Starvation Sieges

If you read the Shincho-Ko ki often like I do, you will often see that Nobunaga isolated and starved his enemies into submission. It was a barbaric and effective tactic. David D. Neilson explains in his paper Society at War:

(p. 287) "Starvation sieges were one of Nobunaga's favored tactics and the grim scene that we encounter here is one that was played out many times in different locales. Was this sort of tactic cruel? Without question it was. But it was also a practical one that enabled an enemy to be reduced to the point of submission or utter defeat without wasting Nobunaga's most valuable resource, his soldier's lives, by sending them them against a hardened defensive fortification."

Neilson also does a great job explaining who was likely to be spared or killed.

(pp. 287-288) "Nobunaga's decisions regarding whether a garrison should be spared or put to the sword seem to have been primarily based on his personal perception of the enemy. If it was a former ally who had betrayed him like Araki or an enemy for whom he held great personal enmity like the Ikko Ikki, he was more likely to demand total extermination. A daimyo's vassals who were merely doing their jobs as loyal retainers were much more likely to be spared."

Tenka no tame!

Imagawa Structure Before Okehazama

I received Mikata ga hara no Tatakai by Owada Tetsuo last Friday and have to admit this book rocks. On page 55, Owada has a small chart with the Imagawa structure before Okehazama. Even though the chart is small and condensed, it does provide clues how Imagawa Yoshimoto had his vassals arranged. This drastically changed when Nobunaga defeated and killed Yoshimoto at the Battle of Okehazama in 1560.

Imagawa Family (Yoshimoto)

Gunshi Taigen Suufu (Sessai)

Elders: Asahina and Muira families

Katsurayama Castl/ Katsurayama Ujimoto
Yokoyama Castle/Okitsu Kiyofusa
Ihara Castle/Ihara Zaemon no Jo
Kakegawa Castle/Asahina Yasutomo
Takatenjin Castle/Ogasawara Ujioki
Futamata Castle/Matsui Munenobu
Inui Castle/Amano Kageyasu
Hikuma Castle /Ino Tsuratatsu
Ii no ya Castle/Ii Naomori
Utsuyama Castle/Asahina Zanetsugu
Noda Castle/Suganuma Sadamitsu
Yoshida Castle/Ito Motozane
Tahara Castle/Asahina Mototomo
Okazaki Castle/Matsudaira Motoyasu (Tokugawa Ieyasu)

Most notable are Matsui Munenobu and Ii Naomori since they were KIA at the Battle of Okehazama. One of the true survivors of the battle was Matsudaira Motoyasu who later became Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Nobunaga no tame!

Key Oda Warriors at Okehazama

When I was in Japan in July, Mr. Wataru Kajino showed me a book titled Okehazama/Anegawa no Eki. This book had all the key Oda/Imagawa warriors who participated the Battle of Okehazama. A great piece of work by Kuwata Tadachika and Yamaoka Shohachi. Here is the list of the key Oda warriors who took part in the battle. Again, nothing is perfect (181-182).

Oda Genba no Jo Nobuhira (KIA)
Ino Omi no Kami Sadamune (KIA)
Ino Oki no Kami Nobumune
Sakuma Daigaku Morishige (KIA)
Hattori Genba
Watanabe Daizo
Ota Sakon
Hayakawa Daizen
Mizuno Tatewaki Tadamitsu
Yamaguchi Ebi no Jo Moritaka
Tsuge Genba no Kami
Maki Yojuro
Maki Sojuro
Ban Juzaemon
Sakuma Nobutoki
Kajikawa Shichirouemon Takahide
Mizuno Shirouemon
Oda Sake no Jo Kiyomasa
Kawajiri Yohyoe Hidetaka
Yanada Dewa no Kami Masatsuna
Sassa Kura no Suke Narimasa
Iwamuro Nagato no Kami (page)
Hasegawa Hashisuke (page)
Sawaki Tohachi (page, Maeda Toshiie's younger brother)
Yamaguchi Hida no Kami (page)
Kato Yasaburo (page)
Kato Toshosuke Yorimori
Kuwabara Kanuchi
Takei Higo no Kami Sekian
Sassa Hayato no Kami Masatsugu (KIA)
Senshu Kaga no Kami Suetada (KIA)
Maeda Magoshiro Toshiie
Mouri Kawachi no Kami Hideyori
Mouri Shinsuke Hidetaka
Kinoshita Uta no Suke Katsunobu
Nakagawa Kinemon
Sakuma Yataro Moriaki
Mori Kosuke
Ajiki Yataro Sadamasa
Uozumi Hayato no Kami
Hayashi Sado no Kami Hidesada (Michikatsu)
Ikeda Shosaburo Tsuneoki
Shibata Gonroku Katsuie
Mori Sanzaemon Yoshinari
Chujo Koichiro
Toyama Kagetsune
Toyama Kawauchi no Kami
Hattori Koheita Tadatsugu
Shimokata Kurozaemon
Oda Yoichi Nagasada
Oda Yosaburo Munemasa
Shimokata Sadakiyo
Nakagawa Hachiuemon Shigemasa
Mizuno Kiyohisa
Ban Shigetomo
Kubo Hikobei Katsuchika
Yuasa Jinsuke Naomune
Kanematsu Matashiro Masayoshi
Kanamori Gorohachi Nagachika
Hachisuka Koroku (Masakatsu)
Azai Michitada (Mizuno Nobumoto's warrior)

I had to make some changes due errors in the book. That being said, it is a must have. The total list for Imagawa Yoshimoto's main army and Ieyasu's is very long. It also includes the Imagawa KIA as well (long list of KIA included). I should have both the Imagawa and Ieyasu's main armies translated by the end of the month. To tell you the truth, I wish I the list three years earlier. Again, many thanks to Akitsugu, Yukio, and Wataru Kajino for all their help.

Tenka no tame!