The was one of a series of battles fought in the far north of Japan's main island of

Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...

(the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains ...

) contemporaneous with the famous and decisive campaigns between

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

and

Ishida Mitsunari was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...

further south.

Prelude

Over the course of the year 1600, in the

Sekigahara Campaign The Sekigahara Campaign was a series of battles in Japan fought between the Eastern Army aligned with Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Western Army loyal to Ishida Mitsunari, culminating in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. The conflict was sparked by a ...

Naoe Kanetsugu was a Japanese samurai of the 16th–17th centuries. The eldest son of Higuchi Kanetoyo, Kanetsugu was famed for his service to two generations of the Uesugi ''daimyōs''. He was also known by his court title, Yamashiro no Kami (山城守) or ...

, a general under

Uesugi Kagekatsu was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku and Edo periods. He was the adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Kagetora’s brother in law. Early life and rise Kagekatsu was the son of Nagao Masakage, the head of the Ueda Naga ...

in the side of

western army, would lead a campaign in Tōhoku, which included the siege of Hasedō castle, near Yamagata, which was his ultimate goal. Hasedō was held by

Mogami Yoshiaki was a ''daimyō'' of the Yamagata Domain in Dewa Province, in the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and early Edo periods. He was known as the "Fox of Dewa". His younger sister, Yoshihime, later became the wife of Date Terumune and gave birth to Ma ...

and the castle garrison led by Shimura Takaharu and backed by a Tokugawa-loyal army of the

Date clan The is a Japanese samurai kin group.Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Date", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 5 retrieved 2013-5-5. History The Date fam ...

. Twenty thousand of

's men moved towards Yamagata from the north, while

began his siege on Hasedō.

Battle

Date's general Magoichi Saika decided to head for the Kagekatsu's north garrison at

Yamagata Castle is a flatland-style Japanese castle located in the center of the city of Yamagata, Yamagata, Yamagata, eastern Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the Edo period, Yamagata Castle was the headquarters for the ''daimyō'' of Yamagata Domain. The ...

, as

Date Masamune was a Japanese ''daimyō'' during the Azuchi–Momoyama period through the early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful feudal lords in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he w ...

army under Rusu Masakage relieved his uncle in Hasedo Castle. (Date Masamune sent Rusu Masakage as his representative.) Date's forces broke through and defeated

Maeda Toshimasu , better known as or Keijirō (慶次郎), was a Japanese samurai lord of the Sengoku period through early Edo period. He was the nephew of Maeda Toshiie and Maeda Matsu. In legends and fictions, he is one of the most celebrated '' kabukimono ...

the central garrison Uesugi forces, but more Uesugi reinforcements arrived to continue the siege of the castle. After Toshimasu defeat, Naoe Kanetsugu decided to head for the front lines, leaving the defense of the Uesugi north garrison to Kagekatsu; Having received reinforcements of 100 horsemen and 200

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. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

iers, he laid siege to Hasedō for fourteen days before

forces arrived to relieve the castle. Rusu Masakage led the relief force to the castle and defeated Uesugi's force led by Suibara Chikanori and Amakasu Kagetsugu as they attempted to penetrate the castle's defenses. Sakenobe Hidetsuna joined Hasedō castle as reinforcement under the order of

. He started a night attack upon the military camps of the Uesugi clan and damaged them. The castle was finally relieved by Date forces, causing Naoe Kanetsugu to declare an all-out attack on Hasedō. Kasuga Mototada was the vanguard, and charged the castle, but was forced to retreat due to heavy arquebus fire. After Uesugi forces failed,

was appointed to lead the Uesugi rear guard during the retreat. Later, an army from the Hasedo castle garrison charged north and then began attacking the retreating Uesugi's forces. Rusu Masakage pushed on towards the Uesugi main camp, and Kanetsugu made preparations to withdraw to the southwest. Maeda Toshimasu reappeared in an attempt to guard Kanetsugu's retreat, but Masakage reached both of them at the main camp. He first defeated Toshimasu, and he then proceeded to defeat Kanetsugu before he could escape. However, in November 5, news arrived of Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory at the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

, and so Naoe called a full withdrawal of all his forces back to

Yonezawa Yonezawa City Hall is a city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 81,707 in 33,278 households, and a population density of 150 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Yonezawa is most famous for i ...

, putting an end to Uesugi's campaigns in the north. A small besieging force remained, and fighting continued, in which Naoe's general Kamiizumi Yasutsuna was killed.

References

*Turnbull, Stephen (1998). ''The Samurai Sourcebook''. London: Cassell & Co. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hasedo 1600 Sieges of the Sengoku period Sekigahara campaign Mogami clan Date clan Yamagata, Yamagata Military history of Yamagata Prefecture Attacks on castles in Japan Dewa Province