original post : 2024/1/23
[Episode 8] Unification of Mikawa
Unification of Mikawa
Today I will introduce the actions of Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Battle of Anegawa (1570).
Previous article "Battle of Okehazama"So, we have introduced how Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was a hostage of Imagawa Yoshimoto, gained independence in Okazaki.
After gaining independence from the Imagawa clan, Tokugawa Ieyasu first tried to take control of Mikawa Province. However, followers of the Ikko sect of Buddhism rose up in rebellion and stood in the way of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Tokugawa Ieyasu suppressed the Mikawa Ikko Ikki and pacified the entire Mikawa province.
He then joined forces with Takeda Shingen and attacked the Imagawa clan. Imagawa Ujizane, who succeeded Imagawa Yoshimoto, could not bear the attacks of the two men and fled to the Hojo clan for refuge. Thus, Tokugawa Ieyasu came to rule Totomi Province (present-day western Shizuoka Prefecture) and Takeda Shingen came to rule Suruga Province (present-day central Shizuoka Prefecture). Tokugawa Ieyasu also rebuilt Hikuma Castle in Totomi Province, renamed it Hamamatsu Castle, and made it his base.
The Battle of Tentsuyama Castle and Kanagasaki Castle
Tokugawa Ieyasu was asked for reinforcements by Oda Nobunaga to defeat Asakura Yoshikage, the feudal lord of Echizen (present-day Fukui Prefecture). The Oda-Tokugawa allied forces had taken Tentsuyama Castle and Kanegasaki Castle, which were key castles of the Asakura army, and were heading for Ichijodani, the base of Asakura Yoshikage.
However, something unexpected happened. Azai Nagamasa, who had allied with Oda Nobunaga, suddenly betrayed him. Caught from the north and south, the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces were in a desperate situation and retreated, leaving Kinoshita Tōkichirō (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi) in charge of the rear guard (the rear of a retreating army, in preparation for the enemy's pursuit).
Battle of Anegawa
The Oda-Tokugawa allied forces and the Azai-Asakura allied forces clashed at Anegawa (present-day Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture) in 1570. Thanks to the efforts of military commanders such as Honda Tadakatsu and Sakakibara Yasumasa, the Tokugawa forces defeated the Asakura forces. However, the Oda forces struggled against the desperate attacks of the Azai forces, and were pushed close to their main force. Riding on the momentum, the Tokugawa forces joined forces with the Oda forces, and succeeded in helping them.
After this battle, the Asakura clan fought the Battle of Ichijodani (Fukui City) (1573), and the Azai clan fought the Battle ofOdani CastleIt was destroyed in the Battle of Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture (1573).
This article was written by…
Takechiyo
At the time of writing this article, he was in the sixth grade of elementary school. When he was in the lower grades of elementary school, he read the historical manga "Tokugawa Iemitsu" and became particularly interested in the Sengoku period.
Among the many fascinating Sengoku warlords, the first one I read about was Tokugawa Iemitsu's grandfather, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and I intuitively felt that there was something about him that suited me.
