The battles of Sekigahara (ja 関ヶ原の戦い, Sekigahara No Tatakai ), which was held the 20 and October 21st 1600, is an major event of the Histoire of Japan. It marks the end of the time Sengoku and the beginning of the time of Edo. It is called besides Tenka wakeme No kassen (ja 天下分け目の合戦, “ the battle which decided future of the country ”). This battle opened the way towards the shogunat for Ieyasu Tokugawa. Although it was necessary for Tokugawa three years more to consolidate its position with the capacity against the Clan Toyotomi and the Daimyo S, Sekigahara is generally regarded as the not-official beginning of the Shogunat Tokugawa, the last to have controlled the Japan.

At the place which is Sekigahara today, in the Préfecture of Gifu, the forces of Ieyasu Tokugawa fought those of Mitsunari Ishida, which were honest to the son and to heir to Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Hideyori. The course of the battle changed when Hideaki Kobayakawa, which was side of Ishida, betrays its allies in full combat. Although at the beginning, Kobayakawa was satisfied to remain in extreme cases of the zone of engagements and had not taken share with the battle, Tokugawa ends up ordering with its Ashigaru to draw on the troops from Kobayakawa, after which this last passed in the Tokugawa camp. It was this treason which led to the decisive victory of Ieyasu and the end of the Conseil of the Five.

Conditions

Although Hideyoshi Toyotomi unified Japan and consolidated its capacity, its fallen through attempt at invasion of Korea had significantly weakened the capacity of its clan as well as the loyal supporters who continued to serve and support the Toyotomi clan after the death of Hideyoshi. The presence of Hideyoshi and its brother Hidenaga had prevented the two camps from making more than to quarrel, but when both died, the conflicts were exacerbated and led to a frank hostility. The Toyotomi clan being known to be of country origin, neither Hideyoshi nor no member of his family could claim under Shogun. Later, the death of Toshiie Maeda erased the last traces of friendship between the two factions.

Notably, Kiyomasa Katô and Masanori Fukushima criticized the bureaucrats openly, in particular Konishi Yukinaga and Mitsunari Ishida. Ieyasu Tokugawa took advantage of this situation and recruited them, redirecting animositié to weaken the Toyotomi clan.

Unfolding

The battle proceeded under a beating rain. She opposed the Daimyō of Edo Ieyasu Tokugawa and her allies, the clans Masanori Fukushima, Nagamasa Kuroda, Tadayoshi Matsudaira, Naomasa II and Terumasa Ikeda, with Mitsunari Ishida and her allies, the clans Yukinaga Konishi, Ekei Ankokuji, Hideaki Kobayakawa (Kohayagawa), Hidemoto Mōri, Hideie Ukita and Yoshihiro Shimazu.

The battle is very dubious, and lasts more than 24 hours. It is the defection of the Clan Kobayakawa in favor of Tokugawa Ieyasu which will make rock the fate of the confrontation in the afternoon of the October 21st.

Assessment

This battle was decisive to establish the domination of the Tokugawa on the Japan. Feudal main forces being opposed to the takeover Tokugawa being overcome, one era of peace (Period Edo) which lasted until the restoration Meiji in 1868 started for Japan.

Anecdotes

  • celebrates It swashbuckler Musashi Miyamoto, took part in this battle, in the camp of overcome.
  • Ieyasu had made seize the 18 guns of the Dutch ship the Liefde , from which the balls, according to a Spanish observer, did not cease falling on the enemy rows during the battle.

List commanders

Armed with the east (at the sides of Tokugawa)

Army of the west (at the sides of Ishida)

  • Terumoto Mori (officially with the head of alliance) - (was not present) - 15000 men
  • Kagakatsu Uesugi
  • Hideie Ukita - 17.000 men
  • Yoshihiro Shimazu - 1.500 men
  • Hideaki Kobayakawa - 15.600 men
  • Mitsunari Ishida truly with the head of alliance) - 4.000 men
  • Yukinaga Konishi - 4.000 men
  • Nagamori Mashita
  • Suketada Ogawa - 2.100 men
  • Yoshitsugu Otani - 600 men
  • Yasuharu Wakisaka - 990 men
  • Ekei Ankokuji - 1.800 men
  • Yoshinobu Satake
  • Hidenobu Oda
  • Morichika Chosokabe - 6.600 men
  • Mototsuna Kutsuki - 600 men
  • Naoyasu Akaza - 600 men
  • Hiroie Kikkawa - 3.000 men
  • Masaie Natsuka - 1.500 men
  • Hidemoto Mori - 15.000 men
  • Katsushige Toda - 1.500 men
  • Masayuki Sanada

References

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