Battle of Nagashino

I know I've been on a bit of a Takeda/Nagashino binge here lately. Hopefully this will be the post that gets everything out of my system.

I've already discussed the battle in my Takeda Katsuyori post earlier, and the specifics of the battle are pretty well known. So there's no need to delve into the actual battle itself. I will explain it briefly, however.

The Battle of Nagashino took place in June of 1575, and it started with the siege of Nagashino castle by Takeda Katsuyori. The castle was held by Okudaira Sadamasa, a former "iffy" supporter of the Takeda. Sadamasa called for support from Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga, who were both eager to assist.

The decimation of the famed Takeda cavalry by an insurmountable force of arquebus behind a solid defense of barricades is now something that is a part of Japanese legend.

Recent scholarship has suggested that while firearms did play a pivotal role in the defeat of the Takeda, their numbers may have been greatly exaggerated. Most older sources cite that the Oda used no less than 3,000 arquebus troops at the battle. Recent studies suggest that the number may have been at the most 1,000. Thomas Conlan uses recent excavations of the battlefield to establish the theory that there may have been as few as half that number.

One thing that can't be argued about the battle is the amount of shear devastation that it caused upon the Takeda clan. Perhaps no other battle in Japanese history can account for more field commander casualties than Nagashino.

Of the 97 named Samurai that Takeda Katsuyori took with him into the battle, 54 were killed. Some of these casualties were very important men with illustrious warrior careers. A few of the men that were killed are as follows:

Baba Nobufusa - One of my personal favorite historical figures. Nobufusa was one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals and was renowned for his wisdom and intelligence. He was often consulted by Shingen himself during many of his battles.

Yamagata Masakage - Masakage was another one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals. He was one of the fiercest commanders in the Takeda army, and was perhaps the eldest of the men fighting at Nagashino.

Hara Masatane - Yet another one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals. He was killed while attacking in the vanguard of the Takeda lines at Nagashino.

Takeda Nobuzane - Nobuzane was the younger brother of Takeda Shingen and Katsuyori's uncle. He was in charge of Tobigasu, a position in the rear of the Takeda army during Nagashino. It was here that he was killed by Sakai Tadatsugu's raid.

Tsuchiya Masatsugu - Masatsugu was one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals. (Surprise!) He also led a charge against the Oda barricades and was cut down by the ashigaru teppo units summarily.

Naito Masatoyo - Guess what? You got it! Masatoyo was one of Takeda Shingen's 24 Generals. He was a very reliable warrior who fought in many battles throughout his career for the Takeda. Of course, culminating with Nagashino.

Sanada Nobutsuna - Another one of the 24. Nobutsuna played a critical role in the capture of Toishi castle from the Murakami early on in his career. His is probably more famous in history for being the uncle of Sanada Yukimura.

Sanada Masateru - The brother of Nobutsuna, Masateru was one of the more experienced generals at Nagashino for either side.

Saigusa Moritomo - Moritomo was one of Takeda Shingen's 24 generals. He aided Takeda Nobuzane in his position at Tobigasu. He was killed alongside Nobuzane during the raid on their position.

Yonekura Shigetsugu - Shigetsugu served Amari Haruyoshi for the Takeda and was killed while attacking the Oda barricades.

Mochizuki Nobumasa - Nobumasa was the Son of Takeda Nobushige. He was shot down and beheaded by an ashigaru during the Takeda attack.

If you're into strategy, here's an interesting take on Nagashino for you: