Osaka summer camp (2/2)Toyotomi Soke finally falls

First, Toyotomi's army, Chosokabe Morichika's army, confronts Tokugawa's army, Todo Takatora's army (Battle of Yao). When Morichika learned that Takatora's squad had attacked the vanguard of Morichika's squad in Kayafuri Village (Yao City, Osaka Prefecture), he devised a plan to ambush Takatora's squad at Nagase River. All the soldiers dismounted from their horses and were made to lie down on the river bank with their spears in their hands.As soon as the Takatora's squad approached, they stood up all at once and attacked them with their spears. This attack threw Takatora's troops into disarray, and many military commanders, including Takakei Todo, died. Morichika's army had the upper hand in the battle, but the Toyotomi army was routed at the Battle of Wakae, which will be discussed later, so Morichika, fearing isolation, retreated to Osaka Castle.

Meanwhile, Shigenari Kimura of the Toyotomi army set up camp in Wakae (Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture). Although they were attacked by Takatora's team, they won. Just when the Toyotomi army thought it had an advantage, the Tokugawa army led by Ii Naotaka attacked Shigenari's army. Shigenari's corps was completely destroyed, and Shigenari himself was killed in battle (Battle of Wakae).

Osaka Summer Campaign ③ Battle of Tennoji and Okayama

Then, on May 7th, the ``Battle of Tennoji and Okayama'', which can be said to be the highlight of the Osaka Summer Campaign, will take place. This is the de facto final battle.

The Toyotomi army gathered its forces on the south side of Osaka Castle (from Abeno Ward to Hirano Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture) to intercept the Tokugawa army. The Tokugawa army invaded there, attacking towards Osaka Castle from Tennoji and Okayama. Let's check the lineup of each army here.

Toyotomi army

Yukimura Sanada and the Sanada family (Chausuyama, 3500)
Katsunaga Mouri (Tennojiguchi/6500)
Osamu Ohno (Okayamaguchi/4600)
Harunaga Ohno (finally finished, details unknown (15,000))
Zento Akashi (Bessatsutai/300)
In addition, soldiers were stationed around Mt. Chausu, and a total of about 50,000 soldiers greeted the Tokugawa army.

Tokugawa army

Nagaaki Asano (Chausuyama/5000)
Tadanao Matsudaira (Chausuyama, 15,000)
Tadatomo Honda (Tennojiguchi Spearhead, 5500)
Yasukatsu Sakakibara (Tennoji 2nd, 5,400)
Ietsugu Sakai (Tennoji 3rd, 5300)
Toshitsune Maeda (Okayamaguchi Spearhead, 20,000 yen)
Naotaka Ii, Takatora Todo, Tadaoki Hosokawa (2nd place at Okayama Exit, over 7500)
In addition, there are 3,500 Yamatojisei on Mt. Chausu.

Tokugawa Ieyasu and 15,000 soldiers set up their headquarters behind the Tennoji entrance, while Hidetada and 23,000 soldiers set up their headquarters behind the Okayama entrance, and they attacked in two-top fashion. In addition to this, they mobilized a total of 150,000 soldiers, including those to fill the back of the main camp, which was a huge difference in military strength from the Toyotomi army.

Osaka Summer Campaign ④ Ieyasu's close call!? Yukimura Sanada's attack

Under these circumstances, Sanada Yukimura insisted that the commander-in-chief, Toyotomi Hideyori himself, go to the front and attack Tokugawa Ieyasu in an all-out war. However, due to Yodo-dono's opposition, Hideyori did not go to war. In addition, the original plan was to draw the Tokugawa army to Mt. Chausu, bypass the detached unit Akashi Zento, and force them to rush into Ieyasu's main camp and defeat Ieyasu, but Mori Katsunaga's troops took the lead and attacked Honda Tadatomo's troops at the Tennoji exit. They were bombarded with gunfire, and the battle started in disarray. You will not be able to carry out your strategy.

However, the efforts of the Mori troops threw the Tokugawa army into chaos, leaving Ieyasu's main camp behind the Tennoji entrance defenseless. Immediately, Yukimura Sanada told the Tokugawa army a lie that his allies had defected to the Toyotomi army, causing further confusion as he charged at Ieyasu's headquarters. We attacked three times. Ieyasu's main army is panicking at Yukimura's attack, which he suffered during the Osaka Winter Siege. The force was so great that Ieyasu's horse seal fell over, and there is a story that Ieyasu himself ran for his life, prepared to commit seppuku, was admonished by his vassals, and managed to escape.

