Siege of Hasedo
Encyclopedia
The siege of Hasedō was one of a series of battles fought in the far north of Japan's main island of Honshū
(the Tōhoku region
) contemporaneous with the famous and decisive campaigns between Tokugawa Ieyasu
and Ishida Mitsunari
further south. Over the course of the year 1600, Naoe Kanetsugu
, a general loyal to Ishida Mitsunari, would lead a campaign in Tōhoku, which included the siege of Hasedō castle, near Yamagata
, which was his ultimate goal. Hasedō was held by Shimura Takaharu, and backed by a Tokugawa-loyal army of the Date clan.
Three thousand of Naoe's men moved towards Yamagata from the north while Naoe began his siege on Hasedō. Having received reinforcements of 100 horsemen and 200 arquebus
iers, he laid siege to Hasedō for fourteen days before an army under Date Masakage arrived to relieve the castle. Upon the arrival of the Date forces, Naoe stepped up his siege, and the vanguard under Kasuga Mototada actually reached the walls of the castle before they retreated before arquebus fire. The garrison then sallied forth and attacked the retreating vanguard in the rear, leading to the near-complete retreat of Naoe's forces.
A small besieging force remained, and fighting continued, in which Naoe's general Kamiizumi Yasutsuna was killed. Shortly afterwards, however, news arrived of Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory at Sekigahara, and so Naoe called a full withdrawal of all his forces back to Yonezawa
, putting an end to his campaigns in the north.
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
(the Tōhoku region
Tohoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
) contemporaneous with the famous and decisive campaigns between Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
and Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...
further south. Over the course of the year 1600, Naoe Kanetsugu
Naoe Kanetsugu
was a Japanese samurai of the 16th-17th centuries. The eldest son of Higuchi Kanetoyo, Kanetsugu was famed for his service to two generations of the Uesugi daimyo. He was also known by his court title, Yamashiro no Kami or his childhood/adolescent name, Higuchi Kanetsugu .Kanetsugu served first as...
, a general loyal to Ishida Mitsunari, would lead a campaign in Tōhoku, which included the siege of Hasedō castle, near Yamagata
Yamagata, Yamagata
is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture in Japan.As of July 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 253,951 with 97,457 households and a population density of 665.94 persons per km². The total area is 381.34 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1889.-Culture:The , one of Tōhoku's...
, which was his ultimate goal. Hasedō was held by Shimura Takaharu, and backed by a Tokugawa-loyal army of the Date clan.
Three thousand of Naoe's men moved towards Yamagata from the north while Naoe began his siege on Hasedō. Having received reinforcements of 100 horsemen and 200 arquebus
Arquebus
The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
iers, he laid siege to Hasedō for fourteen days before an army under Date Masakage arrived to relieve the castle. Upon the arrival of the Date forces, Naoe stepped up his siege, and the vanguard under Kasuga Mototada actually reached the walls of the castle before they retreated before arquebus fire. The garrison then sallied forth and attacked the retreating vanguard in the rear, leading to the near-complete retreat of Naoe's forces.
A small besieging force remained, and fighting continued, in which Naoe's general Kamiizumi Yasutsuna was killed. Shortly afterwards, however, news arrived of Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory at Sekigahara, and so Naoe called a full withdrawal of all his forces back to Yonezawa
Yonezawa, Yamagata
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 91,704 and the population density of 167 persons per square kilometer...
, putting an end to his campaigns in the north.