Battle of Okehazama
Dengaku-hazama, Toyoake, Owari Province, Japan
What happened
Oda Nobunaga, a young lord of Owari Province, fought the much larger army of Imagawa Yoshimoto, which included Matsudaira Motoyasu, later known as Tokugawa Ieyasu. Imagawa Yoshimoto marched toward Kyoto with a large army and overran the forts on Oda Nobunaga's border. Nobunaga set up many flags and banners to make his small force look bigger. During a thunderstorm his soldiers struck the heart of the Imagawa camp, where many soldiers had taken off their armour in the heat, and Yoshimoto was lost in the fighting.
Why it matters
Result: Oda clan victory Survival of the Oda clan. Leaders: Imagawa Yoshimoto / Matsui Munenobu against Oda Nobunaga / Sakuma Nobumori. Why it matters: The victory made Nobunaga famous and began his rise to power. He became the first of the three 'Great Unifiers' who brought Japan together after a long period of civil war.
What came next
The Imagawa clan grew weak and was later destroyed by its neighbours. In 1561 Matsudaira Motoyasu, the future Tokugawa Ieyasu, became Nobunaga's ally.
Did you know?
Matsudaira Motoyasu, who was in the Imagawa army, later became Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Timeline
- 1534 CEOda Nobunaga is born.
- 12 June 1560 CENobunaga defeats Imagawa Yoshimoto at Okehazama.
- 1561 CENobunaga allies with Matsudaira Motoyasu (Tokugawa Ieyasu).
- 1575 CEOda and Tokugawa forces defeat the Takeda at Nagashino.
- 1582 CENobunaga dies.