasshu ....
, they did not become completely loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate either. Taking advantage of its large distance between Edo and the island of Kyushu as well as its improved espionage, the Shimazu clan demonstrated that it was virtually an autonomous kingdom independent from the Tokugawa shogunate during its last days.

The Chosokabe clan
Chosokabe clan

The was a Japanese samurai clan of the Sengoku period, that controlled Tosa Province. The clan is sometimes also known as . Chosokabe Motochika, who unified Shikoku, was the 21st head of the clan....
, headed by Chosokabe Motochika
Chosokabe Motochika

was a Sengoku period daimyo in Japan. He was the 21st head of the Chosokabe clan of Tosa Province . He was the son and heir of Chosokabe Kunichika and his mother was a daughter of the Saito clan of Mino Province....
, was stripped of its title and domain of Tosa
Tosa Province

is the name of a provinces of Japan of Japan in the area that is today Kochi prefecture on Shikoku. Tosa was bordered by Iyo province and Awa province Provinces....
and sent into exile. Former Chosokabe retainers never quite came to terms with the new ruling family, the Yamauchi clan, which made a distinction between its own retainers and former Chosokabe retainers, giving them lesser status as well as discriminating treatment. This class distinction continued even generations after the fall of the Chosokabe clan.

The descendants of these three clans would in two centuries collaborate to bring down the Tokugawa shogunate, leading to the Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure....
.

Miyamoto Musashi

According to tradition, the legendary kensei

Kensei

In ancient Japan, a was an honorary title given to a warrior of legendary skill in swordsmanship. The literal translation of "kensei" is "sword saint"....
Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto Musashi

, also known as Shinmen Takezo, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name Niten Doraku, was a Japanese people swordsman famed for his duels and distinctive style....
was present at the battle among the ranks of Ukita Hideie's army. Supposedly, he fought well and escaped the defeat of Hideie's forces unharmed. Whether this is fact or myth is unknown; Musashi would have been around 17 years of age at the time.

Appearances in popular culture

This battle is the main fighting scene in the film . The film also reveals some of the main characters and political situation, which is a little perverted by the film plot.
This battle figures prominently in the manga and anime series Samurai Deeper Kyo
Samurai Deeper Kyo

is a manga series written and illustrated by Akimine Kamijyo. The manga was serialized from October 15, 1999 to May 10, 2006 in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine, and collected over 38 tankobon....
.
The battle appears in the video games Kessen
Kessen

is a PlayStation 2 launch title produced by Koei and published by Electronic Arts. This was the first DVD-ROM format game for the PS2. It was initially the only real-time wargame game available for the PlayStation 2....
and Samurai Warriors 2
Samurai Warriors 2

Samurai Warriors 2 is a sequel to the original Samurai Warriors, created by Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, and received a port to Microsoft Windows in 2008....
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a History of video game consoles video game console manufactured by Sony. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation of video game consoles....
. Both games feature many what-if scenarios, some of which turns the tide of the battle resulting in victory for the Western army.
The battle will also be featured in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties
Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties

Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties is a real-time strategy video game developed through a collaboration between Ensemble Studios and Big Huge Games, and published by Microsoft Game Studios....
as part of the Japanese campaign.
This battle appears in Shogun: Total War
Shogun: Total War

Shogun: Total War is the first of Creative Assembly's Total War . It is a history-based Strategy game#Grand strategy that combines turn-based provincial development with real-time tactics....
as one of the historical battles for the PC.
In Azumi
Azumi

is a manga series created by Yu Koyama, later adapted to film. It concerns the title character, a young woman brought up as part of a team of Assassination, charged with killing three warlords that threaten Feudal Japan with an agenda of war and bloodshed....
, the Battle of Sekigahara is a major plot element.
James Clavell
James Clavell

James Clavell, born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell was a United Kingdom novelist, screenwriter, Film director and World War II veteran and prisoner of war....
's best-selling novel Shogun
Shogun (novel)

Shogun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel in the author's Asian Saga. It is set in feudal Japan in the year 1600 some months before the critical battle of Sekigahara, and gives an account of the rise of the daimyo "Toranaga" to the Shogun, seen through the eyes of an English sailor whose fictional heroics are loose...
depicts the events leading up to this climactic battle, although the battle itself is only referred to in a short two-paragraph postscript.
The 1998 mini-series Musashi
Musashi

Musashi may refer to:*Miyamoto Musashi, the master swordsman and author of The Book of Five Rings*Musashi , a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa*Japanese corvette Musashi ...
begins with a young Miyamoto Musashi emerging from beneath numerous corpses in the aftermath of Sekigahara. The Japanese manga Vagabond
Vagabond (manga)

is an ongoing manga by Takehiko Inoue, portraying a fictionalized account of Miyamoto Musashi life, on a loose adaptation of Eiji Yoshikawa novel Musashi ....
also begins with a similar scene.
In the 1954 film Samurai I: by director Hiroshi Inagaki
Hiroshi Inagaki

Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker most known for the Academy Awards-winning Samurai Trilogy, which he directed. Before becoming a director and screenwriter, Inagaki was a child actor....
the beginning of the film involves the great battle of Sekigahara, and Miyamoto Musashi is portrayed by legendary actor Toshiro Mifune
Toshiro Mifune

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese people actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa in films such as Rashomon , Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo ....
.
The battle is also featured in the Shogun episode of the BBC 2 series Heroes and Villains.
This battle begins Eiji Yoshikawa's epic novel Mushashi.
In the novel Cloud of Sparrows, written by Takashi Matsuoka
Takashi Matsuoka

Takashi Matsuoka is a first-generation Japanese American writer. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, and worked at a Zen Buddhism temple before becoming a full-time writer....
, the battle is a major plot point causing much antagonism between samurai whose ancestors had been on either the winning or losing side at Sekigahara.

External links

The website of samurai author and historian Anthony J. Bryant
Anthony J. Bryant

Anthony J. Bryant is the author of four books for Osprey Military Publishing on samurai history. He is an amateur History of Japan specializing in Kamakura Period, Muromachi Period, and Momoyama period warrior culture....
. Bryant is the author of the above mentioned Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle for Power.
A strategy war game based on the battle: