Battle of Kizaki
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Kizaki occurred in June
of 1572 when the forces of Shimazu Takahisa
defeated the larger army of Itō Yoshisuke
.
Following their capture of Obi, the Itō strengthened their position on southern Hyūga and began encroaching territory belonging to the Shimazu. Yoshisuke desired to expand into Ōsumi and with that in mind supported clans antagonizing the Shimazu. Still the Shimazu were able to control Ōsumi and in 1572 offered battle to Yoshiaki in the plain of Kizaki, in the border between the two provinces. The armies at Kizaki had a great disparity in strength, the Shimazu only fielded 300 warriors while the Itō possessed as many as 3000.
Outnumbered in a 10:1 ratio, the Shimazu stood in a defensive position and were able to gain victory using their famous feigned retreat. The battle seriously damaged Itō's forces and the Shimazu were left in a position to expand north, into southern Hyūga. Four years later, the Shimazu would conclude the destruction of the Itō when they captured Takabaru
forcing Yoshisake to flee into Ōtomo
lands.
June
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. Ovid provides two etymologies for June's name in his poem concerning the months entitled the Fasti...
of 1572 when the forces of Shimazu Takahisa
Shimazu Takahisa
, the son of Shimazu Tadayoshi, was a daimyo during Japan's Sengoku period. He was the fifteenth head of the Shimazu clan.On 1526, Takahisa was adopted as the successor to Shimazu Katsuhisa and became head of the clan. He launched a series of campaigns to reclaim three provinces: Satsuma, Osumi,...
defeated the larger army of Itō Yoshisuke
Ito Yoshisuke
' was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period who was the head of the Ito clan....
.
Following their capture of Obi, the Itō strengthened their position on southern Hyūga and began encroaching territory belonging to the Shimazu. Yoshisuke desired to expand into Ōsumi and with that in mind supported clans antagonizing the Shimazu. Still the Shimazu were able to control Ōsumi and in 1572 offered battle to Yoshiaki in the plain of Kizaki, in the border between the two provinces. The armies at Kizaki had a great disparity in strength, the Shimazu only fielded 300 warriors while the Itō possessed as many as 3000.
Outnumbered in a 10:1 ratio, the Shimazu stood in a defensive position and were able to gain victory using their famous feigned retreat. The battle seriously damaged Itō's forces and the Shimazu were left in a position to expand north, into southern Hyūga. Four years later, the Shimazu would conclude the destruction of the Itō when they captured Takabaru
Siege of Takabaru
The Siege of Takabaru occurred in October of 1576 when the forces of Shimazu Takahisa besieged and took the fortress of Takabaru, which belonged to the Itō clan. The Shimazu family had by the 1570s started its rise as the dominant power in Kyūshū and continued its expansion in Hyūga Province at the...
forcing Yoshisake to flee into Ōtomo
Otomo clan
The Ōtomo clan was a Japanese clan whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū....
lands.