Greatest Battles of the Samurai

Throughout history, many battles in Japan occurred. Here, Samurai warriors and warlords clashed for power and control. The Samurai dominated warfare in the country despite beginning as provincial warriors. Soon, they emerged and became part of Japan’s military caste.

Like other historical periods, the Japanese experienced important battles that molded their future. These have affected the spread of civilization, culture, and even religious beliefs.

The many battles in Japan allowed the introduction of weapons such as the famous Katana sword, tactics, as well as leaders. They would dominate and lead the future’s developments and conflicts. Yet some wars have not been influential for their direct results. Instead, these have become significant for their disinformation on public opinion.

With that, here are some of the most vital battles that have become known throughout Japan’s history.

Ichi No Tani

In the year 1184, the Taira clan resisted the increasing power of the Minamoto clan. The child emperor of the time was from the Taira, yet they were no match against the military power of their rivals.

That time, the general named Minamoto Yoshitsune led a daring attack on an island base of the Taira. His troops attacked the barriers on both sides. And at the same time, Yoshitsune’s band of Samurai attacked the rear. There, they attempted to cut off the escape route of the enemy.

Despite having the upper hand, the Taira were brave and calm throughout the battle of Ichi No Tani. They engaged in hand to hand combat with all their might and power. Many lost their lives during the battle, yet most of the Taira were able to escape with the emperor.

The Battle of Dan No Ura

On the 25th of April in 1185, Minamoto Yoshitsune’s fleet won over the Taira clan’s naval forces. It was a fight called the Battle of Dan No Ura along the Shimonoseki Straits. This body of water separates the south tip of Honshu and the north tip of Kyushu.

This battle was the climax to a series of skirmishes between the two clans. Genpei War was the name used to refer to these series of battles.

The next year, the Minamoto were successful in pinning down the Taira. This occurred in a fierce battle that took place along the Dan No Ura straits. The Minamoto had more ships in their fleet. In contrast, the Taira excelled in nautical prowess and naval tactics.

The battle lasted for half a day and it began with long-range arrow firing as ships attacked head-on. As both fleets met side to side, the enemies engaged in hand to hand battle while boarding the ships.

Unfortunately, the outnumbered Taira clan lost against the Minamoto. Together with the loss, the young emperor drowned as well. Most survivors killed themselves, engaging in the biggest mass suicide in Japanese history.

The Battles at Kawanakajima

All in all, there were five battles of Kawanakajima. The battles occurred between the Murakami & Nagao family of Echigo, and the Takeda of Kai.

Takeda Shingen led the Takeda clan while Uesugi Kenshin led the Murakami & Nagao clans. This battle in Japan started in 1553 when Takeda aimed to expand his domain.

The Battle of Kawanakajima took place in the year 1561. It was the biggest and bloodiest battle that happened on the plain. This time, the God of War brought 18,000 troops to attack the Kaizu Castle of Shingen. With that, the Tiger of Kai responded and rallied 20,000 men to face Kenshin.The battle between Kenshin and Shingen raged. Thus, both sides took a large number of casualties. Here, the Tiger of Kai lost 63% of his men while the God of War lost about 73%. Both camps withdrew since the entire battle resulted in a draw.

Another attempt ensued in 1564, where both armies met in defensive positions.  It was the final attempt which lasted for 60 days; then after, both sides withdrew.

Anegawa

In the year 1570, the warlord and Daimyo, Oda Nobunaga, started unifying Japan. One of the most significant victories of his was at Anegawa where he faced both the Asakura and Asai clans.

As Oda and his troops advanced from Kyoto, he threatened and exposed the Odani fortress. With that, both the Asakura and Asai had to face him in battle.

Fighting across the Anegawa River, Oda was able to achieve victory. And with those clans gone, he was able to move on to focus on unifying the rest of the country.

Battle of Nagashino, 1575

On the 28th of June in 1575, Oda led a force that consisted of 38,000 men. His and the Tokugawa troops attacked Katsuyori Takeda. He was responsible for the siege of Nagashino castle which Sadamasa Okudaira defended. Due to his skills and outstanding tactics, Oda won and altered the face of Japanese warfare.

When Portuguese traders introduced firearms to the country, Oda made use of its power. He decided to arm 3,000 of his Ashigaru with matchlocks, thus, led to the victory at Nagashino.

The Siege of Odawara, 1590

By the year 1590, only the Hojo held out against Toyotomi Hideyoshi. To finish the clan off, Hideyoshi advanced towards their fortress located in Odawara.

The Hojo knew that if the fortress fell, they would be completely defeated. Thus, called on their followers and troops to defend the area, where they gathered a total of 50,000 men.

Hideyoshi had over 200,000 men clogging the surroundings of the countryside. And considering that an assault would be futile and costly, aimed for another tactic.

Hideyoshi instead, chose to spend the time starving out the Hojo troops and followers. While waiting, his Samurai troops entertained themselves by growing vegetables in the area. They did this until the castle’s occupants surrendered.

Battle of Sekigahara

After the death of Hideyoshi, a power vacuum ensued but was soon resolved at Sekigahara in the year 1600.

The Battle at Sekigahara is the greatest battle in the entire Samurai history. It was also the battle that determined Japan’s fate for the next hundreds of years. This was a decisive battle fought in Sekigahara, a plain in Gifu prefecture’s western edge. It is also the crossroad between the west and the eastern part of Japan.

This was a battle between the east and west which somehow divided the country into two factions.  A total of 160,000 warriors battled against each other, and 30,000 Samurai died in 7 hours of fighting.

Battle of Tenno-Ji

The last field battle among the Samurai occurred outside the walls of Osaka. This was in the year 1615 when Tokugawa attempted to finish off his enemies.

To win the battle, trickery proved to be helpful. So here, Tokugawa joined the fight but was injured by a spear thrust. This did not slow him down, and at some point, Tokugawa and his troops emerged victorious.

Battle of Shiroyama

The Battle of Shiroyama in 1877 was the last stand among the Samurai under Saigo Takamori. It was when they battled against the Imperial Troops of the Japanese Army.

This battle commenced in Kagohima, Japan and was a part of the Satsuma Rebellion. Samurai warriors of the time were already defeated in the Siege of Kumamoto Castle. So those who survived and were loyal to Saigo Takamori escaped to Satsuma.

The battle culminated the destruction of Saigo Takamori and his army. It marked the end of the Satsuma Rebellion.