The was part of the decisive Kōzuke-Musashi Campaign during the

Genkō War The , also known as the , was a civil war fought in Japan between the Emperor Go-Daigo and the Kamakura Shogunate from 1331 to 1333. The Genkō War was named after Genkō, the Japanese era corresponding to the period of 1331 to 1334 when the wa ...

in Japan that ultimately ended the

Kamakura Shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...

. It was fought on the banks of the

Tama River The is a major river in Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures on Honshū, Japan. It is officially classified as a Class 1 river by the Government of Japan, Japanese government. It is long, an ...

in central

Musashi province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

in what is now part of the city of

Fuchū, Tokyo file:FuchuCityHall2023091.jpg, 260px, Fuchū City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Fuchū serves as a regional commercial center and a commuter town for workers in cent ...

on May 15 and 16, 1333, it pitted the anti-shogunate imperial forces led by

Nitta Yoshisada also known as Minamoto no Yoshisada was a samurai lord of the Nanboku-chō period Japan. He was the head of the Nitta clan in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period. He famo ...

against the forces of the Hōjō-led

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...

. It was the final major battle in Kōzuke-Musashi Campaign and was preceded by the

Battle of Kumegawa The was part of the decisive Kōzuke-Musashi Campaign during the Genkō War in Japan that ultimately ended the Kamakura Shogunate. Fought in present-day Higashimurayama, Tokyo at the foot of the Hachikokuyama ridge on May 12, 1333, it pitte ...

The battle

After his victory three days earlier at the

took time to rest his horses and men. Meanwhile, the forces loyal to the Shogunate retreated to Bubaigawara to regroup. Unbeknownst to Nitta, the Shōgun's forces had received reinforcements on the 14th greatly restoring strength and morale. As the Imperial forces advanced on Bubaigawara on the 15th, the Shōgun's forces attacked with a great archery barrage and thus halted the Imperial attack. The main body of the Shōgun's army then engaged Nitta's army, and despite aggressive counterattacks by Nitta, heavy losses forced Nitta to retreat.McCullough, Helen Craig (1959): pp. 274-285. Had the Shogunate forces immediately pressed their advantage of the First day, it was likely their victory would have been complete. However, during the night of the 15th, Nitta received critical reinforcements led by Miura Yoshikatsu. And at dawn on the 16th, Miura led his fresh troops and attacked an unsuspecting enemy.

and his brother

Nitta Yoshisuke also known as , (1305–1340) was the brother of Nitta Yoshisada in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period, capturing Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura with his brother from ...

advanced to the front while Miura harassed the enemy from the rear.

The Result

The battle resulted in a rout in favor of the Nitta brothers and Miura. Although the Shogunate forces held the initial advantage, their failure to exploit it led to defeat.Sansom, George (1963): pp. 19-21

Aftermath

The remnants of the Hōjō forces retreated in disarray to

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

where they regrouped. The forces led by Nitta pursued and were victorious during the Siege of Kamakura.

References

* McCullough, Helen Craig (1959). "The

Taiheiki The (Chronicle of Great Peace) is a medieval Japanese historical epic (see '' gunki monogatari'') written in the late 14th century and covers the period from 1319 to 1367. It deals primarily with the Nanboku-chō, the period of war between the ...

. A Chronicle of Medieval Japan." 1959. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, . * Sansom, George (1963). "A history of Japan 1334-1615." Eight Printing (1993). Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, * Papinot, E. (1910). "Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan. 1972 Printing. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, .

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bubaigawara 1333 Battles of the Genkō War Conflicts in 1333 Fuchū, Tokyo Military history of Tokyo 1330s in Japan 1333 in Asia