Oda Nobuhide's victory over Imagawa Yoshimoto at Azukizaka helped secure Oda influence in Mikawa and shaped conditions for Nobunaga's later rise.
Key Facts
- Date
- 10th month of 1542 (trad. September 29)
- Victor
- Oda Nobuhide
- Defeated commander
- Imagawa Yoshimoto
- Location
- Azukizaka, southeast of Okazaki castle
- Notable unit
- Seven Spears of Azukizaka (credited with victory)
- Imagawa vanguard leader
- Yuhara of Suruga, defeated by Kawajiri Hidetaka
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Oda Nobuhide's forces moved into western Mikawa, prompting Imagawa Yoshimoto to advance his own troops into Ikutahara in the eighth month of 1542. Nobuhide departed Anjō castle, crossed the Yahagi River, and took up a defensive position at Kamiwada in preparation for confrontation.
In the tenth month of 1542, Oda Nobuhide engaged Imagawa Yoshimoto's forces at Azukizaka, southeast of Okazaki castle. Nobuhide was accompanied by his brothers Nobuyasu, Nobumitsu, and Nobuzane. The battle was decided quickly in the Oda's favor, with seven samurai—the 'Seven Spears of Azukizaka'—receiving particular credit; Kawajiri Hidetaka defeated the Imagawa vanguard commander Yuhara.
The Oda victory checked Imagawa expansion in western Mikawa and bolstered Nobuhide's regional standing. However, Yoshimoto recovered and defeated Nobuhide in a second engagement at Azukizaka in 1548, continuing territorial expansion until 1560, when he was killed by Nobuhide's son Oda Nobunaga at the Battle of Okehazama.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Oda Nobuhide, Oda Nobuyasu, Oda Nobumitsu, Oda Nobuzane.
Side B
1 belligerent
Imagawa Yoshimoto, Yuhara of Suruga.