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Battle of Sekigahara

The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: 関ヶ原の戦い; Kyūjitai: 關ヶ原の戰い, Hepburn romanization: Sekigahara no Tatakai), was a historical battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, Japan, at the end of the Sengoku period.

"Sekigahara" redirects here. For other uses, see Sekigahara (disambiguation).

This battle was fought by the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu against a coalition led by Ishida Mitsunari, from which several commanders defected before or during the battle, leading to a Tokugawa victory. The Battle of Sekigahara was the largest battle of Japanese feudal history and is often regarded as the most important.


Mitsunari's defeat in the battle of Sekigahara is generally considered to be the beginning point of the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan for another two and a half centuries until 1868.[8]

by the Eastern Army under Fukushima Masanori and Ii Naomasa before the main forces of the Western Army arrived.[15][16][17]

Gifu Castle was captured

On September 13, 's troops were beaten by Mizuno Katsunari in a battle outside Sone Castle,[18][19][20] after which Katsunari razed the outer moat of Ōgaki Castle and forced Yoshihiro to retreat into Ise Province.[21][b]

Shimazu Yoshihiro

Mitsunari realized that the Tokugawa army was heading towards Osaka Castle.

[23]

The conventional theory regarding Hideaki's defection suggests that the defection occurred partway through the battle. Although he had agreed to defect to the Tokugawa side beforehand, Hideaki was allegedly hesitant during the battle and remained neutral, reportedly only joining the battle 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 Mt. Matsuo to force a choice. This version allegedly originated from an anecdote about Hideaki dating to the Edo period.[26]

[37]

Modern Japanese researchers of Sekigahara, such as Jun Shiramine and Junji Mitsunare, have advanced the theory that Hideaki had already defected to the side of Tokugawa by the start of the battle, based on correspondence documents between Hideaki and before the battle, as well as Ōtani Yoshitsugu's army position at the start of the battle suggesting foreknowledge by the Western Army of Hideaki's betrayal.[26] Historian Stephen Turnbull also argues that the sheer distance between the Eastern Army positions and that of Kobayakawa, far out of range of arquebuses and likely too far for a shot to even be heard, makes the "story about Ieyasu ordering ‘cannon-shot’ into his ranks" to force Hideaki's hand very unlikely.[37] Furthermore, Yūichi Goza explains that the story of Ieyasu shooting at Hideaki's location comes from secondary sources from the Edo period, suggesting it may have been the result of dramatization and embellishment from pro-Tokugawa shogunate historiography to aggrandize Ieyasu's success in Sekigahara.[38]

Kuroda Nagamasa

was reassigned from Mikawa Province, Yoshida region to a 520,000-koku domain in Harima Province, Himeji region[63]

Ikeda Terumasa

was reassigned to a 200,000-koku domain in Imabari, Ehime[64]

Tōdō Takatora

was reassigned from a 100,000-koku domain in Musashi Province, Yuki region, to a 520,000-koku domain in Echizen Province, Fukui region

Matsudaira Tadayoshi

was reassigned from a 101,000-koku domain in Shimōsa Province, Shinobu region, to a 569,000-koku domain in Owari Province, Kiyosu region

Yūki Hideyasu

was reassigned from a 180,000-koku domain in Shimotsuke Province, Utsunomiya region, to a 600,000-koku domain in Mutsu Province, Aizu region

Gamō Hideyuki

had his 835,000-koku domain in Kaga Province, Kanazawa region, expanded to 1,100,000 koku

Maeda Toshinaga

had his 195,000-koku domain in Higo Province, Kumamoto region, expanded to 515,000 koku

Katō Kiyomasa

Kuroda Nagamasa was reassigned from a 180,000-koku domain in , Nakatsu region, to a 523,000-koku domain in Chikuzen Province, Fukuoka region

Buzen Province

Fukushima Masanori had his 200,000-koku domain in the area of contemporary , expanded to 498,000 koku

