| Battle of Nagashino | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Sengoku period | |||||||
 General launching his troops to attack the castle of Nagashino in 1575, by Yoshitoshi | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Takeda forces | combined Oda-Tokugawa forces | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Takeda Katsuyori, Anayama Nobukimi, Takeda Nobukado | Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Okudaira Sadamasa | ||||||
Yonekura Shigetsugu (died 1575) was a famous Japanese samurai and a member of the Takeda clan.
Shigetsugu [1] was a retainer of Takeda Shingen and servant of Amari Haruyoshi. He was killed during the Battle of Nagashino [2] and is remembered for his participation in both the Battle of Kawanakajima (1564) and the Battle of Nagashino in 1575.
During the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, both the Tokugawa clan and Oda Nobunaga sent troops to alleviate the siege, and Takeda Katsuyori was defeated. The victory of Oda's Western-style tactics and firearms over Takeda's cavalry charge is often cited as a turning point in Japanese warfare; many cite it as the first "modern" Japanese battle. Yonekura Shigetsugu rushed the Takeda flank singlehandedly before he was killed by gunfire. His corpse was later impaled on a pike by Nobunaga's forces. [3] (see Battles of Kawanakajima)
Following the battle, Nobunaga continued henceforth until he had effectively established control over all of Japan. Yonekura's death poem is often performed in Noh plays to this day, and is a prime example of the Haiku form in death poems. While death poems did not adopt any prescribed form as far as syllables, tone, and length were concerned (the ritual required flexibility, compared to most samurai rituals, like the tea ceremony, which were practiced with rigidity), it was usually required to be short, be pertinent, and invoke pathos in the listener. It did not need to rhyme and considering the fact that most Japanese singing was expected to be discordant and erratic, this is not surprising. The flexibility of the death poem was in direct contrast with the rigid caste system that pervaded Japanese life during that period of time.
Shigetsugu was part of the crucial Nagashino cavalry counter. As far as typical military strategy is concerned, whether or not a cavalry charge is successful depends on the enemy infantry breaking ranks in order for the cavalry to mow them down. However, when the enemies' infantry does not break rank and scatter, the cavalry charge will often fail, since trained warhorses refuse to advance into solid masses of soldiers. [4] By opposing their adversaries' traditional tactics in this way, Takeda Katsuyori's forces hoped to rout the cavalry charges. They failed.
His master, the late Amari Haruyoshi (also known as Amari Masatada), was a famous Takeda samurai. Believed to have been born in 1533, [5] Masatada was the eldest son of Amari Torayasu and a servant of Takeda Shingen. He fought at Kikyôgahara (1549), where the Ogasawara incurred a severe reversal at the Takeda's hands. He also served at the battles of 4th Kawanakajima (1561), Usuigatoge, and Matsuyama (1563). He was killed in a riding accident in 1564; As he was riding, he sustained an injury and was unhorsed. As he lay on the ground, he attempted to stem the flow of blood that came forth from the wound. While he was distracted, he failed to notice his horse until it was right on top of him, trampling him. He is probably most widely known for an incident involving one of his wounded retainers. When the man's bleeding did not abate, Masatada advised him to drink horse feces mixed with water to help accelerate the formation of blood clots (a folk remedy). When the wounded man hesitated to consume raw horse dung, Masatada himself consumed some of the concoction. Encouraged, his retainer drank from the same cup and was reported to have recovered. [6]
Muramatsu, Shigetsugu, co-inventor of semiconductor United States Patent 7180182 is descended from Yonekura Shigetsuga. [7] The Shigetsuga line also includes famed sword maker, Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu. [8]
Takeda Shingen was daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a poor area with little arable land and no access to the sea, but he became one of Japan's leading daimyo. His skills are highly esteemed and on par with Mōri Motonari.
Akiyama Nobutomo was a samurai during the Sengoku period in Japan. He is known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". Nobutomo also served under Shingen's son, Takeda Katsuyori.
The Battle of Nagashino was a famous battle in Japanese history, fought in 1575 at Nagashino in Mikawa Province. The allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu (38,000) fought against Takeda Katsuyori's forces (15,000) and the allied forces won a crushing victory over the Takeda clan. As a result, Oda Nobunaga's unification of Japan was seen as certain.
Nagashino Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle located in what is now Shinshiro, eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is noteworthy as the site of the crucial Battle of Nagashino between the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga against Takeda Katsuyori in 1575. The ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1929, the first time a former castle site had received such protection.
Okudaira Nobumasa, also called Okudaira Sadamasa, was a Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku and early Edo periods. Nobumasa's family considered their origins to have been associated with Mikawa Province. The clan was descended through the Akamatsu from the Murakami-Genji.
