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The
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 ...
(30 July 1570) occurred near
Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13th ol ...
in
Ōmi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Ōmi was ranked as one of the 13 "great countrie ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, between the allied forces of
Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...
and
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...
, against the combined forces of the Azai and
Asakura clan The is a Japanese kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 7 of 80">"Asakura", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 3 DF_7_of_80">"Asa_...
s._It_is_notable_as_the_first_battle_that_involved_the_alliance_between_Nobunaga_and_Ieyasu,_liberated_the_ DF_7_of_80">"Asa_...
s._It_is_notable_as_the_first_battle_that_involved_the_alliance_between_Nobunaga_and_Ieyasu,_liberated_the_Oda_clan">DF_7_of_80/nowiki>">DF_7_of_80">"Asa_...
s._It_is_notable_as_the_first_battle_that_involved_the_alliance_between_Nobunaga_and_Ieyasu,_liberated_the_Oda_clan_from_its_unbalanced_alliance_with_the_Azai,_and_saw_Nobunaga's_prodigious_use_of_firearms.


_Background

The_battle_came_as_an_Azai_and_Asakura_reaction_to_Oda_Nobunaga_ _was_a_Japanese_''daimyō''_and_one_of_the_leading_figures_of_the_Sengoku_period.__He_is_regarded_as_the_first_"Great_Unifier"_of_Japan. Nobunaga_was_head_of_the_very_powerful_Oda_clan,_and_launched_a_war_against_other_''daimyō''_to_unify__...
's_sieges_of_the_castles_of_ DF_7_of_80">"Asa_...
s._It_is_notable_as_the_first_battle_that_involved_the_alliance_between_Nobunaga_and_Ieyasu,_liberated_the_Oda_clan">DF_7_of_80/nowiki>">DF_7_of_80">"Asa_...
s._It_is_notable_as_the_first_battle_that_involved_the_alliance_between_Nobunaga_and_Ieyasu,_liberated_the_Oda_clan_from_its_unbalanced_alliance_with_the_Azai,_and_saw_Nobunaga's_prodigious_use_of_firearms.


_Background

The_battle_came_as_an_Azai_and_Asakura_reaction_to_Oda_Nobunaga_ _was_a_Japanese_''daimyō''_and_one_of_the_leading_figures_of_the_Sengoku_period.__He_is_regarded_as_the_first_"Great_Unifier"_of_Japan. Nobunaga_was_head_of_the_very_powerful_Oda_clan,_and_launched_a_war_against_other_''daimyō''_to_unify__...
's_sieges_of_the_castles_of_Odani_Castle">Odani_and_Yokoyama,_which_belonged_to_the__Azai_and_ DF_7_of_80">"Asa_...
s._It_is_notable_as_the_first_battle_that_involved_the_alliance_between_Nobunaga_and_Ieyasu,_liberated_the_Oda_clan">DF_7_of_80/nowiki>">DF_7_of_80">"Asa_...
s._It_is_notable_as_the_first_battle_that_involved_the_alliance_between_Nobunaga_and_Ieyasu,_liberated_the_Oda_clan_from_its_unbalanced_alliance_with_the_Azai,_and_saw_Nobunaga's_prodigious_use_of_firearms.


_Background

The_battle_came_as_an_Azai_and_Asakura_reaction_to_Oda_Nobunaga_ _was_a_Japanese_''daimyō''_and_one_of_the_leading_figures_of_the_Sengoku_period.__He_is_regarded_as_the_first_"Great_Unifier"_of_Japan. Nobunaga_was_head_of_the_very_powerful_Oda_clan,_and_launched_a_war_against_other_''daimyō''_to_unify__...
's_sieges_of_the_castles_of_Odani_Castle">Odani_and_Yokoyama,_which_belonged_to_the__Azai_and_Asakura_clan">Asakura_clans._It_was_also_referred_to_as_the_Battle_of_Nomura_(野村合戦_''Nomura_Kassen'')_by_the_Oda_and_Azai_clans_and_the_Battle_of_Mitamura_(三田村合戦_''Mitamura_Kassen'')_by_the_Asakura_clan. The_Oda-Tokugawa_allies_marched_on_Odani_castle,_prompting_Nagamasa_to_send_for_help_from_Echizen_Province.html" ;"title="Asakura_clan.html" ;"title="Odani_Castle.html" ;"title="Oda_clan.html" ;"title="DF 7 of 80/nowiki>">DF 7 of 80">"Asa ...
s. It is notable as the first battle that involved the alliance between Nobunaga and Ieyasu, liberated the Oda clan">DF 7 of 80/nowiki>">DF 7 of 80">"Asa ...
s. It is notable as the first battle that involved the alliance between Nobunaga and Ieyasu, liberated the Oda clan from its unbalanced alliance with the Azai, and saw Nobunaga's prodigious use of firearms.


