The was part of the decisive Kōzuke-Musashi Campaign during the

Genkō War The , also known as the , was a civil war fought in Japan between the Emperor Go-Daigo and the Kamakura Shogunate from 1331 to 1333. The Genkō War was named after Genkō (second), Genkō, the Japanese era name, Japanese era corresponding to the ...

in Japan that ultimately ended the

Kamakura Shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Y ...

. Fought in present-day

Tokorozawa, Saitama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 344,194 in 163,675 households and a population density of 4800 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tokorozawa is located in the ce ...

on May 11, 1333, it pitted the anti-shogunate imperial forces led by

Nitta Yoshisada was a samurai lord of the Nanboku-chō period Japan. He was the head of the Nitta clan in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period. He famously marched on Kamakura, besieging ...

against the pro-Shogunate forces of the Hōjō Regency led by Sakurada Sadakuni. The next day (May 12), the forces again engaged each other in the

Battle of Kumegawa The was part of the decisive Kōzuke-Musashi Campaign during the Genkō War in Japan that ultimately ended the Kamakura Shogunate. Fought in present-day Higashimurayama, Tokyo at the foot of the Hachikokuyama ridge on May 12, 1333, it pitted ...

. The result of these two days was a victory for the Imperial forces who in less than one week marched 50 kilometers south and finally defeated the Shōgun's forces during the Siege of Kamakura.

The battle

On May 11, opposing forces were drawn up on opposite sides of the

Iruma River The , is a river in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It is long and has a watershed of . The river rises from Mount Ōmochi in Hannō, Saitama and flows to the Arakawa River at Kawagoe, Saitama is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city ...

. In the morning of the May 11, the

Imperial forces Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

crossed the river and opened their attack with an archery barrage. The

Shogunate forces , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura ...

responded in kind. This was followed by both sides sending in their mounted warriors in multiple waves throughout the day.

Results

The results were indecisive with both forces drawing away at the day's end to set up camp and rest. The losses on both sides appear to be modest with a slight advantage to the Imperial forces. It was apparent to both sides that the battle would continue the next day. The Imperial forces camped by the Iruma River and forces of the Shōgun some 5 kilometers away at the Kume River.The exact location of the Kume River is not known as it does not appear on modern maps. Rather, there is an area on the border of Saitama and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

named where the battle was fought. There is more than one river that runs through this area.

Aftermath

The Battle of Kotesashi was immediately followed on the next day by the

References

* McCullough, Helen Craig (1959). "The

Taiheiki The (Chronicle of Great Peace) is a Japanese historical epic (see ''gunki monogatari'') written in the late 14th century and covers the period from 1319 to 1367. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Taiheiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', pp. 923� ...

. A Chronicle of Medieval Japan." 1959. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, . * Papinot, E. (1910). "Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan." 1972 Printing. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, .

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotesashi, Battle of Conflicts in 1333 Genkō War Battles involving Japan 14th century in Japan 1330s in Japan 1333 in Asia