Aki District, Hiroshima

had his domains in Matsue, Izumo, expanded to 240,000 koku[65]

Horio Tadauji

Ieyasu also bestowed increases of at least into 10,000 koku to many of his (Tokugawa clan hereditary vassals) whose domain were less than 10,000 koku before the battle.

fudai daimyō

As soon as the news of the Eastern Army's victory at Sekigahara reached Ogaki Castle, which at the time was still besieged by Mizuno Katsunari, Western Army-affiliated garrison commander Akizuki Tanenaga immediately surrendered and opened the castle for Katsunari.[56] In response, Katsunari immediately wrote to Ii Naomasa asking that Ieyasu pardon Tanenaga, which Ieyasu accepted.[57]


The most prominent political effect of the Eastern Army victory in Sekigahara was the shifting authority to assign military ranks[58] and redistribute lands from the Toyotomi clan to Tokugawa Ieyasu.[59] Immediately following the battle, Ieyasu redistributed domains worth 6.8 million koku,[60] primarily as recompense for the allies instrumental in his victory:[61][62]


Notably, Kobayakawa Hideaki, whose defection from the Western Army contributed greatly to Ieyasu's victory, was bestowed a domain which covered parts of Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province and which was worth 520,000 koku.[66] Perhaps surprisingly, Ieyasu bestowed only meager domain increases to the three remaining Shitennō (Ii Naomasa, Honda Tadakatsu, and Sakakibara Yasumasa), his closest high-ranking generals, as compared to those he offered to newer commanders and vassals.[67][63] However, it is possible this perceived disparity was the result of those generals choosing to decline Ieyasu's offers of extensive compensation.[68][69][70]


As for the generals of the defeated Western Army, roughly 87 daimyō had their domains confiscated and their power stripped due to their support of Mitsunari in the battle.[71] The long-standing Chōsokabe clan, headed by Chōsokabe Morichika, was stripped of its title and domain of Tosa Province, which was consequently given to Yamauchi Kazutoyo in recognition of his service to the Tokugawa.[72] Several former Chōsokabe retainers resisted the forcible takeover by the Tokugawa and Yamauchi; in response, Ii Naomasa sent military reinforcements to assist Kazutoyo in suppressing the rebellion of Chōsokabe vassals in Tosa.[73] Suzuki Hyōe, vassal of Naomasa, relieved Kazutoyo with an army transported by 8 ships, ultimately pacifying the region in 5 weeks after killing about 273 enemies.[74][75]


On September 17, Ieyasu dispatched his army, led by Kobayakawa Hideaki, to attack Sawayama Castle in Ōmi Province, the home base of Mitsunari. Most of the castle's troops had been sent to Sekigahara, leaving the castle's garrison with only 2,800 men. Despite Mitsunari's absence, the defense of the castle was initially successful under the leadership of Mitsunari's father Ishida Masatsugu and brother Masazumi. Following the defection of retainer Moritomo Hasegawa and other defenders, the castle was opened to the besieging army; most of Mitsunari's relatives, including Masatsugu, Masazumi, and Mitsunari's wife Kagetsuin, were killed in battle or committed suicide.[76][f]


In response to Shimazu Yoshihiro's support of the Western Army, Ieyasu prepared a massive punitive expedition to Kyushu, to be led by his son Tokugawa Hidetada. This force was to be composed of Eastern Army forces thereupon engaged in the West, including the armies of Katō Kiyomasa, Kuroda Yoshitaka, Nabeshima Naoshige, and the Tachibana clan. However, this operation was aborted once Shimazu Yoshihisa, the head of the Shimazu clan, entered negotiations with Ieyasu. Shimazu-Tokugawa deliberations continued until 1602 and were aided by the intercession of Kiyomasa, Yoshitaka, and Tachibana Muneshige; ultimately, the Shimazu clan avoided punishment, becoming the only Western Army-aligned clan to avoid losing territory after the defeat at Sekigahara.[79]


On November 6, Ishida Mitsunari, Konishi Yukinaga and Ankokuji Ekei were captured and executed.[80]


