Chapter 79: Manji War Part I - A Clash of Titans and a Conflict of Attrition
Chapter 79: Manji War Part I - A Clash of Titans and a Conflict of Attrition
Throughout the 1650s, Sakuma Moritora had focused on integrating the Ainu and other indigenous tribes in southern Karafuto and expanding Japanese presence in the area. The increasingly profitable fur trade expanded as a result of Japan’s expansion into the far north and fur trappers and traders began to venture further beyond to northern Karafuto and the Amur region, where they increasingly came into contact with the Jurchens in the Amur khanate and recent Russian arrivals from Okhotsk. Moritora and Japan overall were fated to engage with the two groups in the future, and indeed the rumblings of confrontation on the mainland could begin to be felt. However, for the time being, Japan remained uninvolved in these relations and Moritora’s focus in 1659 was to the south in his capacity as Chinjufu shogun. In early November 1659, his army of 30,000 entered Echigo province, consisting of the retinues of the various Oshu lords, chiefly among them being his and that of the Date, Mogami, and Nanbu clans. Accompanying him personally as part of his guard and strikeforce were 1,000 Ainu mercenaries from Ezo and Karafuto who were armed with harpoons and firearms and acted as melee shock troopers complementing the regular samurai infantry and cavalry, musketeers, and cannons.
He quickly approached Shibata Castle where Oda Nagaaki was located with a few thousand men. The young lord sent messengers to his father, who was gathering a large army near the Echigo-Etchu border in anticipation of Moritora’s arrival. Upon receiving news from his son, Tomoaki departed to confront the Tiger of the North, now commanding an army of 22,000 which included 4,000 of his elite French-influenced line infantry. By the time he arrived, Nagaaki had been forced out of Shibata Castle by Moritora and joined his father’s moving army. Tomoaki strived forward and moved towards the northern army, which was still in the area consolidating their victory. Moritora quickly received word, however, and prepared for battle. Leaving a few hundred men in Shibata Castle, he arranged into battle formation on the plains of Ijimino (五十公野). He placed himself on the frontlines of the right wing on the battlefield along with his Ainu mercenaries and handpicked samurai mounted warriors, while his younger brother Torahide oversaw the main body of musketeers and yari ashigaru in the middle along with the reserves. Mogami Yoshisato led his and those from minor clans behind the Chinjufu shogun while the new Date lord Tsugumune’s (伊達嗣宗) older brother, Tamura Muneyoshi (田村宗良) led the left wing. Tomoaki’s arrival soon followed, and the rebel Oda lord quickly arranged his forces across from Moritora’s position. He chose to place all of his cavalry on the wings except for a few hundred reserves of his close retainers in the center, the right and left being led by Sassa Katsuoki (佐々勝興), the younger brother of Sassa clan head Sassa Katsutoyo, and Sanada Yukitoshi respectively. Tomoaki, in the center himself, placed his elite infantry at the very front, supported by artillery, yari ashigaru, and swordsmen.
He quickly approached Shibata Castle where Oda Nagaaki was located with a few thousand men. The young lord sent messengers to his father, who was gathering a large army near the Echigo-Etchu border in anticipation of Moritora’s arrival. Upon receiving news from his son, Tomoaki departed to confront the Tiger of the North, now commanding an army of 22,000 which included 4,000 of his elite French-influenced line infantry. By the time he arrived, Nagaaki had been forced out of Shibata Castle by Moritora and joined his father’s moving army. Tomoaki strived forward and moved towards the northern army, which was still in the area consolidating their victory. Moritora quickly received word, however, and prepared for battle. Leaving a few hundred men in Shibata Castle, he arranged into battle formation on the plains of Ijimino (五十公野). He placed himself on the frontlines of the right wing on the battlefield along with his Ainu mercenaries and handpicked samurai mounted warriors, while his younger brother Torahide oversaw the main body of musketeers and yari ashigaru in the middle along with the reserves. Mogami Yoshisato led his and those from minor clans behind the Chinjufu shogun while the new Date lord Tsugumune’s (伊達嗣宗) older brother, Tamura Muneyoshi (田村宗良) led the left wing. Tomoaki’s arrival soon followed, and the rebel Oda lord quickly arranged his forces across from Moritora’s position. He chose to place all of his cavalry on the wings except for a few hundred reserves of his close retainers in the center, the right and left being led by Sassa Katsuoki (佐々勝興), the younger brother of Sassa clan head Sassa Katsutoyo, and Sanada Yukitoshi respectively. Tomoaki, in the center himself, placed his elite infantry at the very front, supported by artillery, yari ashigaru, and swordsmen.
