The siege of Shiroishi Castle was part of the Sekigahara campaign and took place several months before the decisive battle of Sekigahara. The daimyo of Aizu Province, Uesugi Kagekatsu, posed a serious threat to Tokugawa Ieyasu's plans to defeat the Western Coalition, and Ieyasu decided to curb his actions with the help of his northern vassals. To this end, he ordered Date Masamune to invade the province of Aizu and capture Shiroishi Castle.
Shiroishi Castle was the main stronghold of the Katta district, which had previously belonged to Date Masamune himself. However, in 1591, Toyotomi Hideyoshi confiscated these lands along with Masamune's other possessions. In 1598, Uesugi Kagekatsu gained control of the castle and transferred it to his vassal Amakasa Kagetugu.
By the time Date's troops invaded, Amakasa was at Wakamatsu Castle, and his nephew Tosaka Katsunori was in charge of Shiroishi. Masamune's soldiers knew the area around the castle and its layout really well, which gave them a big advantage in getting ready for the siege.
Date's army set up camp on a hill near Shiroishi, having previously blocked the roads to Yonezawa and Fukushima to prevent possible reinforcements from Uesugi. On July 24, Masamune began the assault, using the hijime tactic of “attacking with fire.” The approaches to the castle and the buildings of the third courtyard, the Sannomaru, were completely burned down. Following the fire, Date's assault troops went on the offensive.
The defenders of the castle fought stubbornly and bravely, but gradually lost ground. By the morning of July 25, Masamune's troops already controlled most of the fortress, with the exception of the main courtyard, the hommaru. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, Tosaka Katsunori proposed to begin negotiations for surrender. However, one of his commanders, Kanokoda Uemon, a former vassal of the Hatakeyama clan, which had been destroyed by the Date clan, categorically refused to surrender and insisted on fighting to the end.
As a result, a conflict arose between them, and Katsunori killed Uemon, after which he surrendered to Masamune's troops. Thus, Shiroishi Castle fell in just one day.
After the victory, Masamune handed over control of the castle to his uncle Ishikawa Akimitsu and returned to his castle in Kitame. Shortly thereafter, Naoe Kanetsugu, one of Uesugi's most trusted and experienced vassals, sent troops to recapture Shiroishi. However, on the way, his soldiers were ambushed by bandits and peasants who had rebelled against the Uesugi. Suffering losses and losing their combat capability, Kanetsugu's army was forced to retreat.
See also
-
The Second Siege of Jinju Castle
During the two Korean campaigns of the 16th century, the Japanese repeatedly had to capture enemy fortresses and defend occupied or constructed fortifications from the combined Korean and Chinese forces. Among all the operations of that time, the second siege of Jinju Castle is considered the most interesting from the point of view of siege warfare.
-
The Siege of Takamatsu Castle
The siege of Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu Province is considered the first mizuzeme, or “water siege,” in Japanese history. Until then, such an original tactic had never been used.
-
The Third Siege of Takatenjin Castle
The history of the castle prior to the conflict between the Tokugawa and Takeda clans is rather unclear. According to one version, the castle was built in 1416, when Imagawa Sadayoshi (1325–1420) was governor of Suruga Province and half of Totomi Province. Allegedly, it was he who ordered Imagawa Norimasa (1364–1433) to build this fortification. However, no reliable evidence has been found to support this. Another version is considered more plausible, according to which the castle was built during the conquest of Totomi Province at the end of the 15th century by Imagawa Ujitsuna (1473–1526) and his general Ise Shinkuro (Hojo Soon). In this case, another of Ujitsuna's generals, Kusima Masashige (1492–1521), is considered responsible for the construction.
-
Battle of Mimigawa
In 1556, the Shimazu clan launched a campaign aimed at systematically conquering the island of Kyushu. In the same year, the province of Osumi was annexed and a war began with the Ito clan for control of the province of Hyuga. In 1577, Ito Yoshisuke was defeated and fled north, where he sought help from Otomo Sorin, the Christian daimyo of Bungo Province.
-
The Siege of Kozuki Castle
The battle for Kozuki Castle was a consequence of Oda Nobunaga's expansion in the Chugoku region. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was appointed to lead the campaign, which aimed to weaken the influence of the Mori clan in these lands. Under his command were famous samurai: Kuroda Kanbei, Takenaka Shigeharu, and Hachisuka Koroku. Amago Katsuhisa, who cherished the hope of one day restoring the Amago clan's lost dominance in western Japan, also joined Oda's army.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
