Battle of Okehazama
Part of the Sengoku period
The grave of Yoshimoto Imagawa, in Nagoya, near the site of the battle.
Date May-June, 1560 Location Dengaku-hazama, Owari Province Result Oda victory, Imagawa Yoshimoto killed
Combatants
forces of Imagawa Yoshimoto	forces of Oda Nobunaga
Commanders
Imagawa Yoshimoto, Matsudaira Motoyasu	Oda Nobunaga
Strength
~25,000	~3000

The battle of Okehazama (桶狭間の戦い Okehazama-no-tatakai) took place in June 1560. In this battle, Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and established himself as one of the front-running warlords in the Sengoku period. “Sengoku” redirects here. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 286 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川 義元 1519-1560) was one of leading Shugo daimyo (war lord) in Tokaido region, Japan. ... Nagoya ) is the fourth largest city in Japan. ... Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ... See also: Iwakura Oda - alternate Oda clan The Oda clan crest The Oda clan (織田家) was a family of Japanese daimyo dating back to roughly the 14th century, who were to become an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. ... Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川義元, 1519-June 12, 1560) was one of the leading daimyo (feudal lords) in early Sengoku period Japan. ... Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川義元, 1519-June 12, 1560) was one of the leading daimyo (feudal lords) in early Sengoku period Japan. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu The Tokugawa clan crest This is a Japanese name; the family name is Tokugawa Tokugawa Ieyasu (previously spelled Iyeyasu) January 31, 1543 – June 1, 1616) was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... 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Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川義元, 1519-June 12, 1560) was one of the leading daimyo (feudal lords) in early Sengoku period Japan. ... “Sengoku” redirects here. ...

Background

In May or June 1560, Imagawa Yoshimoto, with an army of perhaps 25,000 men, set forth on a march to Kyoto. Entering the Oda territories in Owari province, he first took the border fortresses of Washizu and Marune before setting up camp in a wooded gorge known as Dengaku-hazama. This was all reported to Oda Nobunaga by his scouts, who then led his own force into position at a temple called Zenshōji, a short distance away, on the other side of the Tōkaidō. This page is about the city Kyoto. ... The Siege of Marune occurred in 1560 in Japan. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Nissaka, the 25th station on the Tōkaidō, as illustrated by the Ukiyo-e master Hiroshige. ...

Had Nobunaga decided on a frontal assault, the battle would have been deceptively easy to predict; his army was outnumbered ten to one by the Imagawa forces. A frontal assault would be suicidal, and an attempt to hold out at Zenshōji would only last a few days. Thus, Nobunaga decided to launch a surprise attack on the Imagawa camp.

The battle

Nobunaga left a small force at the temple with a preponderance of banners, to give the illusion of a much larger force, attracting his enemies' attention and distracting them from the force, 3000 strong, which was moving towards them on a circuitous route through the wooded hills. Nobori (幟), literally meaning banner, had a more specific meaning on the battlefields of feudal Japan. ...

The Imagawa army did not expect an attack, and were particularly not alert as a result of the incredible heat; in fact, they were celebrating their recent victories with song, dance, and sake. The chance they would detect the approaching Oda forces was further hindered by the sudden downpour and thunderstorm which arrived as their attackers were making their final movements towards the camp on 12 June. Sake barrels at Itsukushima Shrine. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

When the storm passed, Nobunaga's men poured into the camp from the north, and the Imagawa warriors, taken completely unaware, fled in every direction. This left their commander's tent undefended, and the Oda warriors closed in further. Imagawa Yoshimoto, unaware of what had transpired, heard the noise and emerged from his tent shouting at his men to quit their drunken revelry and return to their posts. By the time he realized, moments later, that the samurai before him were not his own, it was far too late. He deflected one samurai's spear thrust, but was beheaded by another.

Aftermath

With their leader dead, and all but two of the senior officers also killed, the remaining Imagawa officers defected to other forces. In a short while, the Imagawa faction was destroyed. The victory by Nobunaga was hailed as miraculous, and this proved to be his first step to his goal of unification. One of the officers who would betray the Imagawa was Matsudaira Motoyasu (later to be known as Tokugawa Ieyasu) from Mikawa province, along with Honda Tadakatsu. Motoyasu formed his own force in Mikawa, and would later become an ally of Oda Nobunaga, and the last of the great unifiers. Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu The Tokugawa clan crest This is a Japanese name; the family name is Tokugawa Tokugawa Ieyasu (previously spelled Iyeyasu) January 31, 1543 – June 1, 1616) was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until... Mikawa (三河国, Mikawa no kuni) is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. ... Honda Tadakatsu (本多忠勝, 1548 – December 3, 1610), also called Honda Heihachirō (本多平八郎), was a general in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu. ...

List of notable samurai in the battle

Oda side

• Oda Nobunaga
• Shibata Katsuie
• Hattori Kazutada
• Mori Yoshikatsu
• Kinoshita Tokichiro

This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This is a Japanese name; the family name is Toyotomi Toyotomi Hideyoshi ) February 2, 1536 or March 26, 1537 – September 18, 1598) was a sengoku daimyo who unified Japan. ...

Imagawa side

• Imagawa Yoshimoto
• Asahina Yasutomo
• Matsudaira Motoyasu
• Ii Naomori
• Honda Tadakatsu

Imagawa Yoshimoto (今川義元, 1519-June 12, 1560) was one of the leading daimyo (feudal lords) in early Sengoku period Japan. ... Asahina Yasutomo (朝比奈 泰朝, 1538 - ????) Yasutomo was an officer under the Imagawa clan. ... Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu The Tokugawa clan crest This is a Japanese name; the family name is Tokugawa Tokugawa Ieyasu (previously spelled Iyeyasu) January 31, 1543 – June 1, 1616) was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until... Ii Naomori (1506–1560) was a warrior who died at the Battle of Okehazama trying to protect his lord, Yoshimoto Imagawa. ... Honda Tadakatsu (本多忠勝, 1548 – December 3, 1610), also called Honda Heihachirō (本多平八郎), was a general in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu. ...

References

• Turnbull, Stephen (1987). 'Battles of the Samurai'. London: Arms and Armour Press.