Salmon= Tomoaki rebel army, Blue= Moritora Chinjufu-Azuchi army
The battle began in the late morning when Moritora gave the signal and initiated a headstrong charge, with the rest of his army soon following his lead. Tomoaki’s wings followed while strategically Tomoaki slowly approached the enemy’s center, stopping thrice in case they needed to brace for impact in a sign of brilliant discipline from his men before readying their gunfire. At his signal, the Chinjufu army’s center was showered with cannonfire and musketballs unlike anything seen in Japan and the former began to suffer big losses. Things were not as impressive for the rebels elsewhere, however, for on their right the Date and Sassa fought viciously to a standstill, both clans known for their martial prowess. Meanwhile, Sakuma Moritora and the Chinjufu right wing was busy overrunning the rebel left wing, made up of Tomoaki’s men from the Nagao clan and Shinano province. It was here that the Ainu mercenaries proved their metal, tackling samurai off their horses and spearing the enemy with their harpoons. After Sanada Yukitoshi was killed, the rebel left wing broke into a panicked retreat, Moritora now turning to the suddenly vulnerable center. Seeing the precarious situation he was now in, Tomoaki quickly gathered his reserves and turned to meet Moritora. At the same time, he ordered the artillery in the center to be rotated to the left to support his efforts. Tomoaki’s swift actions enabled an effective counter against Moritora’s flanking charge although the latter would still begin to push back the former. Feeling the pressure on all sides, Tomoaki decided to withdraw while he could, although he was forced to abandon much of his cannons to the enemy. Ultimately, the battle would end with Tomoaki’s army suffering 7,000 casualties while Moritora’s army suffered 3,000.
The Battle of Ijimino (五十公野の戦い) resulted in a pro-Azuchi victory as Tomoaki would be forced to retreat further south. Nevertheless, Moritora had experienced his toughest battle yet fought and the perseverance of the rebels allowed them to retain their unity and fight another day, preventing the rebellion from collapsing. This allowed the more favorable conditions in other theaters to play out and induce a stalemate for the rest of the year while giving the rebellion time to grow even further. The Sassa and Mori clans shielded Echigo from the west and south. Meanwhile, Shibata Katsuoki’s army in Kaga province was left in a precarious position, unable to pass through Etchu province while strangled of reinforcements from the Kinki region due to the rise of arms by the Ikeda, Kudō, and Tokugawa clans. Konoe Toshishige and his government was also preoccupied with conducting espionage across different daimyo households, the imperial court, and even the Church of Yamato. Azuchi also focused on building up the defenses of Owari and Gifu provinces against an expected Tokugawa offensive. The early months of 1660, however, did see more movement in central and western Japan. Western shogun Kitabatake Takanaga deployed his men against the Kudō in Iga province. Meanwhile, Toshishige ordered an army to be directed against the Ikeda in Settsu province and the Azuchi navy, led by naval shogun Kuki Takasue, to blockade the province. Miyoshi Yasunori also began to march upon Tosa province and the pro-Tomoaki Chosokabe clan under the authority of the kōbu kanpaku. These movements would set up months of protracted fighting and attrition as well as extended sieges.
Things would pick up in the north and east once again when spring arrived. The Tokugawa, led by the lord Noriyasu himself and numbering 15,000, entered Owari province with the objective of capturing Gifu and cutting off the entire east from Azuchi as well as the main communication line between the regime and Shibata Katsuoki’s army. Noriyasu also hoped that Oda samurai with sympathies for Tomoaki would rise up and join his force. However, this last assumption would be proven wrong in his attempt at capturing Kiyosu Castle. The entire populace, regardless of how they felt about the kōbu kanpaku, viewed the Tokugawa siege as an attack upon the Oda clan and its head Manchiyo himself and rallied to the defense of the castle, and yet another engagement would become bogged down amidst a siege. As for Echigo, the beating heart of the rebellion, Sakuma Moritora’s men had made small gains throughout the winter. Realizing that winning a field battle against the Chinjufu general was next to impossible, Tomoaki switched tactics and began engaging in guerrilla warfare in the mountainous forests of Echigo. The early spring did see a major battle between Shibata Katsuoki and Sassa Katsutoyo near the village of Shirakawa (白河村) in Hida province, which resulted in a Shibata, pro-Azuchi victory.
Modern day Kiyosu Castle, a rallying cry for the people and samurai of Owari in 1660
In April 1660, the war had descended into a series of sieges and attrition-heavy conflict rather than the decisive maneuvers and battles that defined the Furuwatari War more significantly. This in turn benefited the prospects of the government, for although Tomoaki’s rebel faction were putting up a fierce resistance, most of Japan nominally still followed the leadership of Konoe Toshishige and his regency over the Oda clan and Manchiyo as well as the imperial court and it looked likely that numbers would eventually triumph. However, Japan was just a month away from two incidents that would change everything, and one of them would be triggered by an old enemy that had been eyeing the situation for months: Spain.
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