About the Siege of Odawara
The Siege of Odawara was fought in 1590 (Tenshō 18) at Odawara, Sagami Province. Punishing the seizure of Nagurumi Castle, Hideyoshi surrounds the Hōjō stronghold of Odawara by land and sea with more than 200,000 troops. After the fall of Yamanaka Castle, the "One-Night Castle" of Ishigakiyama and the loss of their outlying castles, the Hōjō surrender, and Hideyoshi's unification of the realm is all but complete.
- Year
- 1590Tenshō 18
- Place
- Odawara, Sagami Province
- Era
- Azuchi–Momoyama period
The two armies
Toyotomi forces Commander-in-chiefToyotomi Hideyoshi 173,50010 units 
Hōjō forces Commander-in-chiefHōjō Ujinao 54,0005 units Troop strengthTotal of the units shown in 3D
Fought 173,500
Main camp 15,000Fought 24,000Did not fight 15,000
Toyotomi forcesBy troop strength
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣秀吉 Commander-in-chief 40,000
-
Oda Nobukatsu 織田信雄 40,000 -
Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 30,000 -
Toyotomi Hidetsugu 豊臣秀次 20,000 -
Maeda Toshiie 前田利家 18,000 -
Uesugi Kagekatsu 上杉景勝 10,000 - Toyotomi Navy 豊臣水軍 10,000
-
Chōsokabe Motochika 長宗我部元親 2,500 -
Kuroda Yoshitaka (Kanbei) 黒田官兵衛 2,000 -
Date Masamune 伊達政宗 1,000
Hōjō forcesBy troop strength
- Sōgamae Defenders 総構えの守り 20,000
- Hōjō Ujinao 北条氏直 Commander-in-chief 15,000
-
Hōjō Ujimasa 北条氏政 Did not fight 10,000 - Hōjō Ujiteru 北条氏照 Did not fight 5,000
- Matsuda Yasunaga 松田康長 4,000
Portraits are public-domain images from Wikimedia Commons (some are later imagined depictions).
How the battle unfoldedTimes follow the 3D clock
- Winter, Tenshō 17Ch. 1
WarThe Nagurumi Affair
Tenshō 17. A Hōjō retainer seizes Nagurumi Castle from the Sanada, defying Hideyoshi's ban on private wars between lords. Hideyoshi condemns it, declares war on the Hōjō, and the following spring marches on the Kantō with more than 200,000 troops.
- 3rd month, Tenshō 18Ch. 2
HakoneYamanaka Falls in Half a Day
On the 29th day of the 3rd month a great army under Toyotomi Hidetsugu storms Yamanaka Castle in the Hakone mountains. The Hōjō had made it the keystone of their Hakone defences, but before overwhelming numbers it falls in barely half a day. Its commander, Matsuda Yasunaga, dies with his castle.
- 4th monthCh. 3
SiegeOdawara Surrounded
In the 4th month the great Toyotomi army surrounds Odawara Castle. Inside the sōgamae, the moat and earthen rampart that ring the whole castle town, some 50,000 Hōjō troops hold out. With 200,000 men on land and the fleets of Kuki Yoshitaka and others filling the sea, Odawara is cut off from the outside world.
- 5th monthCh. 4
CampA Capital in the Siege Lines
Hideyoshi does not storm the castle but settles in to wait. He summons tea masters and merchants, even his consort Yodo-dono, until the siege camp becomes a town in its own right. In the 6th month Date Masamune of Ōshū is said to have come before Hideyoshi dressed in the white robes of a man prepared to die.
- 6th monthCh. 5
FortsThe Outlying Castles Fall
Meanwhile the forces of Maeda Toshiie, Uesugi Kagekatsu and others are taking the Hōjō castles of the Kantō one after another. Hachigata Castle surrenders, and Hachiōji Castle falls after fierce fighting. Ishida Mitsunari lays siege to Oshi Castle by flooding it. Inside Odawara, the debate over fighting or yielding never reaches a decision: the proverbial "Odawara deliberation."
- 26th day of the 6th monthCh. 6
CastleThe One-Night Castle
On Mount Kasakake, looking down on Odawara, a stone-walled castle has been built behind a screen of trees. On the 26th day of the 6th month Hideyoshi moves his headquarters there and the trees are cut away, so that a castle seemed to have appeared overnight: the "One-Night Castle" of Ishigakiyama. The Hōjō commanders and men lose heart.
- 7th monthCh. 7
YieldThe End of Five Generations
On the 5th day of the 7th month Hōjō Ujinao offers his own life in exchange for the lives of his garrison, and opens the gates. On the 11th his father Ujimasa and his uncle Ujiteru take their own lives. The Hōjō, who had ruled the Kantō for a hundred years, are no more, and Ieyasu is to move to the Kantō in their place. Hideyoshi's unification of the realm was at hand.
In Ultra detailBattle Pass
The same scene in the standard quality and in Ultra detail. Drag the line to compare, and switch between "Wide" and "Close-up". Ultra detail adds rugged mountains, forests and rocks in 3D, rippling seas and rivers, rows in the fields and soldiers as figures. Chapter 1 of every battle can be watched in Ultra detail without the Battle Pass.
FAQ
What was the Siege of Odawara?
Punishing the seizure of Nagurumi Castle, Hideyoshi surrounds the Hōjō stronghold of Odawara by land and sea with more than 200,000 troops. After the fall of Yamanaka Castle, the "One-Night Castle" of Ishigakiyama and the loss of their outlying castles, the Hōjō surrender, and Hideyoshi's unification of the realm is all but complete.
When and where did the Siege of Odawara take place?
It took place in 1590 at Odawara, Sagami Province (Tenshō 18).
Who fought in the Siege of Odawara?
Toyotomi Hideyoshi of the Toyotomi forces, Hōjō Ujinao of the Hōjō forces were among the commanders.
Can I watch the Siege of Odawara 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.