In 1603, Ieyasu was officially appointed as shōgun by Emperor Go-Yōzei;[81][80][9] as such, the conclusion of the Battle of Sekigahara has served as the de facto beginning of the Edo period, and more generally, of the return of stability to Japan. In 1664, Hayashi Gahō, Tokugawa historian and rector of Yushima Seidō, wrote:


In 1931, the location of the battle was registered as a Monument of Japan. The positions of Ieyasu and Mitsunari's armies, and that of the death of Ōtani Yoshitsugu, are commemorated therein.[83]

May 7 – Ieyasu asks for explanations for his military mobilization. Kagekatsu refuses Ieyasu.

Uesugi Kagekatsu

June 8 – Ieyasu calls his allies to punish the .

Uesugi

July 12 – Ieyasu holds a meeting in to plan the punishment of the Uesugi, attended by Hosokawa Tadaoki, Date Masamune, Mogami Yoshiaki, Satake Yoshinobu and Nanbu Toshinao.

Osaka

July 26 – Ieyasu leaves after meeting with Torii Mototada.

Fushimi Castle

August 16 – Mitsunari meets with and convinces him to take sides against the Tokugawa.

Ōtani Yoshitsugu

August 17 – , 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.

Ishida Mitsunari

August 19 – : while Hosokawa Tadaoki's army was en route to attack Uesugi and Mitsunari's Western Army, Ikoma Chikamasa's forces under Onoki Shigekatsu attack Tanabe Castle against Hosokawa Fujitaka.

Siege of Tanabe

August 22 – Mōri Terumoto arrives at and takes command of the Western Army.

Osaka Castle

August 23 - : Western-aligned Oda Hidenobu is besieged and defeated by Ikeda Terumasa, Ikeda Sen and Fukushima Masanori of the Eastern Army.

Battle of Gifu Castle

August 27 – , led by Mitsunari and Kobayakawa Hideaki.

Siege of Fushimi

August 29 – Ieyasu establishes his headquarters in to discuss strategy with allies.

Oyama, Shizuoka

August 30 – : Maeda Toshinaga of the Eastern Army holds back the forces of Niwa Nagashige and Uesugi Kagekatsu.

Battle of Asai

September 1 – : Uesugi Kagekatsu loses Shiroishi Castle to Date Masamune's pro-Tokugawa troops.

Siege of Shiroishi

September 6 - Fall of to the Western Army. Fujitaka enters Kameyama Castle, governed by Maeda Shigekatsu in Tanba.

Tanabe Castle

September 7 – Tokugawa ally attacks his brother, Toshimasa, and besieges Daishoji Castle. The commander of the garrison, Yamaguchi Munenaga, commits seppuku.

Maeda Toshinaga

September 8 – Fall of : Torii Mototada and Matsudaira Ietada die.

Fushimi Castle

September 10 – Ieyasu returns to from Oyama.

Edo Castle

September 15 – Mitsunari's Western army arrives at .

Ogaki Castle

September 29 – and other Western Army generals besiege Matsuoka Castle. The Eastern Army occupies the heights of Akasaka, near Ogaki Castle.

Nabeshima Naoshige

September 29 – Fall of to the Eastern Army. Tokugawa Hidetada heads towards Nakasendo.

Gifu Castle

September 30 – lays siege to Anotsu Castle, held by Tomita Nobutaka.

Mōri Hidemoto

October 1 – Mitsunari returns to from Ogaki, asking Terumoto to march. Terumoto has been at Osaka Castle defending Toyotomi Hideyori.

Sawayama Castle

October 7 – Ieyasu leaves Edo with 30,000 men heading towards .

Tokaido

October 9 – reaches Komoro, Nagano, and against the orders of his father, diverts his forces towards Ueda.

Tokugawa Hidetada

October 12 – Ieyasu passes through Shimada in . Hidetada camps in Sometani village to besiege Ueda Castle, held by Sanada Masayuki.

