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, the Japanese era corresponding to the period of 1331 to 1334 when 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 ...

. Fought in present-day

Higashimurayama, Tokyo is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 148,275, and a population density of 8700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Higashimurayama is located on th ...

at the foot of the Hachikokuyama ridge on May 12, 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 forces of the pro-Shogunate Hōjō Regency led by Sakurada Sadakuni. The battle was an immediate follow on from the previous day's nearby Battle of Kotesashi.

The Setting

The region from the east side of the Sayama Hills through the Yanagase River was the field of several battles during Japan's

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

. The battlefield was regarded as strategically important because it was on the old road linking the

provincial capital A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the g ...

of Musashi Province with the capital of

Kōzuke Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Gunma Prefecture. Kōzuke bordered by Echigo, Shinano, Musashi and Shimotsuke Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . Under the '' Engishiki'' classification system, Kōzuke was r ...

and it was also the halfway point between the Iruma and Tama rivers.

The battle

At dawn on May 12, the Imperial forces advanced upon the Shogunate forces' position at the via the

Kamakura Kaidō is the generic name of a great number of roads built during the Kamakura period which, from all directions, converged on the military capital of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei The term itself however was created pr ...

highway. Since the previous day's battle at Kotesashi was indecisive, both sides had expected the battle to continue. The chosen battlefield was a plain crisscrossed by small rivers and bordered by low-lying ridges. The geography gave the mounted warriors room to maneuver with their commanders overlooking the battle from the surrounding ridges such as where Nitta Yoshisada raised his banner at Hachikokuyama. 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� ...

'' chronicles the events. The Shogunate forces formed a large mass with intention of encompassing the Imperial forces. The Imperial forces formed a wedge to protect its center. With neither side gaining immediate advantage, the battle continued until losses forced the Shōgun's forces to retreat. Losses were reported as relatively light for the Imperial forces but heavy for the Shōgun's.

Result

The result was a victory for the Imperial forces; having grown weary from two days of heavy fighting, they rested at the battlefield. The Shogunate forces retreated south to Bubaigawara to await reinforcements.

Aftermath

The two armies fought again three days later at Bubaigawara and Sekido. In less than one week, Nitta led the Imperial forces 50 kilometers south and finally eliminated the Shōgun's forces during the Siege of Kamakura. The area was later a battlefield in 1335 during the Nakasendai Rebellion and the War of Uesugi Zenshu in 1416-1417.On site historical signage

References

* McCullough, Helen Craig (1959). "The

. A Chronicle of Medieval Japan." 1959. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, . * Sansom, George (1963). "A history of Japan 1334-1615." Eight Printing (1993). Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, * Papinot, E. (1910). "Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan. 1972 Printing. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, . * On site historical signage

Notes

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