Battle of Anegawa
Encyclopedia
The 1570 came as a reaction to Oda Nobunaga
's sieges of the castles of Odani
and Yokoyama, which belonged to the Azai and Asakura
clans. It was also referred to as the Battle of Nomura (野村合戦 Nomura Kassen) by the Oda and Azai clans and the Battle of Mitamura (三田村合戦 Mitamura Kassen) by the Asakura clan.
As warriors sallied forth from the castles, the battle turned into a melee
fought in the middle of the shallow river. For a time, Nobunaga's forces fought the Azai, while the Tokugawa warriors fought the Asakura a short distance upstream.
After the Tokugawa forces finished off the Asakura, they turned and hit the Azai right flank. Inaba Ittetsu, who had been held in reserve, then came forward and hit the Azai left flank. Many of the besiegers of Yokoyama even left their task to aid in the battle. The Azai and Asakura forces were soon defeated.
It is perhaps interesting to note that Nobunaga used 500 arquebus
iers in this battle. He was famous for his strategic use of firearms but would find himself on the opposite end of skilled arquebus tactics in his siege of Ishiyama Honganji that year.
Meanwhile, no reliable source exists to reconstruct the battle. The battle of Anegawa is vividly presented in the books compiled in the middle or the end of the Edo period. Many of the stories are pure fiction. The only valuable source is the Shinchokoki, describing it very briefly without any notes concerning tactics or details of the battle.
The exact number of the casualties in this battle is unknown. However, the Shinchokoki mentions 1,100 Samurai from Asakura clan being killed in battle. An army of this period had at least several times more non-samurai Ashigarus than the samurai, so it would be reasonable to assume at least several thousand men were killed.
According to A.L. Sadler in The Life of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu there were 3,170 heads collected by the Oda camp. A good portion were taken by Mikawa men, the Tokugawa force. The Mikawa Fudoki gives a very real picture of the battle: The retainers fighting in groups and the decapitation of soldiers in the confused mingling of armies among the clouds of smoke and dust.
series. However, because Azai Nagamasa
was made playable in Samurai Warriors 2
, as opposed to the first game where he was a unique non-playable character, the battle had a larger significance.
The story of the build-up to the battle and the brilliant tactics used by Tokugawa Ieyasu
is retold in Volume 12 of the Dark Horse Comics
's series "Path of the Assassin," titled "The Three Foot Battle." In this narrative, Hattori Hanzo
consults with Takenaka Shigeharu
and thus is provided with the superior tactics.
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
's sieges of the castles of Odani
Odani Castle
was a Sengoku period mountain-top castle located in the present day town of Kohoku in Higashiazai District, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Only the ruins remain today. It was the home castle of the Azai clan and the mountain it was built upon was considered to be impregnable...
and Yokoyama, which belonged to the Azai and Asakura
Asakura clan
The ' are descendants of Prince Kusakabe , son of Emperor Temmu .The family was a line of daimyō which, along with the Azai clan, opposed Oda Nobunaga in the late 16th century...
clans. It was also referred to as the Battle of Nomura (野村合戦 Nomura Kassen) by the Oda and Azai clans and the Battle of Mitamura (三田村合戦 Mitamura Kassen) by the Asakura clan.
As warriors sallied forth from the castles, the battle turned into a melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
fought in the middle of the shallow river. For a time, Nobunaga's forces fought the Azai, while the Tokugawa warriors fought the Asakura a short distance upstream.
After the Tokugawa forces finished off the Asakura, they turned and hit the Azai right flank. Inaba Ittetsu, who had been held in reserve, then came forward and hit the Azai left flank. Many of the besiegers of Yokoyama even left their task to aid in the battle. The Azai and Asakura forces were soon defeated.
It is perhaps interesting to note that Nobunaga used 500 arquebus
Arquebus
The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
iers in this battle. He was famous for his strategic use of firearms but would find himself on the opposite end of skilled arquebus tactics in his siege of Ishiyama Honganji that year.
Meanwhile, no reliable source exists to reconstruct the battle. The battle of Anegawa is vividly presented in the books compiled in the middle or the end of the Edo period. Many of the stories are pure fiction. The only valuable source is the Shinchokoki, describing it very briefly without any notes concerning tactics or details of the battle.
The exact number of the casualties in this battle is unknown. However, the Shinchokoki mentions 1,100 Samurai from Asakura clan being killed in battle. An army of this period had at least several times more non-samurai Ashigarus than the samurai, so it would be reasonable to assume at least several thousand men were killed.
According to A.L. Sadler in The Life of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu there were 3,170 heads collected by the Oda camp. A good portion were taken by Mikawa men, the Tokugawa force. The Mikawa Fudoki gives a very real picture of the battle: The retainers fighting in groups and the decapitation of soldiers in the confused mingling of armies among the clouds of smoke and dust.
In popular culture
The battle has been featured in both games of the Samurai WarriorsSamurai Warriors
is the first title in the series of video games created by Koei's Omega Force team based loosely around the Sengoku period of Japanese history and it is a spinoff of the Dynasty Warriors series...
series. However, because Azai Nagamasa
Azai Nagamasa
was a Daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japan. His clan, the Azai, were located in northern Ōmi Province, east of Lake Biwa. He was both the brother-in-law of Oda Nobunaga, starting in 1564, and one of Nobunaga's enemies from 1570-1573. Nagamasa and his clan were utterly destroyed by Oda...
was made playable in Samurai Warriors 2
Samurai Warriors 2
is a sequel to the original Samurai Warriors, created by Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, and received a port to Microsoft Windows in 2008....
, as opposed to the first game where he was a unique non-playable character, the battle had a larger significance.
The story of the build-up to the battle and the brilliant tactics used by Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
is retold in Volume 12 of the Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
's series "Path of the Assassin," titled "The Three Foot Battle." In this narrative, Hattori Hanzo
Hattori Hanzo
, also known as , was a famous samurai and ninja master of the Sengoku era, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. Today, he is often a subject of modern popular culture.-Biography:...
consults with Takenaka Shigeharu
Takenaka Shigeharu
, who was also known as Hanbei , was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. He initially served the Saitō clan of Mino province, but later plotted an uprising and took over the Saitō clan's castle at Mount Inaba. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was so impressed by this tactic that he...
and thus is provided with the superior tactics.