INTERACTIVE BATTLE
Battle of Yamazaki
2 July 1582 · Yamazaki and Mount Tenno, Yamashiro Province
Eleven days after the Honnoji Incident, Hashiba Hideyoshi returned from Bitchu and defeated Akechi Mitsuhide at Yamazaki. Mitsuhide’s regime collapsed after little more than ten days, and Hideyoshi rose above his peers in the Oda house.
Background
When Nobunaga was killed, Hideyoshi was besieging Takamatsu castle in Bitchu by flooding it. He made terms with the Mori at once and drove east along the Sanyo road. Mitsuhide held Omi but won neither Hosokawa Fujitaka nor Tsutsui Junkei, and his forces did not gather as he had hoped.
Outcome
The Akechi army broke. Mitsuhide fell back to Shoryuji castle and is said to have died at Ogurusu while making for Sakamoto. Sakamoto castle fell soon after and the Akechi house was destroyed.
Course of the battle
1 22 June
Hideyoshi learns of Nobunaga’s death at Bitchu Takamatsu
2 26 June
Back as far as Himeji castle
Leaving Bitchu, Hideyoshi’s army raced along the Sanyo road into Himeji. The forced march, known as the "great return from Chugoku", was meant to bring him back before Mitsuhide could secure the capital region.
Points of debate
The number of days and the distance covered each day vary between sources, and some hold that the account contains later exaggeration.
Reaches Himeji on the great return from Chugoku
Sources13·Certainty: Disputed
3 30 June
At Amagasaki he joins the lords of the home provinces
4 1 July
The armies face each other at Yamazaki
The two sides drew up at Yamazaki, in the narrows linking Settsu and Yamashiro. Hemmed between Mount Tenno and the Yodo river, the ground left even the larger army little room to deploy.
Faces Hideyoshi's army at Yamazaki
Sources13·Certainty: Medium
5 2 July
Fighting opens on Mount Tenno and the Enmyoji river
The battle began on the slopes of Mount Tenno and along the Enmyoji river. The vanguard under Nakagawa Kiyohide and Takayama Ukon pressed forward while Ikeda Tsuneoki crossed the river and struck the Akechi flank.
Points of debate
The account that the struggle for Mount Tenno decided the battle was shaped by later writers; some hold that the fighting on the hill was limited.
Presses the Mount Tenno sector as vanguard
Stands in the front line as vanguard
Crosses the Enmyoji river and strikes the flank
Sources13·Certainty: Disputed
6 2 July
The Akechi break and Mitsuhide falls back to Shoryuji castle
Unable to hold, the Akechi army collapsed and Mitsuhide escaped to Shoryuji castle. He left in the night making for Sakamoto and is said to have been killed at Ogurusu.
Points of debate
The place and manner of his death are heavily coloured by tradition, and the timing is also disputed.
Falls back to Shoryuji castle and dies at Ogurusu
Cannot hold the Akechi line and is routed
Sources13·Certainty: Traditional account
7 4 July
Sakamoto castle falls and the Akechi are destroyed
Akechi Hidemitsu held Sakamoto castle but could not hold out, and died there with the family. Mitsuhide’s regime ended little more than ten days after the Honnoji Incident.
Dies at Sakamoto castle with the family
Sources13·Certainty: Medium
Historical significance
Leadership of the Oda house passed to Hideyoshi. The name Tenno-zan still stands in Japanese for the moment that decides a contest.
Key figures
羽柴氏
5
Commander-in-chief of the Hideyoshi side
Turned back from Bitchu and destroyed Mitsuhide in eleven days.
Sources1·Certainty: High
Commander on the Hideyoshi side
Took the Mount Tenno sector. Later known as Toyotomi Hidenaga.
Sources1·Certainty: Medium
Adviser to Hideyoshi
Said to have had a hand in the terms with the Mori and in arranging the forced march back.
Sources1·Certainty: Medium
Vanguard of the Hideyoshi side
Stood in the front line as one of the lords of Settsu.
Sources1·Certainty: Medium
Vanguard of the Hideyoshi side
Stood in the front line as one of the lords of Settsu.
Sources1·Certainty: Medium
池田氏
1
Commander on the Hideyoshi side
Said to have crossed the Enmyoji river and struck the Akechi flank.
Sources1·Certainty: Medium
丹羽氏
1
Commander on the Hideyoshi side
Joined with Oda Nobutaka and formed the core of Hideyoshi's force.
Sources1·Certainty: Medium
織田氏
1
Figurehead of the Oda house
Set up as nominal commander of the army as Nobunaga's son.
Sources1·Certainty: Medium
明智氏
3
Commander-in-chief of the Akechi
Beaten, he fell back to Shoryuji castle and is said to have died on the way to Sakamoto.
Sources1·Certainty: High
Senior retainer of the Akechi
Led the core of the Akechi army, was beaten, and was later captured.
Sources1·Certainty: Medium
Akechi commander
Held Sakamoto castle to the last and died there with the family.
Sources1·Certainty: Medium
Other events of 1582
Notes on the data
Dates are given in the Western (Julian) calendar. The sources use the lunar calendar; 2 July here corresponds to the 13th day of the 6th month of Tensho 10. Points on the map are approximate positions of historic sites, meant to make the march legible.
Sources consulted
- Wikipedia「山崎の戦い」
- Wikipedia「本能寺の変」
- 城郭マスタ（shiro.geojson）
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.
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