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Battles, incidents, and historical events related to Japanese swords
84 events
Autumn 1576 – September 1577 (Tenshō 4–5)
A siege of Nanao Castle, the stronghold of Noto Province, conducted by Uesugi Kenshin from autumn of Tenshō 4 (1576) to September of Tenshō 5 (1577). After nearly a year of siege, Kenshin brought down Nanao Castle through epidemic outbreaks within the castle and the betrayal of an insider, thereby pacifying Noto Province. The news of Nanao Castle's fall came just before Kenshin defeated the forces of Oda Nobunaga at the Battle of Tetori River, marking the apex of Kenshin's domination of the Hokuriku region.
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May 21, 1575 (21st day, 5th month, Tenshō 3)
On May 21, 1575, the combined forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu crushed Takeda Katsuyori's cavalry at Nagashino in Mikawa Province. Nobunaga's coordinated volley firing — reportedly organized in rotating three-rank sequence — shattered the Takeda's vaunted mounted warriors and transformed Sengoku battlefield tactics.
August 17–20, 1573 (Tenshō 1, 8th month)
In August of Tensho 1 (1573), pursued relentlessly by Oda Nobunaga, Asakura Yoshikage abandoned his castle at Ichijodani and fled. The Asakura clan, which had boasted a century of prosperity, collapsed in mere days, and Echizen sword culture suffered a devastating blow.
December 1572 – January 1573 (Genki 3–4)
From December of Genki 3 (1572) to February of Genki 4 (1573), Takeda Shingen besieged and conquered Noda Castle (present-day Shinshiro City, Aichi Prefecture), a branch fortress of Tokugawa Ieyasu. After his decisive victory over Ieyasu at the Battle of Mikatagahara, Shingen reduced Noda Castle, but it is reported that during the siege he was struck by gunfire, or alternatively that his illness worsened shortly after the castle fell. He subsequently died on his way back to Kai Province. The Battle of Noda Castle represented the final phase of Shingen's western campaign and is recorded in history as his last battle.
December 22, 1572 (Genki 3, 12th month, 22nd day)
In December of Genki 3 (1572), the Takeda army led by Takeda Shingen decisively defeated the Tokugawa Ieyasu army at Mikatagahara in Tōtōmi Province. It was Shingen's final campaign of his lifetime and the battle in which Ieyasu suffered his greatest defeat. Ieyasu's humiliation, exemplified by the Shikami-zō, and Shingen's strategic genius have been passed down through the ages.
September 16 – December 13, 1570 (Genki 1, 9th–11th months)
The Siege of Shiga (September–December 1570, the first year of Genki), in which the combined forces of the Asai and Asakura clans and the warrior monks of Enryaku-ji on Mt. Hiei surrounded Nobunaga. Though forced into a humiliating truce brokered by the imperial court, it became a turning point that steeled his resolve for the burning of Mt. Hiei the following year.
August 20, 1570 (Genki 1, 8th month, 20th day)
In August 1570, as Otomo Sorin's vast army besieged Saga Castle, Ryuzoji retainer Nabeshima Nobushige led a daring night raid that killed the Otomo commander Otomo Chikasada. The victory opened Ryuzoji Takanobu's path to domination of Hizen Province and marked a pivotal moment in Kyushu's Sengoku history.
August 1567 (Eiroku 10, 8th month)
In August of the 10th year of Eiroku (1567), Oda Nobunaga captured Inabayama Castle (present-day Gifu Castle) from Saitō Tatsuoki in Mino Province through a siege. Internal support from Kinoshita Tōkichirō (later Toyotomi Hideyoshi) and a surprise attack by elite forces proved effective, enabling Nobunaga to finally achieve his long-coveted conquest of Mino. Nobunaga renamed the castle "Gifu Castle" and established it as the base for unifying the realm under the banner of Tenka Fubu.
February 6, 1564 (Eiroku 7, 1st month)
In February 1564, Takenaka Shigefuyu (Hanbei) seized the seemingly impregnable Inabayama Castle with just sixteen men. Born of indignation at his lord Saitō Tatsuoki's incompetence, this audacious coup became the founding legend of Hanbei's reputation as one of the Sengoku era's supreme strategists.
June 12, 1560 (Eiroku 3, 5th month, 19th day)
On May 19, 1560 (Eiroku 3), Oda Nobunaga, a minor daimyo of Owari, launched a surprise attack on the massive army led by Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was advancing toward Kyoto. Nobunaga defeated and killed Yoshimoto, overturning the overwhelming disparity in military forces. This historically miraculous victory became Nobunaga's first step toward his eventual unification of the realm.
October 1, 1555 (30th day, 9th month, Tenbun 24)
In October 1555, Mori Motonari lured the massive army of Sue Harukata to the sacred island of Itsukushima in the Seto Inland Sea, then crushed them with a daring night amphibious assault. This victory, won with far fewer troops through superior strategy and naval power, established Mori as the dominant warlord of western Honshu.
1553–1564 (Tenbun 22 – Eiroku 7); Fourth Battle: October 1561 (9th month, Eiroku 4)
Five engagements fought between Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin over control of Shinano Province (1553–1564). The Fourth Battle of 1561 — in which the two commanders reportedly clashed in personal combat — is remembered as the most dramatic rivalry of the Sengoku era.