About the Battles of Kizugawaguchi
The Battles of Kizugawaguchi was fought in 1576 (7th month of Tenshō 4 and 11th month of Tenshō 6) at Mouth of the Kizu River, Settsu Province. A great Mōri fleet runs supplies to Ishiyama Hongan-ji. Burned out by fire bombs, the Oda navy takes its revenge two years later with Kuki Yoshitaka's fireproof great ships. Two sea battles in 3D.
- Year
- 15767th month of Tenshō 4 and 11th month of Tenshō 6
- Place
- Mouth of the Kizu River, Settsu Province
- Era
- Sengoku / Azuchi–Momoyama
The two armies
Troop strengthTotal of the units shown in 3D
Fought 7,500Did not fight 6,000
Main camp 10,000Fought 13,000
Oda sideBy troop strength
- Sakuma Nobumori (siege of Hongan-ji) 佐久間信盛(本願寺の包囲) Did not fight 6,000
- Oda navy (Manabe Shichigohei) 織田水軍(真鍋七五三兵衛) 3,000
- Kuki Yoshitaka (great ships) 九鬼嘉隆(大船) Commander-in-chief 3,000
-
Great ship of Takigawa Kazumasu 滝川一益の大船 1,500
Mōri–Hongan-ji sideBy troop strength
- Ishiyama Hongan-ji (Kennyo) 石山本願寺(顕如) Commander-in-chief 10,000
- Mōri navy (600 ships) 毛利水軍(六百艘) 6,000
- Murakami pirates 村上水軍 4,000
-
Kobayakawa Takakage 毛利・小早川水軍(兵糧船) 3,000
Portraits are public-domain images from Wikimedia Commons (some are later imagined depictions).
How the battle unfoldedTimes follow the 3D clock
- Summer, Tenshō 4Ch. 1
SiegeIshiyama Hongan-ji Besieged
Ishiyama Hongan-ji, head temple of the Ikkō (Jōdo Shinshū) sect, had been fighting Oda Nobunaga since 1570 under its abbot Kennyo. In 1576 Nobunaga ringed the temple with forts and set out to cut off supplies from Osaka Bay as well. To save the besieged temple, Mōri Terumoto of the western provinces decided to send provisions by sea.
- 13th day, 7th month, Tenshō 4Ch. 2
First battleFire Bombs
On the 13th day of the 7th month of Tenshō 4, the Mōri fleet, loaded with provisions, appears at the mouth of the Kizu River: 700 or 800 ships by various accounts, built around the Murakami pirates. The Oda navy that meets them has some 300. The Mōri side hurls hōroku-hiya, earthenware fire bombs packed with gunpowder, one after another, and burns the Oda ships.
- 13th day, 7th month, Tenshō 4Ch. 3
SuppliesProvisions Reach the Temple
The Oda navy is destroyed, and its commander Manabe Shichigohei is killed. The Mōri ships sail up the Kizu River, unload the provisions for Hongan-ji, and withdraw at their leisure. The sea blockade is broken, and the temple's resistance goes on.
- 6th month, Tenshō 6Ch. 4
Great shipsBuild Ships That Will Not Burn
Nobunaga orders Kuki Yoshitaka, leader of the Shima navy, to build great ships that cannot be burned. Six are built in Ise. Tradition calls them tekkōsen, "ironclad ships," though how far they were sheathed in iron is debated. In the 6th month of Tenshō 6 the great ships sail around from Ise, scatter the boats of the Saika off Tannowa in Kii, and enter Osaka Bay.
- 7th monthCh. 5
Second battleGreat Ships and Great Guns
On the 6th day of the 11th month of Tenshō 6, the Mōri side attacks the mouth of the Kizu River again, with a fleet said to number 600. Kuki's great ships lie in wait, firing the large guns (ōzutsu) and arquebuses mounted on board and picking off the flagships as they close. The fire bombs no longer work as they once did against such huge ships.
- 6th day, 11th monthCh. 6
BlockadeThe Sea Road Closed
The Mōri fleet is beaten and falls back to the west. The mouth of the Kizu River is once again held by the Oda great ships, and the temple's supply line from the sea is cut. Around the same time Araki Murashige of Settsu rebels against Nobunaga, and the fighting goes on, but Hongan-ji is slowly being cornered.
- Intercalary 3rd month, Tenshō 8Ch. 7
DepartureHongan-ji Leaves Osaka
In the intercalary 3rd month of Tenshō 8, Kennyo accepts the court's mediation and makes peace with Nobunaga, and in the 4th month he moves to Saginomori in Kii. The ten-year Ishiyama War is over. On this very ground, Toyotomi Hideyoshi will later build Osaka Castle.
FAQ
What was the Battles of Kizugawaguchi?
A great Mōri fleet runs supplies to Ishiyama Hongan-ji. Burned out by fire bombs, the Oda navy takes its revenge two years later with Kuki Yoshitaka's fireproof great ships. Two sea battles in 3D.
When and where did the Battles of Kizugawaguchi take place?
It took place in 1576 at Mouth of the Kizu River, Settsu Province (7th month of Tenshō 4 and 11th month of Tenshō 6).
Who fought in the Battles of Kizugawaguchi?
Kuki Yoshitaka (great ships) of the Oda side, Ishiyama Hongan-ji (Kennyo) of the Mōri–Hongan-ji side were among the commanders.
Can I watch the Battles of Kizugawaguchi 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.