Suruga

October 13 – Ieyasu passes through Nakaizumi in . Mōri Hidemoto and Kikkawa Hiroie enter Mino and set up camp near Mount Nangu. Western Army commanders Mōri Hidekane, Tachibana Muneshige and Tsukushi Hirokado besiege Ōtsu Castle, held by Kyōgoku Takatsugu.

Tōtōmi

October 14 - Ieyasu receives a secret messenger from , who offers him support. Naoe Kanetsugu leads the Uesugi forces against Mogami Yoshiaki at the Siege of Hasedo.

Kobayakawa Hideaki

October 16 – Hidetada abandons the Castle and heads to Mino.

Siege of Ueda

October 19 – Ieyasu arrives at Gifu Castle in Mino. defeats Ōtomo Yoshimune and other Ishida-allied generals at the Battle of Ishigakibara.

Kuroda Yoshitaka

October 20 – Ieyasu moves to . The two coalitions make contact at Kuisegawa, near Akasaka. The Eastern force retreats to Sekigahara. The Western coalition heads to Sekigahara from Ogaki Castle.

Akasaka

October 21 – Battle of Sekigahara

October - : the last battle of the Kyūshū Sekigahara Campaign.

Siege of Yanagawa

October 30 – tries to conquer Fukushima Castle but fails and retreats. (In May 1601, during the Battle of Matsukawa, Masamune is repelled by Honjō Shigenaga.)

Date Masamune

November 5 - calls for a full withdrawal of all Uesugi forces, putting an end to Uesugi's campaigns in the north.

Naoe Kanetsugu

The participants of the Battle of Sekigahara are listed below, with corresponding troop count estimates (in tens of thousands): ○ = Main daimyō who participated in the Battle of Sekigahara


● = Daimyō who defected



Below is a chronology of the events leading up to and shortly following the Battle of Sekigahara:

In 1966, authored the historical novel Sekigahara, which has since been adapted into a 2017 film of the same name directed by Masato Harada.

Ryōtarō Shiba

included a historical-fiction depiction of the battle in his 1975 novel Shōgun, later adapted into a 2024 American TV series of the same name.[84]

James Clavell

aired a television miniseries about the battle in January 1981, also entitled Sekigahara.

Tokyo Broadcasting System

The 2000 real-time tactics video game is set during the conflict between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi clans, and features the Battle of Sekigahara.[85]

Kessen

The 2011 grand strategy video game includes Sekigahara as a historical battle, in which the player controls Mitsunari's Western Army.

Total War: Shogun 2

The 2017 action RPG video game portrays events related to the battle.[86]

Nioh

Owing to its pivotal status as the climax of the Sengoku period, the Battle of Sekigahara is a common subject of modern depictions and retellings:

(2013). Sekigahara 1600 The Final Struggle for Power. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472800718. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

Anthony J. Bryant

Bryant, Anthony (1995). Sekigahara 1600: The Final Struggle For Power. Osprey Campaign Series. Vol. 40. Oxford: . ISBN 978-1-85532-395-7.

Osprey Publishing

Constantine Nomikos Vaporis Ph.D. (2019). . Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 9781440842719. Retrieved 7 May 2024.

Samurai An Encyclopedia of Japan's Cultured Warriors

Davis, Paul (1999). "Sekigahara, 21 October 1600". 100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present. Oxford University Press.  978-0-19-514366-9.

ISBN

Morgan Pitelka (2016). "5: Severed Heads and Salvaged Swords: The Material Culture of War". . University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-5157-6. JSTOR j.ctvvn521. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

Spectacular Accumulation: Material Culture, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Samurai Sociability

(2011). Samurai The World of the Warrior. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781849089968. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

Stephen Turnbull

(2012). Tokugawa Ieyasu. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781849085755. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

Stephen Turnbull

Wilson, William Scott (2004). The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi. Tokyo: Kodansha International.

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.

SengokuDaimyo.com

Several strategy war games based on the battle:

Sekigahara: Unification of Japan