A decisive Takeda victory that nearly destroyed Tokugawa Ieyasu's forces and demonstrated Shingen's dominance during his campaign toward Kyoto.
Key Facts
- Date
- January 25, 1573
- Province
- Tōtōmi Province
- Period
- Sengoku period
- Location detail
- Plain of Mikatagahara, north of Hamamatsu
- Outcome
- Tokugawa-Oda force nearly annihilated
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Takeda Shingen was campaigning against Oda Nobunaga, seeking a route from Kōfu to Kyoto. During this advance, his forces moved through Tōtōmi Province, bringing them into direct conflict with Tokugawa Ieyasu, who held territory in the region and could not allow the Takeda army to pass unchallenged.
On January 25, 1573, Shingen's Takeda forces engaged Ieyasu's combined Tokugawa-Oda army on the plain of Mikatagahara north of Hamamatsu. The Takeda encircled the allied force and nearly annihilated it, killing many of Ieyasu's retainers in fierce fighting before the survivors were driven into retreat.
Ieyasu and his surviving men fled toward Hamamatsu Castle, then launched a minor counterattack to slow Shingen's advance on Kyoto. Though the Tokugawa-Oda force suffered catastrophic losses, Shingen's subsequent death in 1573 halted the Takeda campaign, sparing Ieyasu from complete destruction.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Takeda Shingen.
Side B
2 belligerents
Tokugawa Ieyasu.