Battle of Tedorigawa
Encyclopedia
The took place near the Tedori River in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...

's Kaga Province
Kaga Province
was an old province in the area that is today the southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .Ruled by the Maeda clan, the capital of Kaga was Kanazawa. Kaga bordered on Echizen, Etchū, Hida, and Noto Provinces...

 in 1577. The battle site is in the modern-day Ishikawa Prefecture
Ishikawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...

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Background

The Tedorigawa Campaign was precipitated by Uesugi intervention inside the domain of the Hatakeyama clan
Hatakeyama clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan and descended from Taira no Takamochi, they fell victim of political intrigue in 1205, when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, first, and his father Shigetada later were killed in battle by Hōjō forces in Kamakura...

, an Oda Client state
Client state
Client state is one of several terms used to describe the economic, political and/or military subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs...

. This event provoked the Uesugi incursion was a Coup d'état led by the pro Oda General Chō Shigetsura, that killed Hatakeyama Yoshinori the lord of Noto and replaced him with Hatakeyama Yoshitaka as a puppet ruler. As a result Uesugi Kenshin
Uesugi Kenshin
was a daimyo who ruled Echigo province in the Sengoku period of Japan.He was one of the most powerful lords of the Sengoku period. While chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries...

, the head of the Uesegi clan mobilized an army to lead into Noto against Shigetsura. Consequently Nobunaga sent an army led by Shibata Katsuie
Shibata Katsuie
or was a Japanese military commander during the Sengoku Period who served Oda Nobunaga.-Biography:Katsuie was born in the Shibata family, a branch of the Shiba clan . Note the differences between , , and the .Katsuie was the retainer of Oda Nobukatsu...

; one of his most experienced generals to reinforce their allies.

Battle

Kenshin, taking the initiative moved to encircle
Encirclement
Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The German term for this is Kesselschlacht ; a comparable English term might be "in the bag"....

 Shigetsura’s forces preventing them from linking with the Oda army, and trapping Shigetsura in Anamizu Castle (the main Hatakeyama stronghold) the subsequent Breakthrough
Breakthrough (military)
A breakthrough occurs when an offensive force has broken the enemy defensive line, and is rapidly exploiting the gap.Usually, large force is employed on a relatively small portion of the front to achieve this...

 killed Shigetsura and resulted in the Hatakeyama switching allegiance to the Uesugi.

Due to the fall of Anamizu Castle the Oda army (now joined by Nobunaga himself) halted their march into Noto near the Tedori River and prepared to use cannons for stand-off  tactics against the Uesugi. However a skillful nighttime feint
Feint
Feint is a French term that entered English from the discipline of fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or even none, will...

 by Kenshin (suggesting he had divided his forces) led to Nobunaga ordering Katsuie to charge against the Uesugi lines. Kenshin ordered the river’s floodgates to be opened. The strong current from the river prevented the Oda clan
Oda clan
The was a family of Japanese daimyo who were to become an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, several branches of the family would continue on as daimyo...

 from effectively using its Arquebus and cannons. The Oda charge itself was repulsed due to the current and inferior close quarter ability of the ashigaru
Ashigaru
The Japanese ashigaru were foot-soldiers of medieval Japan. The first known reference to ashigaru was in the 1300s, but it was during the Ashikaga Shogunate-Muromachi period that the use of ashigaru became prevalent by various warring factions.-Origins:Attempts were made in Japan by the Emperor...

 making up the bulk of the Oda army. Having suffered heavy casualties, Nobunaga ordered a retreat into Ōmi Province
Omi Province
is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...

.

Aftermath

The Uesugi scored a significant victory at Tedorigawa. As a result the distribution of power in the north shifted towards Kenshin and the Uesugi were temporarily able to extend their influence as far as the Kaga Province
Kaga Province
was an old province in the area that is today the southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .Ruled by the Maeda clan, the capital of Kaga was Kanazawa. Kaga bordered on Echizen, Etchū, Hida, and Noto Provinces...

.Kenshin however, died before that plan was initiated. Subsequently the Uesugi fell into a civil war and as a result by 1582 the Oda forces had managed to push the Uesugi clan all the way back to the Echigo Province
Echigo Province
was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Etchū Provinces. Today the area is part of Niigata Prefecture, which also includes the island which was the old Sado Province. This province was the northernmost part of the...

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