Background

The battle came as an Azai and Asakura reaction to
Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...
's sieges of the castles of Odani Castle">Odani and Yokoyama, which belonged to the Azai and Asakura clan">Asakura clans. It was also referred to as the Battle of Nomura (野村合戦 ''Nomura Kassen'') by the Oda and Azai clans and the Battle of Mitamura (三田村合戦 ''Mitamura Kassen'') by the Asakura clan. The Oda-Tokugawa allies marched on Odani castle, prompting Nagamasa to send for help from Echizen Province">Echizen. Asakura Yoshikage sent an army to support him and the combined Azai-Asakura force marched out to confront Nobunaga in the field. Nobunaga reacted by placing a screen around an Asai fort he had been reducing from Yokoyama castle and advancing to the southern bank of the Anegawa.


The Battle

The following morning on July 30, 1570 the battle began with the Oda and Azai clashing on the right while Tokugawa and Asakura grappled to the left. The battle turned into a
melee A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...
fought in the middle of the shallow Ane River. For a time, Nobunaga's forces fought the Azai upstream, while the Tokugawa warriors fought the Asakura downstream. Nobunaga assigned
Hashiba Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' ( feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Co ...
to lead troops into open battle for the first time,
Sassa Narimasa , also known as Kura-no-suke (内蔵助), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi–Momoyama period.">DF 7 of 80">"Asa ..., where he was in the rear guard. In 1575, Narimasa fought at the Battle of Nagashino">DF 7 of 80/nowiki>">DF ...
led the rear guard, also with support from
Hachisuka Masakatsu , also known Hachisuka Koroku (蜂須賀小六), was a ''daimyō'', retainer and adviser of Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japanese history. He was the son of Hachisuka Masatoshi. The Hachisuka clan were the ''kokuj ...
, Ikoma Ienaga,
Kawajiri Hidetaka was a Japanese samurai warrior during the Sengoku period , and was one of the vassals of Oda Nobunaga . He was the first samurai in the "Kuro-horo-shu" (bodyguard unit in black) elite troops selected from Nobunaga's aides, and later served ...
and
Yamauchi Kazutoyo , also spelled Yamanouchi (1545/1546? – November 1, 1605). He was retainer of Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His father Yamauchi Moritoyo, was a descendant of Fujiwara no Hidesato, a senior retainer of the Iwakura Oda clan (op ...
. Ieyasu unleashed his second division under
Honda Tadakatsu , also called Honda Heihachirō (本多 平八郎) was a Japanese samurai, general and daimyo of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Honda Tadakatsu was one of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings along with Ii N ...
and
Sakakibara Yasumasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period through early Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan. As one of the Tokugawa family's foremost military commanders, he was considered one of its Shitennō (Tokugawa clan), "Four Guardian K ...
onto Asakura's left flank, surrounding
Asakura Kagetake was a Japanese samurai commander of the Sengoku era from Asakura clan. In_the_1570,_he_defended_against_an_invasion_by_ ">DF_7_of_80">"Asa_.... In_the_1570,_he_defended_against_an_invasion_by_Oda_Nobunaga">DF_7_of_80/nowiki>">DF_7_of_80">"As ...
. A famous duel involved Magara Jurozaemon, and his eldest son Magara Jurosaburo (Naomoto), who both covered the retreat of the Asakura army to the northern bank. Both were eventually killed however when confronted by four Mikawa samurai, Kosaka Shikibu, Kosaka Gorojiro, Kosaka Rokurogoro, and Yamada Muneroku, and a fifth samurai named Aoki Jozaemon. In another notable engagement, an Azai samurai named Endo Kizaemon attempted to take Nobunaga's head, but was stopped short by Takenaka Kyusaku, younger brother of
Takenaka Hanbei , who was also known as Hanbei (半兵衛), was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Hanbei was the castle lord in command of Bodaiyama Castle. He was a chief strategist and adviser of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His father wa ...
. Another Oda samurai,
Sakai Masahisa was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku Period, who most notably served the Oda clan. He was born in Mino Province, and first served the Saitō clan. After the fall of the Saitō, he was taken on as a retainer by Oda Nobunaga. He was particula ...
, was under attack from Azai forces under Isono Kazumasa, when he lost his son Sakai Kyūzō. After the Tokugawa forces finished off the Asakura, they turned around and attacked the Azai's right flank. The troops of
Mino Triumvirate The was commanded by three Japanese samurai generals serving Saitō clan during the Sengoku Period. *Ujiie Naotomo also known as Ujiie Bokuzen *Andō Morinari also known as Andō Michitari *Inaba Yoshimichi also known as Inaba Ittetsu They had se ...
, who were under
Inaba Ittetsu , also known as Inaba Ittetsu (稲葉 一鉄), was a Japanese samurai warrior in the Sengoku period. served the Saitō clan of Mino province. Later, he become a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. Biography His childhood name was Hikoshiro (彦四郎) la ...
, were held in reserve, advancing to hit the Azai's left flank, they even left the task of besieging Yokoyama castle to aid in the battle. The Azai and Asakura's forces were immediately defeated. There is a battlefield memorial marker in Nomura-cho, Nagahama city, in
Shiga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...
.


