At the beginning of the Sengoku Jidai period, the Teshokabe clan was one of the smaller clans in Tosa Province. Its neighbors were constantly at war with each other, engaging in endless skirmishes. Among them, Yosokabe Kunitika stood out as a military strategist of extraordinary talent. It was thanks to these abilities that he managed to defeat the neighboring clans step by step by the middle of the 16th century, expanding the influence of his clan. At that time, the clan's headquarters was Oko Castle.
Back in 1508, when Kunitaka was a child, Oko Castle was attacked by the Motoyama clan. The fortress fell, and Kunitaka's father, Yosokabe Kanetsugu, was captured and executed. It was only ten years later, in 1518, that Kunitika managed to regain the castle with the support of the Itijo clan's troops.
By 1560, Kunitika had gathered enough strength to challenge his long-time enemy, the hated Motoyama clan. In May of that year, he seized Nagahama Castle, which belonged to Motoyama, in a swift attack. News of the fall of the fortress quickly reached Motoyama Shigetoki. He immediately assembled an army of 2,500 men and marched out of Asakura Castle.
Kunitaka, having gathered only 1,000 warriors, moved to meet the enemy. The armies met at the walls of Nagahama Castle, where a battle took place that went down in history as the Battle of Tonomoto, also known as the Battle of Nagahama. This battle is also particularly famous because it was the first time that Kunitika's son, Toshokabe Mototaka, took part in it. Mototaka was to become a great daimyo of the clan and a loyal vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
At the time of the battle, Mototaka was already 23 years old. For samurai of the Sengoku Jidai era, this was an age when many had already proven themselves in battle many times over. However, Mototaka was distinguished by his calm and quiet character, with a fair complexion and gentle appearance. Because of this gentleness and effeminacy, his father's fierce warriors mockingly called him “little princess.” Kunitaka himself was troubled by how his heir had grown up and finally decided to take him with him on a campaign.
Mototaka led a small detachment of twenty mounted samurai. When he left Oko Castle, he asked his vassal, Jinzendji Bungo, to show him some spear techniques.
The battle at Nagahama turned out to be bloody. At one point, both sides were so exhausted that they dispersed to regroup. At that moment, Kunitika asked where his son and his detachment were. It turned out that Mototika's men had been hiding in the woods on the left flank all this time and had not yet entered the battle. The irritated father angrily called them “lazy fools.”
However, at that very moment, about a hundred horsemen from the Motoyama clan spotted Mototika's hidden unit. Considering it easy prey, they rushed towards it. To the surprise of many, Mototika suddenly let out a battle cry that echoed across the battlefield and was the first to rush into the attack, drawing his vassals after him. The swift and furious onslaught was so strong that the Motoyama warriors faltered and could not withstand the blow.
Seeing the success of the small detachment, the main forces of the Tōsokabe clan went on the offensive across the entire front. Despite the fact that the enemy outnumbered them by more than two to one, Kunitika's warriors managed to win and defeat Shigetoki's troops.
Shigetoki himself fled to Urato Castle. Kunitika followed and began a siege of the fortress, but illness soon forced him to abandon the campaign.
See also
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The Siege of Kozuki Castle
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The Siege of Nagashino Castle
Despite his reputation as a failure, created by 20th-century popular culture, especially cinema, Takeda Katsuyori (1546–1582) was in fact a brave warrior and talented commander. However, he always remained in the shadow of his great father, the legendary Takeda Shingen. After Shingen's death, Katsuyori sought to at least equal him, if not surpass him. Therefore, his actions were not always determined by pragmatic calculation. This character trait greatly influenced the subsequent events that led to the demise of the Takeda clan.
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Siege of Nagashima Fortifications
The Buddhist peasant movement Ikko-Ikki, which emerged in the 15th century, had grown considerably stronger and larger by the middle of the following century. It had effectively turned into a large feudal army used for territorial conquests. The Ikko-ikki fought fiercely not only against other branches of Buddhism, but also against the provincial daimyo and the central government.
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The Second Battle of Konodai
Hojo Ujiasu (1515–1571), one of the greatest representatives of the Hojo clan, spent almost his entire life at war. His possessions were in a difficult position: they were surrounded on all sides by aggressive neighbors ready to attack at any moment. In implementing his plans to expand the Hojo clan's influence in the Kanto region, Ujiasu was forced to confront well-known and powerful opponents—the Uesugi and Takeda clans. In the east, his main rival was the Satomi clan.
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The Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima
The Kawanakajima Plain is located at the confluence of the Saigawa and Tikumagawa rivers in the Japanese Alps. Between 1553 and 1564, five battles took place on this plain between the forces of Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen.
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The Siege of Iwakura Castle
The Oda clan came to power in the province of Owari in the 15th century as a result of the so-called gokoku-jo, or “overthrow of the higher by the lower.” By rebelling against their suzerain, the Shiba clan, the Oda were able to achieve independence. However, this victory led to internal strife: the clan split into two rival branches.
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The Siege of Katsurayama Castle
The siege of Katsurayama Castle was part of the so-called Third Campaign of Kawanakajima, one of five operations conducted by daimyo Takeda Shingen against the forces of the Uesugi clan in the north of Shinano Province.
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The Battle of Nagaragawa
Saito Toshimasa, later known as Saito Dosan, is considered one of the typical Sengoku daimyo—minor samurai who, in the 16th century, managed to achieve the status of independent princes by the harshest and sometimes unsavory means. His ruthlessness towards his rivals earned him the nickname “Mino no Mamushi” — “the viper of Mino.”
