Battle of Nagashino

Battle of Nagashino
Battle Information
Date	June 28, 1575
Location	Mikawa province
Result	Oda-Tokugawa victorious
Forces
Oda-Tokugawa	Takeda
Commanders
Oda Nobunaga Tokugawa Ieyasu	Takeda Katsuyori
Notable Officers
Toyotomi Hideyoshi Honda Tadakatsu Shibata Katsuie Maeda Toshiie Sakai Tadatsugu Okudaira Nobumasa Ishikawa Kazumasa Sakakibara Yasumasa Ōsuga Yasutaka	Takeda Nobuzane † Takeda Nobukado Anayama Nobukimi Baba Nobuharu † Yamagata Masakage † Naitō Masatoyo † Hara Masatane † Sanada Nobutsuna † Sanada Masateru † Tsuchiya Masatsugu † Kasai Mitsuhide Wada Narishige Yonekura Shigetsugu Atobe Shigemasa

The Battle of Nagashino took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle and was fought between the armies of the Oda-Tokugawa alliance and the Takeda army.

Before the Battle

Before the main battle of Nagashino, Oda Nobunaga sent an army to the castle of Nagashino. The castle was besieged by an army from the Takeda clan. Oda Nobunaga's plan was to end the siege by fighting the Takeda army.

Battle

The Oda–Tokugawa forces engaged the army of Takeda Katsuyori on the plain near Nagashino Castle. During the battle, mounted Takeda samurai launched repeated cavalry charges against the Oda–Tokugawa line, but were met by concentrated fire from as many as 3,000 arquebusiers, who cut down the advancing horsemen. A second assault by Takeda cavalry was likewise repelled, as the Oda–Tokugawa gunners had already reloaded and were prepared to fire again.

At Nagashino, Oda Nobunaga demonstrated the tactical effectiveness of the arquebus by organizing three rotating ranks of musketeers stationed behind a wooden palisade arranged in a zigzag configuration and constructed at a height that prevented cavalry from leaping over it. The Takeda horsemen were halted at this barrier and were systematically shot down from behind the protective structure. Each successive Takeda charge resulted in severe casualties, while the Oda–Tokugawa defenders suffered minimal losses.

The formation withheld fire until the Takeda cavalry had advanced into optimal range, at which point coordinated volleys inflicted decisive damage. After breaking the momentum of the Takeda assaults, Oda forces advanced from their defensive positions to eliminate the remaining opposition.

Naitō Masatoyo, the vanguard of the Takeda clan’s central division was among the first of Takeda commanders to come under the concentrated gunfire of the Oda–Tokugawa alliance. Of the approximately 1,000 soldiers under his command, only about 100 survived before being overwhelmed by the archer contingents led by Honda Tadakatsu, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and Ōsuga Yasutaka. Struck repeatedly by arrows, Naitō Masatoyo was eventually unhorsed and killed.

Unlike other Takeda units hampered by the defensive wooden palisades erected by the Oda forces, Yamagata Masakage’s troops operated on more open ground, giving them greater mobility. Despite this advantage, they were still subjected to withering fire from arquebuses, and sustained heavy casualties as they advanced, though Masakage’s troops crashed into the ranks of Ōkubo Tadayo, triggering the first major hand-to-hand engagement of the day. As the Takeda horsemen broke through the Ōkubo lines, the melee quickly dissolved into a chaotic and brutal clash, with the concentrated use of firearms giving way to scattered, individual shots amid the fray. In this swirling mass of men and horses, Yamagata Masakage, a formidable warrior in single combat, was supported by three loyal samurai who fought at his side. Remaining mounted during the fight, Masakage eventually broke free from the melee and led a renewed charge against the forces of Honda Tadakatsu. However, this assault was met with more gunfire. Masakage was struck by a volley of bullets and fell from his horse. As he lay dying, an unidentified enemy samurai rushed forward, severed his head, and carried it away in triumph.

Baba Nobuharu, commander of the Takeda vanguard of the right wing, chose to remain behind and protect Takeda Katsuyori's withdrawal, personally commanding the rearguard. As the pursuing Oda - Tokugawa forces closed in, Nobuharu, boldly announced his name on the battlefield, declaring that only a warrior of the highest calibre was worthy of taking his head. His challenge was met by two samurai, who charged him simultaneously, wielding spears and was beheaded.

Aftermath

After hours of bitter fighting, the Takeda army withdrew. Takeda Katsuyori, left behind on the battlefield 10,000 dead, out of 97 named Takeda leaders, 54 were killed, 8 of which were members of the Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda and 2 were severely wounded.