Nagashino Castle
Encyclopedia
was a Sengoku period
Japanese castle
located in what is now Shinshiro
, eastern Aichi Prefecture
, Japan
. It is noteworthy as the site of the crucial Battle of Nagashino
between the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu
and Oda Nobunaga
against Takeda Katsuyori
in 1575.
, ruler of Suruga
and Totomi Province
s, ordered his vassal Suganuma Motonari to build a castle in Shitara County
, Mikawa Province
to guard the western approaches to his domains.
The castle came under the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu
in 1573, who placed former Takeda vassal Okudaira Nobumasa in control. Following skirmishes with the increasingly bellicose Takeda clan to the north, the castle’s defenses were strengthened. The Takeda invaded Mikawa Province in force in 1575, and laid siege to the castle. In the subsequent Battle of Nagashino, the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu
and Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu brought a total force of 38,000 men to relieve the siege on the castle by Takeda Katsuyori. Of Takeda's original 15,000 besiegers, only 12,000 faced the Oda-Tokugawa army in this battle. Seeking to protect his arquebus
iers from the Takeda cavalry, Nobunaga built a number of wooden stockades, behind which his gunners attacked in volleys. By mid-afternoon on the day of the battle, the Takeda broke and fled, after losing a great number of men, including eight the famous 'Twenty-Four Generals
' Katsuyori had inherited from Takeda Shingen
. This use of gunfire was a turning point in the history of samurai
warfare. After the battle, the castle was allowed to fall into ruin.
The site of former Nagashino Castle was protected as a National Historic Landmark in 1929, the first time a former castle site had received such protection. Located on a fork of two rivers, all that remains of the castle today are remnants of moats and some stonework.
In 2006, the site of Nagashino Castle was listed as No.46 of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan
by the Japan Castle Foundation, primarily due to its historical significance. The site is located a short walk from Nagashinojō Station
on the Iida Line
railway.
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
Japanese castle
Japanese castle
' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...
located in what is now Shinshiro
Shinshiro, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 49,731 and the population density of 99.7 persons per km². The total area was 499.00 km².-Geography:...
, eastern Aichi Prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
, 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...
. It is noteworthy as the site of the crucial Battle of Nagashino
Battle of Nagashino
The ' took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa province of Japan. Forces under Takeda Katsuyori had besieged the castle since the 17th of June; Okudaira Sadamasa , a Tokugawa vassal, commanded the defending force...
between the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
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. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
and Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
against Takeda Katsuyori
Takeda Katsuyori
was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku Period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was the son of Shingen by the , the daughter of Suwa Yorishige...
in 1575.
History
In 1508, Imagawa UjichikaImagawa Ujichika
was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period. He was the 10th head of the Imagawa clan of Suruga Province.- Biography :Ujichika was the son of Imagawa Yoshitada. In 1476 Yoshitada invaded Tôtômi Province and defeated the Katsumada and Yokota clans...
, ruler of Suruga
Suruga Province
was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay.-History:...
and Totomi Province
Totomi Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today western Shizuoka Prefecture. Tōtōmi bordered on Mikawa, Suruga and Shinano Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .-History:...
s, ordered his vassal Suganuma Motonari to build a castle in Shitara County
Minamishitara District, Aichi
is a former rural district located in eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2004 , the district had an estimated population of 16,703 and a population density of 43.84 persons per km². Its total area was 381.06 km².-History:...
, Mikawa Province
Mikawa Province
is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces....
to guard the western approaches to his domains.
The castle came under the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
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. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
in 1573, who placed former Takeda vassal Okudaira Nobumasa in control. Following skirmishes with the increasingly bellicose Takeda clan to the north, the castle’s defenses were strengthened. The Takeda invaded Mikawa Province in force in 1575, and laid siege to the castle. In the subsequent Battle of Nagashino, the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
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. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
and Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu brought a total force of 38,000 men to relieve the siege on the castle by Takeda Katsuyori. Of Takeda's original 15,000 besiegers, only 12,000 faced the Oda-Tokugawa army in this battle. Seeking to protect his arquebus
Arquebus
The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
iers from the Takeda cavalry, Nobunaga built a number of wooden stockades, behind which his gunners attacked in volleys. By mid-afternoon on the day of the battle, the Takeda broke and fled, after losing a great number of men, including eight the famous 'Twenty-Four Generals
Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen
The Twenty-Four Generals were just one of many historically famous groupings of battle commanders from Japan's Sengoku Period. These Twenty-Four were the most trusted commanders of the armies of Takeda Shingen...
' Katsuyori had inherited from Takeda Shingen
Takeda Shingen
, of Kai Province, was a preeminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.-Name:Shingen was called "Tarō" or "Katsuchiyo" during his childhood...
. This use of gunfire was a turning point in the history of samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
warfare. After the battle, the castle was allowed to fall into ruin.
The site of former Nagashino Castle was protected as a National Historic Landmark in 1929, the first time a former castle site had received such protection. Located on a fork of two rivers, all that remains of the castle today are remnants of moats and some stonework.
In 2006, the site of Nagashino Castle was listed as No.46 of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan
100 Fine Castles of Japan
is a list of famous Japanese castles.This list was chosen based on a characteristics of culture, historicalness and regionality by in 2006.-Hokkaidō:-Tōhoku region:-Kantō region:-Chūbu region:-Kansai region:-Chūgoku region:-Shikoku region:...
by the Japan Castle Foundation, primarily due to its historical significance. The site is located a short walk from Nagashinojō Station
Nagashinojō Station
is a train station on the Iida Line in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is located 30.8 rail kilometers from the southern terminus of the Iida Line at Toyohashi Station.-Station History:...
on the Iida Line
Iida Line
The is a Japanese railway line between Toyohashi Station in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture and Tatsuno Station in Tatsuno, Nagano Prefecture, operated by Central Japan Railway Company . The line links eastern Aichi Prefecture and southern Nagano Prefecture through northwestern Shizuoka Prefecture. It...
railway.