About the Retreat from Kanegasaki
The Retreat from Kanegasaki was fought in 1570 (28th day of the 4th month, Genki 1) at Tsuruga, Echizen Province. Nobunaga has invaded Echizen when his brother-in-law Azai Nagamasa turns against him. With the Asakura ahead and the Azai behind, Nobunaga escapes through the Kutsuki valley to Kyoto, while Hideyoshi and others hold Kanegasaki Castle as the rearguard.
- Year
- 157028th day of the 4th month, Genki 1
- Place
- Tsuruga, Echizen Province
- Era
- Sengoku / Azuchi–Momoyama
The two armies
Oda forces Commander-in-chiefOda Nobunaga 21,5006 units Troop strengthTotal of the units shown in 3D
Fought 21,500
Fought 21,000
Oda forcesBy troop strength
- Oda Nobunaga 織田信長 Commander-in-chief 10,000
- Ikeda Katsumasa 池田勝正 3,000
-
Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 3,000 -
Kinoshita Hideyoshi 木下秀吉 2,500 -
Akechi Mitsuhide 明智光秀 2,000 - Matsunaga Hisahide 松永久秀 1,000
Asakura–Azai forcesBy troop strength
- Asakura forces (pursuit) 朝倉勢(追撃) 10,000
-
Azai Nagamasa 浅井長政 Commander-in-chief 8,000 - Asakura Kagetsune 朝倉景恒 Commander-in-chief 1,500
- Asakura garrison of Tezutsuyama 天筒山城の朝倉勢 1,500
Portraits are public-domain images from Wikimedia Commons (some are later imagined depictions).
How the battle unfoldedTimes follow the 3D clock
- 20th day, 4th month, Genki 1Ch. 1
MarchInto Echizen
On the 20th day of the 4th month of Genki 1, Oda Nobunaga leaves Kyoto with an army said to number 30,000. The stated aim is to punish the Mutō of Wakasa, but the real target is Asakura Yoshikage of Echizen, who has refused his summons to the capital. With Tokugawa Ieyasu, Ikeda Katsumasa, Akechi Mitsuhide and Kinoshita Hideyoshi in his train, he passes through Wakasa and enters Tsuruga on the 25th.
- 25th day, 4th monthCh. 2
TezutsuyamaTezutsuyama and Kanegasaki Fall
On the 25th the Oda army storms Tezutsuyama Castle and takes it in a single day. On the 26th Asakura Kagetsune, holding neighboring Kanegasaki Castle, gives it up as well. With Tsuruga in hand, Nobunaga prepares to cross the Kinome Pass to the east and strike at the Asakura seat of Ichijōdani.
- 26th day, 4th monthCh. 3
BetrayalAzai Nagamasa Turns
Then comes news no one expected. Azai Nagamasa of northern Ōmi, married to Nobunaga's sister Oichi and bound to him by alliance, has taken the field on the side of the Asakura. The Asakura are ahead, the Azai in Ōmi behind: the Oda army is about to be caught in a vise. The story that Oichi warned her brother by sending a bag of beans tied at both ends is a later legend.
- 27th day, 4th monthCh. 4
WithdrawalNobunaga Withdraws
Nobunaga decides at once. With only a small escort he breaks camp and heads west toward Wakasa ahead of everyone else. Kinoshita Hideyoshi stays at Kanegasaki Castle as the rearguard (shingari) to cover the army withdrawing through enemy country. Recent research suggests that Ikeda Katsumasa and Akechi Mitsuhide also served in the rearguard.
- 28th day, 4th monthCh. 5
RearguardThe Rearguard Holds
At Kanegasaki the Asakura, having crossed the Kinome Pass, close on the withdrawing Oda. Hideyoshi and the rearguard hold off their pursuers with arquebus fire, fall back, hold again and fall back again, making their way west down the mountain road toward Wakasa. A story that Tokugawa Ieyasu joined the rearguard comes from later records.
- 29th day, 4th monthCh. 6
KutsukiThrough the Kutsuki Valley
From Kumagawa in Wakasa to the Kutsuki valley in Ōmi. Whether Kutsuki Mototsuna, lord of the valley, would let him pass decides Nobunaga's fate. Matsunaga Hisahide, riding with him, talks Mototsuna round, and the party passes through. On the night of the 30th Nobunaga is back in Kyoto, with only about ten men, by some accounts.
- 30th day, 4th monthCh. 7
KyotoBack to Kyoto Alive
The rearguard too reaches Kyoto without collapsing. The feat makes Hideyoshi's name known throughout the Oda house. Having escaped disaster, Nobunaga rebuilds his army, and just two months later, in the 6th month, he will face the combined Azai and Asakura at the Anegawa River in Ōmi.
FAQ
What was the Retreat from Kanegasaki?
Nobunaga has invaded Echizen when his brother-in-law Azai Nagamasa turns against him. With the Asakura ahead and the Azai behind, Nobunaga escapes through the Kutsuki valley to Kyoto, while Hideyoshi and others hold Kanegasaki Castle as the rearguard.
When and where did the Retreat from Kanegasaki take place?
It took place in 1570 at Tsuruga, Echizen Province (28th day of the 4th month, Genki 1).
Who fought in the Retreat from Kanegasaki?
Oda Nobunaga of the Oda forces, Asakura Kagetsune of the Asakura–Azai forces, Azai Nagamasa of the Asakura–Azai forces were among the commanders.
Can I watch the Retreat from Kanegasaki in 3D?
Yes. This page plays a free three-minute 3D animated overview showing the deployments, the movements of each army and how the battle was decided.