| Battle of Komaki & Nagakute | |
| Date | 1584 |
| Location | Mount Komaki, Nagakute, Owari Province |
| Result | Stalemate |
| Toyotomi | Tokugawa |
| Toyotomi Hideyoshi | Tokugawa Ieyasu Oda Nobukatsu |
| Toyotomi Hidetsugu Mori Nagayoshi † Ikeda Terumasa Ikeda Nobuteru † Maeda Toshiie Hori Hidemasa Suzuki Shigehide Inaba Ittetsu Maeda Tanetoshi † Takigawa Kazumasu Hosokawa Tadaoki Ikoma Chikamasa |
Oda Nagamasu Honda Tadakatsu Ii Naomasa Sakai Tadatsugu Okudaira Nobumasa Matsudaira Ietada Sakakibara Yasumasa Ōkubo Tadayo Hattori Hanzō Mizuno Tadashige Nagai Naokatsu |
Battle of Komaki & Nagakute also known as the Komaki Campaign was a series of battles between the Toyotomi forces and the combined forces of the Tokugawa and Oda clans.
Background[]
The campaign or Battles of Komaki and Nagakute involved Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu in what has been described as one of the most significant demonstrations of military strength in samurai history. Following the capture of Inuyama Castle by Ikeda Nobuteru, a Toyotomi retainer, Mori Nagayoshi advanced from Inuyama with the intent of threatening Kiyosu. In response, Ieyasu dispatched an army under Sakai Tadatsugu to intercept him, culminating in the Battle of Komaki.[1]
Battles[]
Battle of Komaki[]
During the Battle of Komaki, the Tokugawa assault led by Sakai Tadatsugu withstood intense arquebus fire. Tadatsugu successfully maneuvered to attack Mori Nagayoshi’s forces from the rear, prompting Mori to retreat with approximately 300 casualties.[2]
Battle of Nagakute[]
The experience of Komaki prompted Tokugawa Ieyasu to strengthen his position at Komakiyama by establishing a network of forts and field defenses, a strategy later mirrored by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The resulting standoff led Ikeda Nobuteru to propose a raid on Mikawa Province. Leading an army of 20,000, Nobuteru’s forces embarked on a night march, capturing Iwasaki Castle as their first objective. However, Ieyasu anticipated this maneuver and dispatched an army to shadow Hideyoshi’s forces. At dawn, Ieyasu’s vanguard under Mizuno Tadashige engaged the rearguard of Hideyoshi’s army. The sounds of combat reached Hideyoshi’s third division under Hori Hidemasa, who repositioned his troops near the village of Nagakute to support their comrades. Hidemasa’s forces initially repelled an attack by the Tokugawa vanguard but withdrew prudently upon the arrival of Ieyasu’s main force, which numbered approximately 9,000 troops.[3]
The Battle of Nagakute then commenced with an exchange of arquebus fire. Ikeda Nobuteru led an assault against Ii Naomasa’s troops within Ieyasu’s army, while Mori Nagayoshi awaited an opportunity to strike as Ieyasu shifted his divisions, intending to exploit an exposed flank. Instead, the Tokugawa center advanced, and Mori was shot from his horse, leading to a decline in the morale of the Ikeda forces. The Ikeda contingent soon collapsed after a young samurai, Nagai Naokatsu, killed Ikeda Nobuteru. Although Hideyoshi arrived with reinforcements, neither side sought further engagement, and both armies withdrew to their respective positions.[4]
Siege of Kaganoi[]
Oda Nobukatsu was the leading figure of the Oda clan at the time and remained in opposition to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In response, Hideyoshi launched an assault on Kaganoi along the Kisogawa River, capturing the fortress after an intense bombardment.[5]
Siege of Takehana[]
Shortly after the capture of Kaganoi, Toyotomi Hideyoshi employed a previously used strategy of flooding to seize Takehana Castle. Within less than a month, the castle was inundated after the waters of the Kisogawa River were diverted using a constructed dam.[6]
Siege of Kanie[]
In a subsequent operation against Oda Nobukatsu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi targeted Kanie Castle in Owari Province, situated between Kiyosu and Nagashima. The castle was held by the Oda retainer Maeda Tanetoshi, who was persuaded to defect by Takigawa Kazumasu. Shortly thereafter, Kanie Castle came under siege by forces led by Sakakibara Yasumasa and Oda Nagamasu, acting on behalf of the Tokugawa-Oda alliance. During the conflict, Maeda Tanetoshi attempted to flee but was intercepted and killed in action by Kazumasu.[7]
Read More about the Siege of Kanie.
Siege of Suemori[]
During the Komaki and Nagakute campaigns, Sassa Narimasa opposed Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whereas Maeda Toshiie supported the Toyotomi faction. Their forces clashed at the Siege of Suemori Castle in Owari Province.
Read More about the Siege of Suemori.
Aftermath[]
Toyotomi Hideyoshi reached a negotiated settlement with Tokugawa Ieyasu, formalized through a complex arrangement involving the transfer of castles, the return of certain captured territories, adoptions, and the exchange of hostages, bringing the Komaki–Nagakute campaign to a peaceful conclusion. Two years later, as Hideyoshi’s authority became more firmly established, he further consolidated the alliance by marrying his sister to Ieyasu and sending his mother to him as a hostage. Following these measures, Ieyasu traveled to Osaka Castle and formally pledged allegiance.[8]
Sources[]
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 235
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 235
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 235
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 235
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 235
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 235
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull, p. 236
- ↑ Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Stephen Turnbull, p. 43