Battle of Kanegasaki (2/2)Nobunaga is in big trouble due to Azai Nagamasa's betrayal

Recent research suggests that when Nobunaga and Nagamasa formed an alliance, the Asakura clan and Azai clan were not in an alliance in the first place. This is because there is no primary historical material to support the alliance between the two. If this is the case, it becomes increasingly unclear why Nagamasa betrayed Nobunaga. Nobunaga is a futuristic figure of his time. There are theories that the reason was that he was unable to keep up with Nobunaga's ideas, that he was afraid of Nobunaga, or that his father, Hisamasa Asaikura, had a deep relationship with the Asakura clan, but in the end, the truth lies in the darkness of history. It's inside.

Whatever the reason, Nagamasa betrayed Nobunaga and joined the Asakura clan. When Nobunaga heard the news of Nagamasa's betrayal, he did not believe it at first. Even in ``Nobunaga Koki,'' he said, ``It should be a lie.'' ``He is my close relative, my brother-in-law, and I treat him well enough to entrust him with Kitaomi.There is no way he would betray me.It must have been a false report,'' he claims, but when the news keeps coming in, he says ``I can't help it'' and withdraws. decided. They tried to return to Kyoto before they faced a serious crisis, with the Asakura clan in the front and the Asai clan in the rear.

By the way, the episode that comes up at this time is about the market and the ``azuki bean bag''. It is said that Oichi sent Nobunaga a red bean bag tied at both ends as a ``visit from the camp''. Since this was before Nagamasa revealed his betrayal, it was possible for Oichi to send condolences to Nobunaga during the camp. This red bean bag tied at both ends represents Nobunaga as a rat in a bag, and it is said that Nobunaga saw through Oichi's intentions and decided to retreat.

This episode is published in "Asakura Yoshikeiki", but it seems to be a creation of a later generation. However, I think it is possible that Oichi was trying to convey Nobunaga's crisis in some way.

Exit of Kanegasaki ②The palace is Hideyoshi...Katsumasa Ikeda and Mitsuhide Akechi

Oda Nobunaga decided to retreat from Kanegasaki Castle. When retreating, it is important to have a shrine to stop the enemy. It's quite a burden, as Nobunaga is prepared to die in battle, buying time to escape, but it's a very honorable job. At this time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Kinoshita Tokichiro) is famous for offering his name to the lord and doing a great job, which led to his promotion.

In "Nobunaga Koki," only Hideyoshi's name appears as a lord, but according to other historical sources, military commanders higher than Hideyoshi, such as Katsumasa Ikeda and Mitsuhide Akechi, who were the guardians of Settsu, actually participated in the lord's army. . It seems that Katsumasa Ikeda, who led 3,000 men, was the general of the army. These three people worked together and worked together to serve the lord, making full use of firearms and other weapons. However, there are no historical documents left regarding how he fought and served as a lord, and the details are not clear. It is said that the Oda army suffered only 2,000 casualties, with no significant impact.

According to the popular theory based on the biography Taikoki, which contains many descriptions praising Hideyoshi, it was a very fierce battle, and Hideyoshi fought bravely and served as the lord. This was one of Hideyoshi's most spectacular battles, and according to local folklore, he fled as hard as he could to Kuniyoshi Castle, which was located only 10 km from Kanegasaki Castle, but the Asakura forces did not pursue him further after that. It seems that the escape from Kuniyoshi Castle to Kyoto was relatively smooth. To begin with, Mihama Town in Fukui Prefecture is known as an impregnable stronghold, having defeated the Asakura clan's forces many times. The Oda army must have felt that if they returned this far, they would feel safe.

Exit of Kanegasaki ③ Nobunaga's "Cross the Kuchiki"

Oda Nobunaga, on the other hand, began his withdrawal on April 28th. However, due to Azai Nagamasa's betrayal, we cannot take the same route. For this reason, Nobunaga moved south from Echizen, entered Omi on the 30th, and with the help of Mototsuna Kuchiki decided to ``cross Kuchiki'' by passing through Kuchiki (Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture), which was controlled by Mototsuna. .

Mototsuna Kuchiki is not a military commander of the Asai side, but there is a possibility that he will not let Nobunaga pass. It was Hide Matsunaga who persuaded Motsuna. It is generally believed that the persuasion was successful and Nobunaga was able to safely retreat to Kyoto. When Nobunaga returned to Kyoto from Tsuruga, there were only a few dozen people with him. You can see that he desperately returned to Kyoto after two or three days through mountain passes.

By the way, according to historical documents from the Asakura side, Motatsuna was originally trying to kill Nobunaga. However, it is said that the relationship between Mototsuna and Mr. Asai was not very good, so the truth is not certain. Mottsuna later served Nobunaga, and after his death served Hideyoshi. He participated in the Battle of Sekigahara with the Western army, but switched sides with the Eastern army (*there are various theories), and survived tenaciously until the time of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Exit to Kanegasaki ④ He was left behind...What should Ieyasu do?

Oda Nobunaga returned to Kyoto safely, and his lords also retreated safely, but...huh? Did you forget someone? Yes, this is Tokugawa Ieyasu, a military commander who participated in the Battle of Kanegasaki alongside Nobunaga. According to "Mikawa Monogatari," Nobunaga quickly retreated without telling Ieyasu anything, and Ieyasu was informed of this by Hideyoshi and retreated with him.

According to "Tokugawa Jiki," Ieyasu served as a lord with Hideyoshi during the retreat, and helped Hideyoshi's army with guns. It is said that Hideyoshi was very grateful to Ieyasu. However, ``Tokugawa Jiki'' is an official history book by the Edo shogunate established in the Edo period, so it glorifies and promotes the divine prince Ieyasu. There is no primary historical record that Ieyasu served as a lord, so it is possible that this is a fabricated episode.

By the way, there is a legend that Ieyasu visited the area around Kuniyoshi Castle. For example, Hideyoshi was chased by the Asakura army in Kurohama (Mihama Town, Fukui Prefecture) and was in a pinch, but he was saved from the predicament by Ieyasu, who set up camp nearby. In other words, it cannot be said with certainty that ``Ieyasu did not help Hideyoshi''...Maybe that is the interesting part of history.

From the Battle of Kanegasaki to the Battle of Anegawa

After the Battle of Kanegasaki, Oda Nobunaga returned from Kyoto to Gifu. Along the way, there was an assassination attempt on Nobunaga, but he managed to get through it, and proceeded with preparations to attack Asai and Asakura, and invaded Kita-Omi with Tokugawa Ieyasu. On June 28th, at the Battle of Anegawa (Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture), they defeated the Asai and Asakura forces in a fierce battle. I'm surprised at Nobunaga's speed, as he counterattacked almost two months after the Battle of Kanegasaki, but perhaps that's why he was so angry with Asai and Asakura.

After that, Nobunaga and the Asai/Asakura clan continued to fight, but the Asai clan was destroyed in the Battle of Odari Castle in July 1573. The remaining Asakura clan was destroyed in the Battle of Ichijodani Castle in August, and Nobunaga was ultimately victorious.