The was part of the decisive Kōzuke-Musashi Campaign

Kozuke-Musashi Campaign

The Kōzuke-Musashi campaign was a rapid and direct assault during the Japanese Genkō War by Nitta Yoshisada that led up to the Siege of Kamakura in 1333. It consisted of a number of battles over a brief period...

 during the Genkō War

Genko War

The —also known as the —was a civil war in Japan which marked the fall of the Kamakura shogunate and end of the power of the Hōjō clan. The war thus preceded the Nanboku-chō period and the rise of the Ashikaga shogunate...

 in Japan that ultimately ended the Kamakura Shogunate

Kamakura shogunate

The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...

. Fought in present day Tokorozawa on May 11, 1333, it pitted the anti-shogunate imperial forces led by Nitta Yoshisada

Nitta Yoshisada

was the head of the Nitta family in the early fourteenth century, and supported the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in the Nanboku-chō period, capturing Kamakura from the Hōjō clan in 1333....

 against the forces of the Hōjō

Hojo clan

See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...

 Shogun. The next day (May 12), the forces again engaged each other in the Battle of Kumegawa

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 at the foot of the Hachikokuyama ridge on May 12, 1333, it pitted the anti-shogunate imperial forces led by Nitta Yoshisada...

. The result of these two days was a victory for the Imperial forces who in less than one week marched 50 kilometers south and finally defeated the Shogun's forces during the Siege of Kamakura

Siege of Kamakura (1333)

The 1333 siege of Kamakura was a battle of the Genkō War, and marked the end of the power of the Hōjō clan, which had dominated the regency of the Kamakura shogunate for over a century...

.

The battle

On May 11, opposing forces were drawn up on opposite sides of the Iruma River. In the morning of the May 11, the Imperial forces crossed the river and opened their attack with an archery barrage. The Shogunate forces responded in kind. This was followed by both sides sending in their mounted warriors in multiple waves throughout the day.

Results

The results were indecisive with both forces drawing away at the day's end to set up camp and rest. The losses on both sides appear to be modest with a slight advantage to the Imperial forces. It was apparent to both sides that the battle would continue the next day. The Imperial forces camped by the Iruma River and forces of the Shogun some 5 kilometers away at the Kume River.

Aftermath

The Battle of Kotesashi was immediately followed on the next day by the Battle of Kumegawa

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 at the foot of the Hachikokuyama ridge on May 12, 1333, it pitted the anti-shogunate imperial forces led by Nitta Yoshisada...

.