Sanada Masayuki was a Japanese Sengoku period lord and daimyō. He was the head of Sanada clan, a regional house of Shinano Province, which became a vassal of the Takeda clan of Kai Province. Along with his father and brothers, Masayuki served the Takeda clan during its heyday, when it was led by Takeda Shingen. After its downfall, Masayuki took the lead of his clan and, despite little power, he managed to establish himself as an independent daimyō under the Toyotomi regime through skillful political maneuvers amidst the powerful Tokugawa, Hojō and Uesugi clans.
Takeda Katsuyori was a Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu.
Anayama Nobutada, also known as Anayama Genba Nobukimi, Baisetsu Nobutada or Anayama Baisetsu, was a Japanese samurai. He became famous as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". He was lord of Yokoyama Castle and govern on Ejiri Castle at Suruga Province
Kōsaka Masanobu also known as Kasuga Toratsuna was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". He is often credited as the original author of Kōyō Gunkan, which records the history of the Takeda family and their military tactics.
The Twenty-Four Generals were just one of many historically famous groupings of battle commanders from Japan's Sengoku Period. These Twenty-Four were the most trusted companions of Takeda Shingen. A third of them died at the famous Battle of Nagashino in 1575 when they led the Takeda forces against Oda Nobunaga. When Takeda Katsuyori committed suicide in 1582, declaring the end of the Takeda clan, only three of them were still serving under the Takeda.
The Takeda Clan was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Takeda Shingen, one of the most famous rulers of the period.
Baba Nobuharu, also known as Baba Nobufusa, was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. He was known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". When Takeda Shingen took Fukashi castle in 1550, he entrusted it to Baba.
Naitō Masatoyo also known as Naitō Masahide was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. He was known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". Masatoyo was the second son of Takeda Nobutora's senior retainer, Kudō Toratoyo. He was first called Kudō Sukenaga. The family's fortunes fell when Toratoyo lost favor with Nobutora and was killed by him.
Oyamada Nobushige was a Japanese samurai general in the Takeda army under Takeda Shingen, and later under Takeda Katsuyori. He was known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen".
The 1582 Battle of Tenmokuzan in Japan, is regarded as the last stand of the Takeda clan. This was the final attempt by Takeda Katsuyori to resist the combined forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga, who had been campaigning against him for some time. In his bid to hide from his pursuers, Katsuyori burned his fortress at Shinpu Castle and fled into the mountains, to another Takeda stronghold, called Iwadono, held by Oyamada Nobushige, an old Takeda retainer. Katsuyori was denied entry by Oyamada, and committed suicide with his wife, while the last remnant of his army held off their pursuers.
Amari Masatada was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period of Feudal Japan. The son and successor of Amari Torayasu, he was a senior retainer of the Takeda clan of Kai Province, and ranked among Takeda Shingen's 'Twenty-four Generals'. Masatada also served as one of Shingen's personal attendants. During Shingen's campaign in Shinano Province, Masatada served with distinction at the Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561. Masatada later fought at the Battle of Mikatagahara as a senior Takeda officer. By the year of 1563 Masatada went on to fight at the Battle of Usuigatoge and Musashi Matsuyama, but was killed a year later in what would be defined as rare for any standard samurai: a horse riding accident. There is one incident which gave Masatada a stronger name for himself despite being rather eccentric in nature: when Masatada had confronted one of his wounded retainers who suffered from physical bleeding that would not cease flowing, he advised him to drink horse feces and water to support the clotting of his blood — considered among Japanese culture as a folklore. The man was expectingly hesitant in doing so, but when Masatada himself consumed some of the concoction, he was encouraged to follow suit and reportedly recovered.
The Yonekura clan was a cadet branch of the Takeda clan of Kai Province, some members of whom rose to positions of importance within the administration of the Tokugawa shogunate in mid-Edo period Japan.
The Samurai's Tale, by Erik Christian Haugaard, is a fiction novel published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 1984.
Lady Otsuya was a Japanese female samurai (onna-musha) from the Sengoku period. She was the aunt of the famous samurai Oda Nobunaga, the wife of Tōyama Kagetō and foster mother of Oda Katsunaga. She was the ruler of Iwamura Castle until the last days of her life.
Matsuhime or Shinsho-ni (信松尼) was a Japanese noblewoman who was a member of the Takeda clan, an important samurai family of the Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Takeda Shingen and wife of Oda Nobutada. She is best known for trying to strengthen an ailing alliance between Takeda and Oda, two rival families. Matsu is also known for her rightful love and undying devotion to Oda Nobutada, which is considered unusual for the time period. A mountain pass is named Matsuhime Tōge in her honor due to her having used the path to escape Oda Nobunaga's army. The Shinsho-in temple in Hachioji (Tokyo) preserves to this day a wooden statue of Matsuhime and the naginata (polearm) she wielded.