By the way, there is also a legend that Ieyasu died after failing to escape. This is based on the fact that Ieyasu's tomb is located at Nanshuji Temple in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. It is said that he fell to the spear of Goto Matabei, and this is a story that gives you a sense of the romance of history.

I thought that Toyotomi's army would continue to dominate, but when Yukimura consulted with Harunaga Ohno, and Harunaga returned to Osaka Castle and tried to encourage Toyotomi Hideyori to run for office, the tide changed. As Harunaga tried to return home with Hideyori's horse flag still up, the soldiers around him misunderstood that Harunaga had retreated due to defeat, and lost his will to fight. Some even tried to defect to the Tokugawa army, and the army collapsed. If Hideyori had gone to war at this time, the misunderstanding might have been resolved, but in the end he never went to war.

Seizing this opportunity, the Tokugawa army launches a counterattack. In the end, the Toyotomi army was gradually cornered by the numerically superior Tokugawa army. The main military commanders were killed one after another, and the country was almost completely destroyed. It was about three hours after the war started. Sanada's army, which had been very successful, collapsed and retreated due to increased casualties. Yukimura was killed by the Tokugawa army while resting near Yasui Tenjin.

Meanwhile, at Okazakiguchi, Tokugawa Hidetada advances to defeat the Toyotomi army. Muneshige Tachibana, who was under his guardianship, told him that it was dangerous to run, but he ran forward. Was it because Ieyasu had scolded him for coming late to the Osaka Winter Siege? As a result, the vanguard collapsed due to the opposing Toyotomi army and Ohno Harugou's army, and the scene fell into chaos as Harigo's army rushed towards the main camp where Hidetada was located. There seems to be a scene in which Hidetada himself tries to fight but is reprimanded by his subordinates, and we can see him trying to take credit and restore his honor. In the end, the Tokugawa army succeeded in pushing back the Toyotomi army due to the difference in military strength, and Ono Harumori retreated to Osaka Castle.

Burning Osaka Castle, downfall of the Toyotomi clan

The remnants of the Toyotomi army, which had been defeated in the battles of Tennoji and Okayama, retreated to the main enclosure of Osaka Castle, but Osaka Castle, which had been completely stripped due to the moat being filled in during the Osaka Winter Siege, had no proper defenses. There is no power. In no time at all, the Tokugawa army poured in. Meanwhile, Daisumi Yozaemon, who was in charge of the kitchen, defected to the Tokugawa army and ordered his subordinates to set the kitchen on fire. As a result, Osaka Castle goes up in flames. It is said that the flames could be seen from Kyoto.

Under these circumstances, Harunaga Ohno conducts his final negotiations. Using his vassals as messengers, he prayed for the escape of Senhime, Tokugawa Ieyasu's grandchild and Toyotomi Hideyori's wife, and for Yodo-dono's life to be spared in exchange for the seppuku of Toyotomi vassals, including himself. This allowed Senhime to escape from Osaka Castle. However, Yodo-dono's life was not accepted, and the next day, May 8, the Tokugawa army besieged the burnt-out storehouse where Hideyori and others had barricaded themselves. Hideyori and Yodo-dono committed suicide.

In this way, the Toyotomi family was destroyed. However, Naahime, the daughter Hideyori left with his concubine, survived despite Senhime's pleas for her life, and after becoming a priest at Tokei-ji Temple in Kamakura, which is famous as a temple where people are separated, she became the 20th chief priest. has been appointed. Also, his son Kunimatsu escaped from Osaka Castle, but was later captured by the Tokugawa army and beheaded at Rokujo Kawahara.

After that, Ieyasu hunted down the remnants of Osaka Castle and removed the feudal lords who were suspected of secretly working with the Toyotomi family. After Osaka Castle was reclaimed, a new Osaka Castle was built by the Shogunate. Ieyasu died on April 17, 1616, about one year after the Summer Campaign in Osaka. He passed away at the age of 75 (counting years).

Thus ended the battles of the Edo period. The Shimabara Rebellion occurred in 1637 (Kanei 14), but this was the end of the battles between warlords.