関ヶ原の戦い
Battle of Sekigahara
関ヶ原の戦い Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara④
Japanese
On July 26 Ieyasu gave an order to Masanori Fukushima to lead the vanguard and other military commanders of the Toyotomi Oyama rating group, they headed for
Kiyosu.
On August 14, Masanori and others entered Kiyosu Castle they did not have
any directions from Ieyasu. Ieyasu was staying in Edo Castle, So Masanori and others suspected that they were being used as a sacrifice.
On August 19 Ieyasu’s messenger, Naokichi Murakoshi, visited Kiyosu Castle
and brought supplies. He told Masanori, that if he went to battle in Mino immediately, Ieyasu would successfully take the area.
They soon held a war council, because they doubted the loyalty of Ieyasu.
They decided to capture some castles controlled by the WESTERN ARMY.
On August 21, an army of 18,000 soldiers under Terumasa Ikeda and others entered Mino from the upper reaches of Kisogawa. At almost the same time, Masanori
Fukushima and others entered Mino from the lower reaches of Kiso river.
On August 22, Masanori Fukushima and others struck Takehana Castle (held by the WESTERN ARMY,) and then went on to Gifu
Castle, which had the reputation of being unassailable.
On the early morning of August 23, Masanori Fukushima, Terumasa Ikeda and
others started to attack Gifu Castle. Hidenobu Oda (the WESTERN ARMY) protected Gifu Castle, but on that day Gifu Castle fell.
Terumasa Ikeda was the lord of Gifu Castle during his early 20s, Terumasa
and their retainers knew the structural faults and weak points of Gifu Castle, In addition, they knew a lot about the geography around Gifu Castle. Therefore, they were able to easily take
Gifu Castle.
When Ieyasu heard of the fall of Gifu Castle, he ordered a troop led by
Hidetada Tokugawa to proceed towards Mino along the Nakasendo from Utsunomiya.
On September 1 Ieyasu left Edo with 30,000 soldiers. On September 13 Ieyasu
arrived at Gifu Castle. And on September 14, Ieyasu arrived at Akasaka ( the camp of the EASTERN ARMY).
On September 2, Hidetada Tokugawa marched along the
Nakasendo route and reached Komoro. In Komoro, Masayuki Sanada (the WESTERN ARMY) waited for Hidetada. Masayuki Sanada was a relative of Mitsunari Ishida.
38,000 soldiers from Ieyasu’s best corps with Hidetada attacked Ueda Castle
which had 2,000 defense soldiers. However, the good tactics of Masayuki Sanada toyed with Hidetada forces.
On September 11, Hidetada gave up on capturing Ueda Castle and went to
Mino. On the way, Shiojiri Pass, a difficult section of the route to Mino was barred. Hidetada forces were still at Shiojiri the day before the Battle of Sekigahara.
Mitsunari’s first plan was that the WESTERN ARMY was
going to intercept the EASTERN ARMY of Masanori and others that were gathered at Kiyosu Castle. The plan failed.The next idea was that the WESTERN ARMY battles with the EASTERN ARMY in the
neighborhood of the impregnable Gifu Castle. (the border or Mino and Owari), By chance the main group of the WESTERN ARMY in Ise attacked the EASTERN ARMY from the rear. Gifu Castle fell
easily, so the plan had to be changed.
On September 3, the Otani forces and the Wakizaka forces. changed their
course from Hokuriku to Mino, and they arrived at Yamanaka in Sekigahara Yoshitsugu Otani, expecting a betrayal from Hideaki Kobayakawa immediately. began to build a base.
In addition, Hideie Ukita, from Ise, entered Ogaki Castle. On September 7,
the army corps of Hidemoto Mori, also from Ise, took up position at the foot of Mt.Nangu in Mino.
When Ieyasu arrived in Akasaka on September 14, the soldiers of the WESTERN ARMY were shaken. Sakon
Shima, the retainer of Mitsunari, was famous for being skillful in battle.
He lured the EASTERN ARMY well and won the fight at Kuise River. This
victory had the morale of the WESTERN ARMY heightened.(Battle of Kuisegawa)
After a battle at Kuise River, Mitsunari, Hideie, Isin,
Yukinaga and others held a council of war in Ogaki Castle, and they decided“Let's make a night attack at Akasaka, if we fail, let's persist in Ogaki Castle.”
Ieyasu knew that if the EASTERN ARMY besieged Ogaki Castle, they could
not make it surrender easily.
Ieyasu spread disinformation, "I attacked Sawayama Castle and attacked
Osaka Castle."
On the night of September 14, as Mitsunari wound up the fight in Sekigahara,
he left 7,500 defense soldiers in Ogaki Castle, and in night rain, the WESTERN ARMY detoured around the foot of Mt.Nangu and marched to Sekigahara
Mitsunari positioned the WESTERN ARMY.
From the north
Mitunari Ishida at Mt. Sasao (6,000 men)
Yoshihiro Shimazu at Koike(1,500 men)
Yukinaga Konishi at Mt. Kitatemma(6,000 men)
Hideie Ukita at Mt. Minamitemma(17,000 men)
Yositugu Otani at Yamanaka (an army 4,000 strong)
Yasuharu Wakizaka, Mototutna Kutuki, Suketada Ogawa, Noyasu Akaza at the foot of Mt.Matsuoyama (4,000 men)
Hideaki Kobayakawa at Matsuo(16,000 men)
Hidemoto Mori(15,000 men), Hiroie Kitukawa(3,000 mens), Ekei Ankokuji(1,800 men), Masaie Natuka(1,500 men), Moritika
Chousokabe(6,600 men) at Mt.Nangu
Ieyasu received a report “the WESTERN ARMY left Ogaki Castle, and headed for Sekigahara.” Many generals of the EASTERN
ARMY marched one after another for Sekigahara, and stood face to face with the WESTERN ARMY.
Nagamasa Kuroda, Sigekado Takenaka(5,400 men) from the right of Maruyama for Ishida
Tadaoki Hosokawa(5,000 men), Yoshiaki Kato(3,000 men), Yoshimasa Tanaka(3,000 men), Sadaji Tutui (2,800 men) futher to
the right of Maruyama
Naomasa Ii(3,600 men); Tadayoshi Matsudaira(3,000 men); Uraku Oda, Kazumasa Ikoma, Shigekatsu Furuta(4,500 men) at
Haginaga(the front of the camp of Ieyasu)for Shimazu
Masanori Fukushima(6,000 men) from the left of Matsuo for Ukita.
Takatora Todo(2,500 men), Takatomo Kyogoku(3,000 men) at the rear of Shibai for Otani and Kobayakawa.
Ieyasu Tokugawa(30,000 men) at Mt. Momokubari
Terumasa Ikeda, Yoshinaga Asano, Kazutoyo Yamauchi(17,000 men)at Mt Nangu for Mori corp.
Ieyasu aligned 11,000 soldiers for Ogaki Castle.