Historical accounts

No reliable source exists to reconstruct the battle. The Battle of Anegawa is vividly presented in the books compiled in the middle or the end of the Edo period. Many of the stories are pure fiction. The only valuable source is the ''Shinchōkō-ki'', describing it very briefly without any notes concerning tactics or details of the battle. The exact number of the casualties in this battle is unknown. However, the ''Shinchōkō-ki'' mentions 1,100 samurai from the Asakura clan being killed in battle. An army of this period had at least several times more ''
ashigaru were infantry employed by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The first known reference to ''ashigaru'' was in the 14th century, but it was during the Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi period) that the use of ''ashigaru'' became prevalent by various ...
'' (commoner footmen) than samurai, so it would be reasonable to assume at least 9,000 men were killed. According to A.L. Sadler in ''The Life of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu'' there were 3,170 heads collected by the Oda camp. A good portion were taken by Mikawa men, the Tokugawa force. The ''Mikawa Fudoki'' gives a very real picture of the battle: the retainers fighting in groups and the decapitation of soldiers in the confused mingling of armies among the clouds of smoke and dust. It is often noted that Nobunaga used 500
arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...
iers in this battle. He was famous for his tactical use of firearms but would find himself on the opposite end of skilled arquebus tactics in his
Siege of Ishiyama Hongan-ji The , taking place from 1570 to 1580 in Sengoku period Japan, was a ten-year campaign by lord Oda Nobunaga against a network of fortifications, temples, and communities belonging to the Ikkō-ikki, a powerful faction of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist mo ...
that year.


Aftermath

Later in October 1570, the Azai and Asakura retaliated by defeating an Oda army at Usayama Castle, near Otsu, in Ōmi Province, an action that killed
Mori Yoshinari was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period and the head of the Mori clan (Genji) family, who served the Saitō clan. The Saitō were the lords of Mino province. Later, he become a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. Military life In 1547, he fought ...
and
Oda Nobuharu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who served the Oda clan. Nobuharu was the younger brother of Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga granted him Nobu Castle and its surroundings as a private fief. While fighting the Asakura and Asai, Nobuharu was ...
, one of Nobunaga's younger brothers.


In popular culture

The battle has been featured in all games of the ''
Samurai Warriors is the first title in the series of hack and slash video games created by Koei's Omega Force team based closely around the Sengoku ("Warring States") period of Japanese history and it is a sister series of the ''Dynasty Warriors'' series, rele ...
'' series. However, because
Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering h ...
was made playable in ''
Samurai Warriors 2 is a sequel to the original ''Samurai Warriors'', created by Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, and ported to Microsoft Windows in 2008. Like the ''Dynasty Warriors'' series, an ''Empires'' e ...
'', as opposed to the first game where he was a unique non-playable character, the battle had a larger significance. The battle has also fictionally appeared in a revamped form in the ''
Warriors Orochi is a hack and slash video game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, developed by Koei and Omega Force. It is a crossover of two of Koei's popular video game series, ''Dynasty Warriors'' and ''Samurai Warriors'' (specifically ''Dynasty Warriors 5'' an ...
'' series, in particular ''
Warriors Orochi 3 ''Warriors Orochi 3'', originally released as in Japan, is a 2011 hack and slash video game developed by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This is the fourth installment of the crossover series ''Warriors Orochi'', a ...
'' is where its most famous revamp takes place. It also a playable battle in the video game
Kessen III ''Kessen III'' (決戦III) is the third ''Kessen'' title by Koei for PlayStation 2. The game is based on the life of Oda Nobunaga. Historical background The game's time frame is roughly between the years 1550 to 1590. Contrary to many stories an ...
. The battle is also featured in the game ''
Nioh 2 is an action role-playing video game developed by Team Ninja for the PlayStation 4. It was published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and Sony Interactive Entertainment worldwide on March 13, 2020. It is both a prequel and sequel to ''Nioh'' (2017). Versio ...
'' as one of the pivotal events of the main story, which centers on the protagonist's role in the conquests of
Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...
and the
Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and 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 ...
.


References


Bibliography


The Battle of Anegawa on Samurai-archives.com
*De Lange, William. ''Samurai Battles: The Long Road to Unification''. Toyp Press (2020) * Sadler, A.L. (1937). ''The Life of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu''. Rutland: Charles E. Tuttle Co. {{Use dmy dates, date=March 2017 1570 in Japan Anegawa 1570 Anegawa Anegawa Azai clan