The Battle of Numajiri was part of a campaign of eastern expansion by

Hojo Ujiyasu Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's Howard Johnson by Wyndham, still commonly referred to as Howard Johnson's, is an American hotel brand with over 200 hotels in 15 countries. It was also formerly a Chain store, rest ...

, who brought the Hōjō into conflict against the

Satake clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. Its first power base was in Hitachi Province. The clan was subdued by Minamoto no Yoritomo in the late 12th century, but later entered Yoritomo's serv ...

Hitachi Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa Province, S ...

. The Satake was led by

Satake Yoshishige was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (military lord) of the Sengoku period. He was the 18th generation head of the Satake clan. He was renowned for his ferocity in battle; he was also known by the nickname of . Biography Yoshishige (whose rank was Hitac ...

, who was renowned for his ferocity in battle; and was also known by the nickname . Allied with the

Satomi clan The was a Japanese samurai clan of the Sengoku period (1467–1573) and early Edo period (1603–1868). The clan ruled Awa Province as a ''Sengoku daimyō'' and was a major military power in the Kantō region during the wars of the Nanboku-c ...

and

Utsunomiya clan is the capital and largest city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 513,584, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its ''gyoza'' ...

, Yoshishige resisted Hôjô expansion and fought against the

Later Hōjō clan The was one of the most powerful samurai families in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region. Their last name was simply , but were called "Later Hōjō" to differentiate between the earlier Hōjō clan who h ...

, who were extending their power into southern Hitachi."Satake-shi" on Harimaya.com
(accessed 15 August 2008) At Numajiri, 20,000 men under Yoshishige fought against 80,000 Hōjō troops. The Satake won, due in part to the use of over 8600

matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of flammable cord or twine that is in contact with the gunpowder through a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or Tri ...

guns by their troops.

References

Battles of the Sengoku period Hitachi Province 1567 in Japan Conflicts in 1567 Military history of Ibaraki Prefecture {{Japan-battle-stub