The 1573 was undertaken by

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

, a powerful warlord (''daimyō'') of 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 ...

. It was one of several actions taken in a series of campaigns against the Asakura and Azai clans, which opposed his growing power. Ichijōdani Castle, the castle home of Asakura Yoshikage, was one of several lavishly furnished castles which can be said to typify the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Excavations and research at the ruins of the castle have revealed that, much like

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: ...

's castle at Fushimi, Ichijōdani was a luxury home with a library, garden, and elegantly decorated rooms.

Prelude

Nobunaga led an army of 30,000 soldiers, departing from

Gifu Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city. The castle is also known as . It was designated a National Historic Site in 2011. ...

to invade

Ōmi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...

. Nobunaga marched to Odani Castle to surrounding and besieged the castle, which was held by

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering ...

. In the mean time, Asakura Yoshikage, leading a 20,000 forces to relieve and reinforce the Azai garrison. However, Oda forces turn around and Yoshikage came under attack by Nobunaga's army, later he sought refuge in Hikida Castle, and came under siege at Hikida by Oda forces. Hikida castle fell on August 10, and Asakura fled back to his home province of Echizen.

Battle

Later in September 1573, Nobunaga marched to

Echizen Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga Province, Kaga, Wakasa Province, Wakasa, Hida Province, Hida, and Ōmi Provin ...

, he battled against Yoshikage at Tonezaka (Battle of Tonezaka), Yoshikage was defeated, and Saito Tatsuoki who become guest commander of Asakura, was also killed in this battle, at the age of 26.Soda 1991: 288–92. Nobunaga pursued Yoshikage and attacked the town of Ichijōdani, seizing control from the

Asakura clan The is a Japanese samurai kin group.Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Asakura", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 3 DF 7 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-5-4. ...

and burning it down. Yoshikage fled Ichijōdani castle with only his own troops, and upon the urging of Asakura Kageakira, headed for the Rokubō-kenshō monastery proposed by Kageakira as a temporary place to stay. However, Yoshikage was thoroughly surrounded by troops under Kageakira who betrayed him. As the attendants fought and died, Yoshikage killed himself.

Aftermath

After Yoshikage died, Asakura Kageakira then brought Yoshikage’s head, along with Yoshikage’s mother (Kōtokuin), wife and children as hostages, and surrendered to Nobunaga. Kageakira made efforts to negotiate with Oda for his lives and status, but the Oda army executed him. Later, Oda Nobunaga's forces returned to northern Ōmi and attacked Odani castle in October, 1573, devastating

and the Azai clan.

References

Sieges of the Sengoku period 1573 in Japan Conflicts in 1573 16th-century military history of Japan Last stands Attacks on castles in Japan History of Fukui Prefecture {{Japan-battle-stub

Prelude

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References