Battle of Yamazaki
Yamazaki, near Kyoto, Japan
What happened
Hashiba Hideyoshi, a general of the warlord Oda Nobunaga, fought Akechi Mitsuhide. Thirteen days earlier, Akechi Mitsuhide had turned on his lord, Oda Nobunaga, at the Honnō-ji temple in Kyoto, and Nobunaga died there. Hideyoshi rushed back and seized the wooded Mount Tennōzan above the battlefield. When the armies met across the Enmyōji River, Mitsuhide's army broke, and he fell while fleeing.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Hideyoshi avenged Nobunaga and took over much of his power. He began bringing Nobunaga's lands under his own control.
What came next
Hideyoshi soon gave Tokugawa Ieyasu permission to campaign in Kai and Shinano provinces. Mitsuhide's short rule gave Japan the phrase mikkatenka, meaning a very short reign.
Did you know?
The battle is also called the Battle of Mount Tennō, after the hill that Hideyoshi's men captured.
Timeline
- 21 June 1582Honnō-ji Incident: Nobunaga dies.
- 2 July 1582Battle of Yamazaki.
- 7 July 1582Hideyoshi writes to Tokugawa Ieyasu.