After the defeat of the Takato and Oi clans in the campaigns of 1544–1546, the Takeda clan had only one rival left in the Saku region: Kasahara Kiyoshige. His stronghold was Shiga Castle, located northwest of Utiyama Castle.
The decision to march
In July 1547, Takeda Shingen convened a council of war, which decided to launch a campaign against Kasahara. Shingen sent a letter to Shiga Castle, offering Kiyoshige the choice of either surrendering to the Takeda clan or “blaming himself.” Kiyoshige rejected the offer, hoping for help from his father-in-law, Uesugi Norimasa, who owned Hirai Castle in Kozuke Province and held the position of kanrei, advisor to the shogun of the Kanto region.
Preparations for the siege
After receiving the refusal, Shingen assembled an army of at least 5,000 men (according to other sources, 7,000 or even 10,000) and advanced from Kai Province.
Shingen was accompanied on this campaign by his generals: Itagaki Nobukata, Amari Torayasu, Yokota Takatoshi, Tada Mitsuyori, Hara Minokami, Obu Hyobu, Oyamada Nobuari, and others.
On July 20, the army reached Inariyama Castle in the Saku region. According to some sources, Takeda's vanguard was already in the vicinity of Shiga Castle on July 9, but the first skirmishes with the defenders did not occur until July 24, when the main forces arrived.
Preparations by the defenders
Kasahara Kiyoshige prepared for the siege as best he could. The castle was full of supplies, and the water problem was solved by the presence of two wells inside the walls. Uesugi Norimasa sent him a detachment of 100 elite archers, who arrived just before the siege.
Kiyoshige was also joined by relatives — Takada Noriyori, commandant of Sugawara Castle, and his son Yoritada. They brought a small detachment of warriors. Noriyori was a renowned strategist in the service of Uesugi, and Kiyoshige had high hopes for him.
According to some sources, Murakami Yoshikiyo and Oi Sadataka also sent help, but their numbers are unknown. In any case, the defenders' forces remained small: no more than 500 men (according to other sources, about 1,000, including civilians).
First attacks
Shingen made his bet on Sakurayama Castle, located two kilometers west of Shiga Castle. On July 24, Takeda's army began an assault, but was unsuccessful. Engineering troops were brought in, and several hundred workers began digging a tunnel to collapse the castle walls. However, the rock proved too hard, and after several days of futile efforts, the sappers were sent back to Kai. On July 26, two new attacks were launched, but the defenders repelled them.
Waiting for help
Kiyoshige understood that he could not hold back the superior enemy indefinitely and continued to wait for help from Uesugi Norimasa. The latter did indeed organize an expedition: a 3,000-strong army under the command of General Kanae (Kuragano) Hidekage. According to the Koyogunkan source, there were 20,000 men, but this figure is clearly exaggerated. In early August, Hidekage's army entered the Saku region via the Usui Pass.
The Battle of Odaihara
Upon learning of Hidekage's army's approach, Shingen ordered his generals—Itagaki Nobukata, Amari Torayasu, Yokota Takatoshi, Tada Mitsuyori, Hara Minokami, Obu Hyobu, and Naito Masatoyo—to intercept the enemy. On August 6, about 5,000 soldiers under the command of Itagaki Nobukata moved into the Odaihara Valley. The remaining 2,000, led by Shingen himself, continued the siege of the castle.
Takeda's army suddenly attacked Hidekage's troops. The battle lasted three to five hours and ended in the complete defeat of the Uesugi army. Hidekage himself fled and hid in the mountains. Different sources provide different data on casualties: Myōhōji-ki mentions 15 officers and 3,000 soldiers killed (clearly an exaggeration), while Kohakusai-ki and Kōyōgunkan mention 1,219 heads taken in the first attack and another 4,306 in the second. The heads were impaled on spears and displayed around Shiga Castle to demoralize the defenders.
The final battles
Kiyoshige realized that no help was coming, but refused to surrender. On August 10, Takeda's troops captured the outer fortifications and set fire to the towers and buildings. Soon, all lines of defense fell, except for the last one.
On August 11, the final assault began. The battle was fierce and bloody. The samurai Ogihara Katsuaki (1509–1581) was the first to break into the hommaru (the main courtyard of the castle), earning the status of ichiban-nori. He personally fought Kasahara Kiyoshige and took his head. Koide Etzen-no-kami killed and beheaded Takada Noriyori.
Most of the defenders—about 300 people—were killed, including Kiyoshige, Noriyori, Yoritada, and the entire Yoda family. Most of those who survived were non-combatants. Kasahara Fuzin, Kiyoshige's wife, refused to become a concubine of the victors and was executed.
Casualties and consequences
Takeda's losses are estimated at several hundred people. Kanhasshu kosenroku gives the figure of 2,143, probably including the wounded. The triumphant victory over Kasahara Kiyoshige finally broke the resistance to the Takeda clan's expansion in the Saku region.
See also
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The Siege of Kawagoe Castle
Kawagoe Castle was built in Musashi Province in 1457. It was constructed by Ota Doshin and his son Ota Dokan on the orders of their suzerain, Uesugi Mototomo of the Ogigayatsu branch of the Uesugi clan. Later, the castle passed into the possession of another branch of the same clan, the Yamanouchi.
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First Battle of Azukizaka
In response to the Oda clan's advance into the western part of Mikawa Province, in August 1542, the combined forces of Imagawa Yoshimoto and Matsudaira Hirotada (father of the future shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu) advanced into the Ikutahara area.
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Battle of Ankokuji
As a result of the summer campaign of 1542, the Suwa clan was completely defeated. Takeda Shingen stationed his military contingent at Uehara Castle. Takeda's army general, Itagaki Nobukata, subsequently became the commandant of this castle.
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The Siege of Matsuyama Castle
In 1537, the head of the Ogigayatsu branch of the Uesugi clan, Uesugi Tomooki, died. He was succeeded by his son, the thirteen-year-old Uesugi Tomosada (1525–1546). Hojo Ujitsuna (1487–1541), who had long been planning to expand his holdings in Musashi Province, decided to take advantage of the new daimyo's inexperience. He assembled an army of 7,000 soldiers and marched on Kawagoe Castle.
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The Siege of Unokuchi Castle
One of the important steps in the career of every Japanese commander was the uijin, the first military campaign in which he took part. For the legendary Takeda Shingen, according to some sources, this campaign was the siege of Unokuchi Castle.
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Battle of Arita-Nakai
By 1517, Takeda Motoshige, lord of Kanyama Castle, was probably the most influential daimyo in Aki Province. Ten years earlier, he had served as a vassal of the Ōuchi clan and participated in Ōuchi Yoshiyuki's campaign in Kyoto. This campaign was part of an effort to support the deposed shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane.
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The Siege of Arai Castle
Hojo Nagauji (Soun) (1432–1519) went down in Japanese history as one of the most notable figures of his time. He is considered a prime example of a gokoku-jo daimyo. The process of gokoku-jo literally means “the lower classes defeat the upper classes” and in Japanese history was expressed, among other things, in the elevation of minor samurai to the status of owners of entire provinces.
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Battle of Sakai
Ōuchi Yoshihiro was an influential shugo of the provinces of Suō and Nagato and played an important role as a supporter of the Ashikaga clan during the war with the Southern Court. His greatest achievement was forcing the Southern Court emperor to surrender in 1392, which brought an end to the Nanboku-chō period. This victory strengthened the Ashikaga clan's position and marked the end of the long-standing rivalry between the two imperial lines.
