Ieyasu Post Okehazama

Besides Nobunaga's great victory over the Fox of Suruga (Imagawa Yoshimoto) at the Battle of Okehazama 1560, there was one more important event that happened as well. Ieyasu's freedom. Without Nobunaga's victory, I do not think there would have been a Tokugawa dynasty.

With the peace treaty between the Oda and Tokugawa done in 1562, an alliance that lasted twenty years, a rarity in the Sengoku Era. This was very important. Without the alliance, Nobunaga would have never conquered Mino or made his presence known in Kyoto in 1568. Ieyasu would have never had the chance to clean up Mikawa either. He still would have been in the service of the Imagawa.

Here are some facts about the alliance. Nobunaga was the senior partner, no doubt about it.
Jeroen Lamers, Japonius Tyrannus, page 49 has most of the answers.

• Ieyasu was not a direct vassal of Nobunaga.
• He was on independently on par with Nobunaga's captains, but did not have to listen to them.
• However, he did take orders directly from Nobunaga.

One occasion where Ieyasu was the commander-in-chief (Battle of Mikatagahara 1572) and he paid the price dearly! He was routed by the Takeda and it was almost a death sentence. After the defeat, Ieyasu realized he needed Nobunaga's help to defeat the Takeda.

Nobunaga and Ieyasu did team up together in 1570 to score a victory over the Azai/Asakura at the Battle of Anegawa in 1570.


Tenka no tame!