INTERACTIVE BATTLE

Komaki and Nagakute Campaign

March to November 1584 · Komaki and Nagakute, Owari Province

Hashiba Hideyoshi fought Oda Nobukatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu in Owari. While the armies sat facing each other at Komakiyama and Gakuden, a Hashiba column swung towards Mikawa and was destroyed at Nagakute. Ieyasu won the field; Hideyoshi won the settlement by making a separate peace with Nobukatsu.

Background

Having removed Shibata Katsuie at Shizugatake, Hideyoshi met resistance from Oda Nobukatsu, who claimed his father’s inheritance. Nobukatsu executed three senior retainers who had leaned towards Hideyoshi, bringing the quarrel into the open, and joined with Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Outcome

Ikeda Tsuneoki and Mori Nagayoshi fell at Nagakute and the Hashiba column was broken, but Hideyoshi widened the war into Ise and made a separate peace with Nobukatsu in November. Ieyasu, left without a cause, withdrew.

Komaki and Nagakute Campaign — Komaki and Nagakute, Owari Province

Course of the battle

1 17 March 1584

Oda Nobukatsu executes three senior retainers

At Nagashima castle Nobukatsu put three senior retainers to death for dealing with Hideyoshi. The break with Hideyoshi had gone past mending, and Nobukatsu turned to Tokugawa Ieyasu for help.

織田信雄

Executes three senior retainers at Nagashima castle

Sources1234·Certainty: High

2 March 1584

Ikeda Tsuneoki seizes Inuyama castle

Tsuneoki, siding with the Hashiba, struck Inuyama castle and took it. A key position on the Kiso river passed into Hashiba hands.

池田恒興

Seizes Inuyama castle

森長可

Beaten by Sakai's force at Haguro

酒井忠次

Beats Mori's force at Haguro

Sources1234·Certainty: Medium

3 28 March 1584

Mori Nagayoshi is beaten at Haguro

Sakai Tadatsugu and others waited at Haguro for Mori Nagayoshi’s force coming south from Inuyama castle and broke it. After losing the opening clash the Hashiba side held back from a frontal attack on Komakiyama, and the campaign settled into the standoff at Gakuden.

徳川家康

Sets his headquarters on Komakiyama

Sources12356·Certainty: Medium

4 March 1584

Ieyasu occupies Komakiyama

Ieyasu came into Owari in support of Nobukatsu and set his headquarters on Komakiyama, once Nobunaga’s own castle. He raised earthworks and settled in.

羽柴秀吉

Sets his headquarters at Gakuden

Sources1234·Certainty: Medium

5 March 1584

Hideyoshi encamps at Gakuden and the standoff sets in

Hideyoshi placed his headquarters at Gakuden castle, and the two armies faced each other behind ditches and earthworks. Even with the numbers, the Hashiba had no way to break through from the front.

池田恒興

Sets out on the march into Mikawa

Sources1234·Certainty: Medium

6 April 1584

A Hashiba column swings towards Mikawa

To break the deadlock, Ikeda Tsuneoki, Mori Nagayoshi and Hashiba Hidetsugu set out to strike Ieyasu’s home province of Mikawa. Time spent attacking Iwasaki castle on the way had the effect of announcing the move to Ieyasu.

Points of debate

Who proposed the flanking march, and how far Hideyoshi knew of it, are read in different ways.

徳川家康

Falls on the flanking column from behind

池田恒興

Killed at Nagakute

森長可

Killed at Nagakute

井伊直政

Takes part in the battle of Nagakute

榊原康政

Takes part in the battle of Nagakute

Sources1234·Certainty: Disputed

7 April 1584

The Hashiba column is destroyed at Nagakute

Alerted, Ieyasu left Komakiyama and fell on the column from behind. Ikeda Tsuneoki and Mori Nagayoshi were killed on the field at Nagakute and the column was broken.

羽柴秀吉

Makes a separate peace with Nobukatsu

織田信雄

Makes peace with Hideyoshi

Sources12378·Certainty: High

8 November 1584

Hideyoshi makes peace with Nobukatsu

Hideyoshi widened the war into Ise, pressed Nobukatsu hard, and made peace with him without reference to Ieyasu. Left without a cause, Ieyasu withdrew. The side that had won the field gave way in the settlement.

Sources1234·Certainty: Medium

Historical significance

Ieyasu became one of the few lords to beat Hideyoshi in the field, yet Hideyoshi prevailed in policy. From the following year Ieyasu moved towards submission.

Key figures

羽柴氏

1

羽柴秀吉

Commander-in-chief of the Hashiba

Held his headquarters at Gakuden through the standoff and ended the campaign by making a separate peace with Nobukatsu.

Sources9·Certainty: High

池田氏

1

池田恒興

Hashiba commander

Took Inuyama castle, joined the march into Mikawa, and was killed at Nagakute.

Sources9·Certainty: High

森氏

1

森長可

Hashiba commander

Beaten at Haguro and shot dead at Nagakute. Son-in-law of Ikeda Tsuneoki.

Sources9·Certainty: Medium

織田氏

1

織田信雄

Oda lord siding with the Tokugawa

Brought the quarrel into the open by executing his senior retainers, and in the end made a separate peace with Hideyoshi.

Sources9·Certainty: High

徳川氏

4

徳川家康

Commander-in-chief of the Tokugawa

Set his headquarters on Komakiyama and destroyed the Hashiba flanking column at Nagakute.

Sources9·Certainty: High


酒井忠次

Tokugawa commander

Said to have beaten Mori Nagayoshi's force at Haguro.

Sources9·Certainty: Medium


榊原康政

Tokugawa commander

Took part in the battle of Nagakute.

Sources9·Certainty: Medium


井伊直政

Tokugawa commander

Took part in the battle of Nagakute.

Sources9·Certainty: Medium

Notes on the data

Dates are given in the Western calendar. The year 1584 falls after the Gregorian reform, but the sources use the lunar calendar and only one conversion could be fixed: the 6th day of the 3rd month of Tensho 12 equals 17 March 1584. Other phases are given to the month only.

Sources consulted

  1. 小牧市「小牧・長久手の合戦」
  2. 長久手市「長久手古戦場物語」
  3. 長久手市「小牧・長久手の戦い 石作神社」
  4. 城郭マスタ(shiro.geojson)
  5. 犬山市「犬山市文化財保存活用地域計画 第2章 文化財の概要」
  6. 愛知県「あいち歴史観光 羽黒城」
  7. 長久手市「史跡案内について」「古戦場公園再整備事業」
  8. 愛知県「あいち歴史観光 小牧・長久手の戦い」(国指定史跡 長久手古戦場)
  9. Wikipedia「小牧・長久手の戦い」

The numbers in the text refer to the list above. Certainty indicates how far a statement is supported by the cited sources; it does not refer to the precision of the coordinates or the dating.

View the 1584 map
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