 | |
| Imagawa Yoshimoto | |
| Born: | 1519 |
|---|---|
| Place of Birth: | Sunpu Province |
| Died: | June 12, 1560 |
| Cause of Death: | Killed In Action |
| Place of Death: | Okehazama |
| Style name: | 今川 義元 |
| Served: | Imagawa |
| Participation(s): | Battle of Azukizaka (1542) Battle of Okehazama |
Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川 義元) is best known to history for being the loser at the Battle of Okehazama, in 1560. But this is to ignore his early life, which was crowned by military success and considerable political and aesthetic accomplishment.[1]
Biography[]
Childhood[]
Imagawa Yoshimoto was the third son of Imagawa Ujichika.[2] His father sent him to Zentokuji Temple in Suruga, where Yoshimoto underwent training to become a monk.[3]
Rise to Power[]
Imagawa Ujiteru, the eldest son of Ujichika, assumed leadership of the Imagawa clan in 1526 but died ten years later, triggering a succession dispute between his two brothers. Seizing the opportunity, Imagawa Yoshimoto left Zentokuji Temple and overcame both siblings to assume control of the clan. Demonstrating early diplomatic acumen, he married a sister of Takeda Nobutora the following year, thereby establishing an alliance with the Takeda clan.[4]
In 1540, Imagawa Yoshimoto’s forces assisted Takeda Shingen in the conquest of Kai Province, strengthening their alliance. He again supported the Takeda against the Hōjō in 1544, and when the conflict reached a stalemate, Yoshimoto negotiated a peace treaty at Kitsunebashi.[5]
Imagawa Yoshimoto was defeated by Oda Nobuhide at the Battle of Azukizaka in 1542, but still managed to keep Mikawa, Totomi and Suruga under his control.[6] A few months later Oda Nobuhide followed up his victory by attacking the Imagawa fortress of Ueno, at the Siege of Ueno, though Oda Nobuhide was unsuccessful.[7] With the support of his uncle, Sessai Taigen, Imagawa Yoshimoto successfully conquered Tōtōmi Province and brought the Matsudaira clan under his control.[8]
In 1545, Imagawa Yoshimoto orchestrated an alliance between the Takeda, Hōjō, and Imagawa clans. His diplomatic abilities were held in such esteem that Hōjō Ujiyasu requested his intervention with Takeda Shingen, seeking to dissuade the Takeda from attacking Kōzuke Province, as the Hōjō were planning an invasion.[9]
In 1547, Imagawa Yoshimoto demanded Matsudaira Hirotada to send his son Takechiyo, the future Tokugawa Ieyasu, as a hostage to the Imagawa in Sunpu, but was instead captured by the Oda clan under Oda Nobuhide, but would later be returned to the Imagawa after the capture of Nobuhide's eldest son Oda Nobuhiro.[10]
Death[]
In 1560, Imagawa Yoshimoto’s march toward the capital necessitated passage through the neighboring province of Owari, which at the time was governed by Oda Nobunaga.[11] Yoshimoto proceeded through Owari with a commanding force estimated at ten times the size of Oda clan[12] and was successful en route, destroying Nobunaga's forts at Marume and Terabe.[13] Yoshimoto was confronted by Oda Nobunaga’s relatively small force at the decisive Battle of Okehazama, where he was ultimately ambushed and killed.[14]
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- ↑ Samurai Commanders (1) 940-1576, Stephen Turnbull
- ↑ Samurai Commanders (1) 940–1576, Stephen Turnbull
- ↑ Samurai: The Code of the Warrior, Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, p. 152
- ↑ Samurai: The Code of the Warrior, Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, p. 152
- ↑ Samurai: The Code of the Warrior, Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, p. 152
- ↑ Samurai Sourcebook, Stephen Turnbull pg.45
- ↑ Samurai Commanders (1) 940-1576, Stephen Turnbull, pg 50
- ↑ Samurai: The Code of the Warrior, Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, p. 152
- ↑ Samurai: The Code of the Warrior, Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, p. 152
- ↑ Jeroen Pieter Lamers, Japonius Tyrannus: The Japanese Warlord, Oda Nobunaga Reconsidered, p. 46
- ↑ Stephen Turnbull, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, p. 8
- ↑ Stephen Turnbull, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, p. 9
- ↑ Jeroen Pieter Lamers, Japonius Tyrannus: The Japanese Warlord, Oda Nobunaga Reconsidered, p. 46
- ↑ Stephen Turnbull, The Samurai Sourcebook