1582, The Death of Akechi MitsuhideAfter the successful Akechi lead coup against Nobunaga, Mitsuhide
1582, The Death of Akechi Mitsuhide
After the successful Akechi lead coup against Nobunaga, Mitsuhide claimed himself the new Shogun of Japan. He quickly moved to secure this position by reaching out to allies and the Emperor. However, Mitsuhide’s allies had already begun to separate themselves from him. Outreach to the Emperor was also half-hearted and did not ease a nervous Imperial Court. Nobunaga’s generals who were off fighting during the assassination began their return to deal with the usurper and secure their positions for the oncoming power struggle. As Nobunaga’s retainers closed in, Mitsuhide’s campaign for support quickly deteriorated causing his soldiers to leave by the thousands. He gravely miscalculated Nobunaga’s popularity as the entire country was turning against him.
After four days, Hashiba Hideyoshi, a devout Oda-retainer, caught up to the Akechi army. He managed to sway two other Oda retainers to his side, swelling his forces to 20,000 - twice that of the Akechi army. The two forces met at the Battle of Yamazaki. After just two hours of fighting, the Akechi army was completely routed. Mitsuhide fled the battle and retreated to the nearby village of Ogurusu. As he was fleeing, a bandit lept out from hiding and thrust his spear into him. Mitsuhide had been killed, his reign as Shogun lasting a paltry 13 days.
Though Hideyoshi had avenged Nobunaga’s death, the victory was short lived. All out war was apparent as this sudden power shift completely fractured any sense of stability in Japan. Leaders retreated to their strongholds to plan how best to secure power over the arising conflict.
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 00:31:58
