When and where did the Battle of Shizugatake take place?

It took place in 1583 at Shizugatake, Ōmi Province (21st day of the 4th month, Tenshō 11).

Who fought in the Battle of Shizugatake?

Hashiba Hideyoshi of the Hashiba forces, Shibata Katsuie of the Shibata forces were among the commanders.

Can I watch the Battle of Shizugatake 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.

The Battle of Shizugatake in 3D

About the Battle of Shizugatake

The Battle of Shizugatake was fought in 1583 (21st day of the 4th month, Tenshō 11) at Shizugatake, Ōmi Province. An all-night forced march from Mino, the pursuit by the Seven Spears, and Maeda Toshiie's withdrawal. The decisive battle north of Lake Biwa that chose Nobunaga's successor.

Year: 1583 (21st day of the 4th month, Tenshō 11)
Place: Shizugatake, Ōmi Province
Era: Azuchi–Momoyama period

How the battle unfolded

Raid Mount Ōiwa Falls
Morning, the 20th day of the 4th month, Tenshō 11. With the succession to the dead Nobunaga at stake, Shibata Katsuie's nephew Sakuma Morimasa makes a deep thrust and storms the fort on Mount Ōiwa. Its commander Nakagawa Kiyohide fights hard but is killed.
Too Far Morimasa Will Not Withdraw
Drunk on success, Morimasa ignores Katsuie's repeated orders to pull back at once. The 12,000 of the detached force sit tight in the captured fort. This overconfidence will bring on one of the greatest reversals of the Sengoku age.
March The Great Return from Mino
Receiving the news at Ōgaki, Hideyoshi cries, "We have won!" Fifty-two kilometres in five hours: ordering the villages along the road to light torches and cook rice, 15,000 men race up the Hokkoku Road through the night. The Great Return from Mino.
Dawn Daybreak at Kinomoto
Before dawn on the 21st, Hideyoshi's army reaches Kinomoto. At this impossibly swift return, Morimasa at last begins to withdraw. But nothing is more fragile than an army in retreat.
Pursuit The Pursuit at Shizugatake
"Run them down, men!" Hideyoshi's young warriors, raised in his own household, swarm after the retreating Morimasa contingent. Fukushima Masanori, Katō Kiyomasa: the debut of the men later celebrated as the Seven Spears of Shizugatake. Shibata Katsumasa, coming to the rescue, is also killed.
Exit The Maeda Leave the Field
Maeda Toshiie, deployed on Mount Shigeyama, suddenly withdraws his troops. Caught between his old friend Hideyoshi and his overlord Katsuie, Toshiie chooses not to fight. With its flank gone, the fate of the Shibata army is sealed at that moment.
Fall To Kitanoshō
The Shibata army breaks completely, and Katsuie flees to Kitanoshō in Echizen with a handful of retainers. Three days later the castle burns, and Katsuie dies by his own hand together with Oichi. Hideyoshi's mastery of Japan is, in effect, decided here.

Generals and units

Hashiba forces Hashiba Hideyoshi Commander-in-chief
Hashiba forces Seven Spears of Shizugatake
Hashiba forces Niwa Nagahide
Hashiba forces Nakagawa Kiyohide
Hashiba forces Takayama Ukon
Shibata forces Shibata Katsuie Commander-in-chief
Shibata forces Sakuma Morimasa
Shibata forces Shibata Katsumasa
Shibata forces Maeda Toshiie

FAQ

What was the Battle of Shizugatake?: An all-night forced march from Mino, the pursuit by the Seven Spears, and Maeda Toshiie's withdrawal. The decisive battle north of Lake Biwa that chose Nobunaga's successor.
When and where did the Battle of Shizugatake take place?: It took place in 1583 at Shizugatake, Ōmi Province (21st day of the 4th month, Tenshō 11).
Who fought in the Battle of Shizugatake?: Hashiba Hideyoshi of the Hashiba forces, Shibata Katsuie of the Shibata forces were among the commanders.
Can I watch the Battle of Shizugatake 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.