Battle of Hetsugigawa
Hetsugi River, Bungo Province (Ōita), Japan
What happened
Hideyoshi's advance force had been told to stay on the defensive, but it moved to relieve Toshimitsu Castle, which the Shimazu were besieging. A Shimazu decoy force drew part of the army across the river, and the main Shimazu army then attacked. The invaders pulled back across the river, and Motochika ordered a full retreat; his son Nobuchika died in the fighting.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a Shimazu victory, the last battle before Hideyoshi's main army arrived on Kyūshū. The Shimazu gained control of Bungo Province.
What came next
Hideyoshi and his half-brother Hidenaga then invaded Kyūshū with large armies and attacked Satsuma. The Shimazu surrendered without Kagoshima being attacked.
Did you know?
A marker at the battlefield, in present-day Ōita, remembers the young retainer Bekki Munetsune and his family.
Timeline
- 1585 CEŌtomo Sōrin asks Hideyoshi for help against the Shimazu.
- 20 January 1587Battle of Hetsugigawa.
- 6 June 1587Battle of Sendaigawa.
- 1587 CEThe Shimazu surrender.