Komaki Castle I

There was an article on Komaki Castle by the Asahi Shinbun on the recent archaeological work being done there.
http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASG2V4K9ZG2VOBJB005.html?iref=comtop_list_nat_t

The evidence is slowly proving that Komaki Castle was a dry run for Azuchi Castle.  Nobunaga's stay at Komaki Castle (1563-1567) was short since Komaki was the launching pad for Mino.

Earlier post on Komaki Castle:

http://otsuke.blogspot.com/2013/09/komaki-castle.html

Nobunaga no tame!

Iguiba

This place near the Battle of Muraki landmark is called Iguiba.  This is the area where Nobunaga's soldiers celebrated their big victory at the Battle of Muraki 1554.  I was fortunate enough to visit Iguiba last fall with Mr. Okehazama (Wataru Kajino) and Yukio and Akitsugu Kajino.  This was an important victory over the Imagawa since six years later would be the Battle of Okehazama.

I wrote a post on the complete description of the Battle of Muraki 1554 last year. http://otsuke.blogspot.com/2013/02/muraki.html

http://otsuke.blogspot.com/2013/03/muraki-ii.html

Tenka no tame!

Anegawa KIA

During my last trip back to Japan last fall, I finally received the Battle of Anegawa 1570 KIA list from the Kajino family.  It is a gold mine of beautiful information.  Kuwata Tadachika and Yamaoka Sohachi's Okehazama*Anegawa no Eki published in 1965 has the list who was killed on the Azai/Asakura side.  (Kuwata/Yamaoka, pp. 315-316)

AZAI

Imamura Kanmon no Suke
Hayasaki Kichibyoe
Horie Sama no Suke
Tomita Saipachi
Kosaka Gosuke
Kosaka Tataro
Kosaka Jizaemon
Kano Jirozaemon
Kano Jirobyoe
Kawage Sanzaemon
Nakatsumachi Kanhachiro
Azai Uta no Suke
Azai Itsuki
Anyoji Kanhachiro
Anyoji Hikorokuro
Yuge Rokurozaemon
Endo Kiemon Naotsune
Mitamura Shozaemon

ASAKURA

Uozumi Bingo no Kami
Kurozaka Bichu no kami
Maeba Shinhachiro
Maeba Shintaro
Magara Jurozaemon Naotaka
Magara Juro Naomoto
Kobayashi Hashuken

The Battle of Anegawa has two other different names due to the location where the armies fought.  The Tokugawa/Asakura was known as Mitamura Kassen.  As for the Oda/Azai, it was known as Nomura Kassen.  Also here is a link in Japanese on the Battle of Anegawa: http://www.asahi.com/travel/kosenjo/TKY200907080193.html

Side note:  A very young Todo Takatora made his first baptism of fire for the Azai at the Battle of Anegawa.

Nobunaga no tame!

Okehazama tactics

I found the perfect quote to sum up the Battle of Okehazama 1560 by the USMC in Warfighting 1989.

"Surprise is paralysis, if only partial and temporary, of the enemy's ability to resist.  The advantage gained by the surprise depends on the degree of surprise and the enemy's ability to adjust and recover."

Nobunaga's surprise attack was executed so well that Yoshimoto's army never had the ability nor the time to adjust and recover.  For more information on warfare in general, please visit this link: http://www.armchairgeneral.com

Tenka no tame!

Kenichi Yamamoto

Novelist Kenichi Yamamoto unexpectedly passed away earlier this month at the age of 57.
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2014/02/272064.html

He wrote Sengoku novels such as Katen no Shiro, Rikyu ni Tazureyo, and Raijin no Tsutsu.  Katen no Shiro and the Rikyu novels later became motion pictures.  I have Katen no Shiro and Raijin no Tsutsu since they deal with Nobunaga.  Katen no Shiro deals with the construction of Azuchi Castle, while Raijin no Tsutsu deals with Nobunaga's gun instructor Hashimoto Ippa.

The news is truly heartbreaking since Mr. Yamamoto was on his game of late.  His books made Nobunaga/Sengoku history more interesting and lively.  His work will be missed.

Nobunaga no tame!

Yamamoto Kanzo

Today I found something that caught my attention.  It appears that Yamamoto Kansuke, Takeda Shingen's tactician had a son by the name of Yamamoto Kanzo Nobutomo.  Yamamoto Kanzo was born in 1556 at Takane in Yamanishi Prefecture.  He was killed in action at age of around twenty at the Battle of Nagashino 1575.  He fought Watanabe Moritsuna, a retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and lost his life.

http://www.zephyr.dti.ne.jp/~bushi/siseki/yamamoto-kanzou.htm

I had the chance to visit the Nagashino battlefield last year, but time was not on my side.  I was able to visit the main battlefield and the museum which I highly recommend.  I would love to spend more time roaming around the battlefield since you can get a taste of what Nobunaga and his gunners did on that historic day.

Tenka no tame!

Joubodaiin

While reading Kicho&Nobunaga by Rumi Komonz, something caught my attention that needs to be discussed.  Believe or not, there is a very high possibility that Nohime lodged together with Nobunaga at Joubodaiin Temple in 1568.  Why is this important?  Ota Gyuichi's Shincho-Ko-ki has nothing on Nohime rooming with Nobunaga on October 27th, 1568.  It just states that Nobunaga spent the night at Joubodaiin.  However, according to the Akechi Chronicle, Nohime was with Nobunaga on October 27th.  Did Gyuichi purposely omit Nohime because she was a woman or did not think it was important to him?  She was with Nobunaga at Jobodaiin in my opinion and it needs more explanation from historians and scholars alike.

Kicho&Nobunaga (Komonz p. 86)

"Only six days after the re-establishment of the Ashikaga Shogunate, Kicho and Nobunaga left Kyoto to return to Gifu.  On October 27th, they lodged Joubodaiin Temple together.
They were served vegetarian meals at the Buddhist temple.  They had ripened persimmons for supper.  It was Kicho's favorite."

One has to remember that Nobunaga loved persimmons as well.

Nobunaga no tame!