About the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima
The Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima was fought in 1561 (10th day of the 9th month, Eiroku 4) at Kawanakajima, Shinano Province. Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, destined rivals, collide on the misty plain of Hachimanbara: the bloodiest fight of the Sengoku age and the source of the legendary single combat.
- Year
- 1561 (10th day of the 9th month, Eiroku 4)
- Place
- Kawanakajima, Shinano Province
- Era
- Sengoku period
How the battle unfolded
- Night The Woodpecker Moves
The hour of the ox, the 10th day of the 9th month, Eiroku 4. Following Yamamoto Kansuke's "woodpecker" plan, a detached force of 12,000 leaves Kaizu Castle and heads through the dark for Mount Saijo. But Kenshin, on the summit, has read the Takeda's intentions from the unusual number of cooking fires rising from the castle.
- River Kenshin Comes Down the Mountain
Before the Takeda night attack can arrive, Kenshin brings his entire army of 13,000 down from Mount Saijo. They cross silently at the Amenomiya ford and move into the mist of Kawanakajima. "Whips hushed, they cross the river by night."
- Mist Hachimanbara in the Mist
Daybreak. The Takeda main force of 8,000, deployed on Hachimanbara, waits for the Uesugi to come fleeing down from the mountain. When at last the mist lifts, what appears before Shingen is the whole Uesugi army, fully deployed in perfect order.
- Wheel The Wheel Formation Attacks
The Uesugi attack in waves with the "wheel" formation. The Takeda crane's-wing formation buckles; Shingen's brother Takeda Nobushige and the elder Morozumi Torasada are killed one after the other. Yamamoto Kansuke, taking responsibility, charges into the enemy and dies a heroic death.
- Duel Shingen and Kenshin, Face to Face
In the chaos a lone rider, his head wrapped in white cloth, cuts his way into Shingen's headquarters. Three strokes of the sword from the saddle, parried with a war fan: the legendary moment when the two heroes met in single combat.
- Pincer The Detached Force Arrives
The summit of Mount Saijo is empty. Realising they have struck at nothing, the 12,000 of the detached force race down the mountain, force the Chikuma River and fall on the Uesugi flank and rear. Caught in a pincer, the battle swings sharply to the Takeda.
- Retreat Kawanakajima Dyed in Blood
Kenshin crosses the Sai River and withdraws his army to Zenkō-ji. The fight, said to have gone to the Uesugi in the morning and the Takeda in the afternoon, left some 7,000 dead and wounded on both sides. The fiercest day in Sengoku history drew to a close.
Generals and units
- Uesugi forces Uesugi Kenshin Commander-in-chief
- Uesugi forces Kakizaki Kageie
- Uesugi forces Murakami Yoshikiyo
- Uesugi forces Irobe Katsunaga
- Uesugi forces Amakasu Kagemochi
- Takeda forces Takeda Shingen Commander-in-chief
- Takeda forces Takeda Nobushige
- Takeda forces Morozumi Torasada
- Takeda forces Yamamoto Kansuke
- Takeda forces Obu Toramasa
- Takeda forces Anayama Nobutada
- Takeda forces Kōsaka Masanobu (detached force)
- Takeda forces Baba Nobuharu (detached force)
FAQ
- What was the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima?
- Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, destined rivals, collide on the misty plain of Hachimanbara: the bloodiest fight of the Sengoku age and the source of the legendary single combat.
- When and where did the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima take place?
- It took place in 1561 at Kawanakajima, Shinano Province (10th day of the 9th month, Eiroku 4).
- Who fought in the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima?
- Uesugi Kenshin of the Uesugi forces, Takeda Shingen of the Takeda forces were among the commanders.
- Can I watch the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima 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.