The siege of Fushimi was a crucial battle in the series leading up to the decisive

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

which ended Japan's

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

. Fushimi Castle was defended by a force loyal to

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

's Eastern army, led by

Torii Mototada was a Japanese samurai and daimyo of the Sengoku-through late-Azuchi–Momoyama periods, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Torii died at the siege of Fushimi, where his garrison was greatly outnumbered and destroyed by the army of Ishida Mitsunari. ...

. Knowing of his inevitable defeat, Torii's sacrifice diverted

Ishida Mitsunari was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...

's attention, and part of his Western army, away from his

Nakasendō The , also called the ,Richard Lane, ''Images from the Floating World'' (1978) Chartwell, Secaucus ; pg. 285 was one of the centrally administered Edo Five Routes, five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected the ''de facto'' ...

fortresses, which were attacked by Tokugawa during the siege of Fushimi. Ultimately, the castle fell, but served a crucial role in allowing for greater strategic victories by Tokugawa.

Background

Fushimi was originally built several years earlier, as a luxurious palace for

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

, but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1596. Tokugawa Ieyasu rebuilt it and placed it under the care of Torii Mototada. As war with Ishida approached, Tokugawa saw that this would be a prime target for his enemies, as it stood quite close to Kyoto and guarded many of the approaches to, and past, the city. Visiting the castle, he discussed his fears with Torii, who assured his lord that he would be willing to sacrifice himself, and the castle, for the greater strategic gain of his lord. It is said he even suggested reducing the garrison, in order to free up warriors who could serve better purposes in other locations; knowing the castle would fall anyway, he saw no need for the entire garrison to be sacrificed.

Siege

Ishida's army began their assault on 27 August, but made little progress for ten days. At one point, one of the towers was even lit on fire, but was soon put out by a member of the garrison, who lost his life in the process. Ultimately, a message was sent into the castle tied to an arrow, explaining that the besieging army had taken the wife and children of one of the defenders hostage, and would crucify them unless he betrayed his compatriots. Thus, on 8 September, one of the towers was set aflame from within the castle, and a number of Ishida's men broke through. Matsudaira Ietada was killed fighting against

.松平家忠
/ref> The central keep was then lit aflame, but

and his garrison continued to fight until all but ten had been killed.

Aftermath

Torii and his family then committed suicide, his selfless sacrifice coming to be known later as a great example of samurai loyalty and honor. The castle would be regained by Tokugawa soon afterwards, following his victory at Sekigahara. The wooden floors from Fushimi Castle were moved to a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple, Hōsen-in, also in Kyoto, where they were made into a ceiling. The bloodstained ceiling is still visible in the temple, and records from the period identify Torii's body/stains as well as those of his retainers.

References

* Turnbull, Stephen (1998). ''The Samurai Sourcebook''. London: Cassell & Co. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fushimi 1600 Sekigahara campaign Sieges of the Sengoku period Military history of Kyoto Attacks on castles in Japan 16th-century military history of Japan Residential building arson attacks in Japan

Background

Siege

Aftermath

See also

References