The was a siege in 1561 against the castle of
Moji in Japan. The castle belonged to the
Mōri clan
The Mōri clan (毛利氏 ''Mōri-shi'') was a Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power ...
, whose capital was the city of
Yamaguchi.
Background
The original castle was built by
Ōuchi Yoshinaga (Sorin younger brother), who was forced to kill himself in 1557 with the advance of Mōri forces.
Mōri Motonari
was a prominent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the western Chūgoku region of Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. The Mōri clan claimed descent from Ōe no Hiromoto (大江広元), an adviser to Minamoto no Yoritomo. Motonari w ...
captured the fort in 1558.
Otomo Sorin recaptured the castle in September 1559. The Mōri, led by
Kobayakawa Takakage
was a samurai and daimyō (feudal lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of the Koba ...
and
Ura Munekatsu, quickly recaptured the castle.
The battle
In 1561, forces under
Ōtomo Sōrin
, also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige (藤原 義鎮) and Ōtomo Yoshishige (大友 義鎮), was a Japanese feudal lord (''daimyō'') of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Roman Catholicism (Christianity). The eldest son of , he ...
attacked the castle in alliance with the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
, who provided three ships between 500 and 600 tons, each with a crew of about 300 and 17 or 18 cannons. This is thought to be the first bombardment by foreign ships on Japan.
The bombardment permitted the Ōtomo troops to establish themselves around Moji castle. After expending their ammunition, however, the Portuguese withdrew.
The castle's defenders nevertheless managed to break the siege lines and reinforce the castle. Ōtomo led an all-out assault on the castle on 10 Oct. 1561, but the assault failed, and the castle finally remained in Mōri possession.
''Samurai - The World of the Warrior'' Stephen Turnbull, p.105
/ref>
See also
* Battle of Fukuda Bay
The in 1565 was the first recorded naval battle between Europeans (the Portuguese) and the Japanese. A flotilla of samurai under the '' daimyō'' Matsura Takanobu attacked two Portuguese trade vessels that had shunned Matsura's port in Hirado ...
(1565) – A Japanese flotilla attacks a Portuguese carrack and fails to capture it in the first naval clash between Japan and the West.
* Battle of Manila (1574) - A Chinese and Japanese pirate fleet attacked Manila with the goal to capture the city.
* Battle of Cagayan (1582) – A fleet of Asian pirates led by Japanese attack and are defeated by a Spanish flotilla.
* Nossa Senhora da Graça incident
The , alternatively called the , was a four-day naval battle between a Portuguese carrack and Japanese samurai junks belonging to the Arima clan_near_the_waters_of_Nagasaki.html" ;"title="DF 6-7 of 80/nowiki>">DF ... near the waters of Nagasaki ...
(1610) – A Japanese flotilla attacks a Portuguese carrack that ends in the latter's sinking.
* Second attack on Kamishi ( 9 August 1945) – last direct naval bombardment of the Japanese home islands in World War II.
Notes
1561 in Japan
Conflicts in 1561
Mōri clan
Moji 1561
Moji 1561
Moji 1561
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