About the Battle of Sekigahara
The Battle of Sekigahara was fought in 1600 (October 21, Keichō 5) at Sekigahara, Mino Province. The decisive clash between the Eastern and Western Armies that settled the fate of Japan, and one of the largest battles in Japanese history.
- Year
- 1600 (October 21, Keichō 5)
- Place
- Sekigahara, Mino Province
- Era
- Azuchi–Momoyama period
How the battle unfolded
- Dawn Daybreak in the Mist
Before dawn on the 15th day of the 9th month, Keichō 5. The Sekigahara basin lay under a thick mist. The Western Army, some 80,000 strong, and the Eastern Army, about 75,000, had finished deploying. The battle that would decide the realm waited only for first light.
- Clash The Battle Begins
Around eight in the morning the mist lifted. Ii Naomasa and Matsudaira Tadayoshi broke ranks and opened the fighting. Fukushima Masanori hurled his men at the Ukita contingent, while Kuroda Nagamasa and Hosokawa Tadaoki stormed the Ishida position on Mount Sasao.
- Melee Back and Forth
Shima Sakon fought ferociously, and the Ukita and Fukushima contingents were locked in a death struggle. The battle was evenly matched. Mitsunari lit signal fires to call for a general assault, but the Mōri army on Mount Nangū, its road blocked by Kikkawa Hiroie, never moved.
- Volley Ieyasu's Gamble: The Warning Volley
Shortly before noon Ieyasu moved his headquarters from Mount Momokubari to Jinbano, close behind the front line. Then he had his arquebusiers fire on Mount Matsuo, where Kobayakawa Hideaki still hesitated over which side to join. It became known as the "warning volley."
- Turn Kobayakawa Hideaki Turns
Fifteen thousand Kobayakawa troops poured down Mount Matsuo and fell on the camp of Ōtani Yoshitsugu. The four contingents of Wakisaka, Kutsuki, Ogawa and Akaza followed. Despite a desperate defence the Ōtani contingent was annihilated, and Yoshitsugu took his own life.
- Rout The Western Army Collapses
The Konishi and Ukita contingents broke one after another. With its support gone, the Ishida main force on Mount Sasao gave way, and Mitsunari fled into the mountains of Ibuki.
- Escape Shimazu's Breakout
Shimazu Yoshihiro was left stranded amid the enemy with barely a thousand men. He charged straight into the enemy's centre, brushed past Ieyasu's headquarters and broke out onto the Ise Road, finding life in the midst of death. The battle that decided the realm was over in half a day.
Generals and units
- Western Army Ishida Mitsunari
- Western Army Shimazu Yoshihiro
- Western Army Konishi Yukinaga
- Western Army Ukita Hideie
- Western Army Ōtani Yoshitsugu
- Western Army Kobayakawa Hideaki
- Western Army Wakisaka Yasuharu & three others
- Western Army Mōri Hidemoto
- Western Army Chōsokabe Morichika
- Eastern Army Tokugawa Ieyasu Commander-in-chief
- Eastern Army Fukushima Masanori
- Eastern Army Ii Naomasa & Matsudaira Tadayoshi
- Eastern Army Kuroda Nagamasa
- Eastern Army Hosokawa Tadaoki
- Eastern Army Tanaka Yoshimasa
- Eastern Army Tōdō Takatora & Kyōgoku Takatomo
- Eastern Army Honda Tadakatsu
FAQ
- What was the Battle of Sekigahara?
- The decisive clash between the Eastern and Western Armies that settled the fate of Japan, and one of the largest battles in Japanese history.
- When and where did the Battle of Sekigahara take place?
- It took place in 1600 at Sekigahara, Mino Province (October 21, Keichō 5).
- Who fought in the Battle of Sekigahara?
- Tokugawa Ieyasu of the Eastern Army were among the commanders.
- Can I watch the Battle of Sekigahara 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.