The Battle of Nagashino marked a decisive shift in Japanese warfare through the effective use of arquebuses, accelerating Oda Nobunaga's unification campaign.
Key Facts
- Allied forces strength
- 38,000 (Oda–Tokugawa)
- Takeda forces strength
- 15,000
- Battle date
- 8 July 1575
- Location
- Nagashino and Shitaragahara, Mikawa Province
- Notable casualty
- Yamagata Masakage, killed by arquebus fire
- Traditional gun count cited
- 3,000 arquebuses in rotating shifts of 1,000
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Takeda Katsuyori besieged Nagashino Castle, prompting the allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu to march to its relief. The Takeda clan's renowned cavalry had long been a dominant force, but Nobunaga's army was equipped with large numbers of arquebuses and prepared defensive positions at the nearby field of Shitaragahara to counter the expected charge.
On 8 July 1575, the Oda–Tokugawa allied army of 38,000 met Katsuyori's 15,000-strong Takeda force at Shitaragahara. Matchlock arquebusiers firing from behind defensive stockades inflicted severe losses on the Takeda cavalry during their assault. The allied forces won a crushing victory, killing several senior Takeda commanders including Yamagata Masakage.
The defeat shattered the military power of the Takeda clan and removed one of the principal obstacles to Nobunaga's unification of Japan. The battle became widely regarded as the first modern engagement in Japanese history, demonstrating the effectiveness of massed firearm tactics over traditional cavalry, and reshaped military doctrine across the country.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Side B
1 belligerent
Takeda Katsuyori.