On June 5, 1615, the Eastern Army of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Osaka Army of Toyotomi Hideyori clashed in battle at Dōmyōji (道明寺の戦い; Dōmyōji no tatakai), Osaka.[1] This battle was one of Japan's major historical battles between samurai forces. This battle was one of a number of battles that took place during the Summer Campaign of the Siege of Osaka that led up to the fall of Osaka to the forces of Tokugawa and the death of Toyotomi Hideyori.
A vanguard force ahead of the Osaka Army was commanded by Gotō Mototsugu. He had with him a force of 2,800 samurai and his mission was to guard against the arrival of elements of The Eastern Army. The eastern border of Osaka is protected by a natural border known as the Ikoma Mountain Range. Gotō was given the task of guarding the area near Komatsu-yama, a hilly area located near one of very few mountain passes. This pass in the range is created by the Yamato River, which runs just north of Komatsu-yama. He had planned to occupy the high ground provided by the slopes of Komatsuyama and prevent the enemy from freely entering the flat plains of Osaka that exist once past Komatsu-yama.
The Battle
On 5 June, Gotō Mototsugu and his forces were at Dōmyōji, a low-lying section of land north of Komatsu-yama on the opposite side of the Ishikawa river which is a tributary of the Yamato-gawa river. In order to take their positions on Komatsu-yama they would have to ford the Ishikawa river. As they were doing so, scouts reported that the Eastern Army had exited the pass through the range and were moving up the southern slopes of Komatsu-yama.
At 4:00 AM, Gotō Mototsugu and his samurai made a dash to Komatsu-yama in order to push the Tokugawa forces back.
By 5:00 AM, Gotō Mototsugu was forced back to the summit of Komatsu-yama by a strong attack by the enemy. All this time Gotō Mototsugu was awaiting the planned arrival of reinforcements which had been delayed by thick fog.
At 10:00 AM, Gotō Mototsugu was shot and committed ritual suicide. With his death, his remaining samurai forces lost control of Komatsuyama and were forced to fight as they were pushed down the southern slope of Komatsu-yama and across the Ishikawa river. As the fog cleared, the Osaka Army forces on the southern side of the Ishikawa river had been revealed. Susukida Kanesuke led the left flank of the Osaka Army. After advancing, the Eastern Army cleared the Ishikawa and made their way up the gentle slope of Dōmyōji. Susukida Kanesuke and his samurai fought them fiercely in an area next to Emperor Ingyo's massive tomb. Susukida Kanesuke, who was in disgrace at the time, fought valiantly although dying in battle and in doing so, he redeemed his honor.
Sanada Yukimura in command of the Osaka Army on the right of Susukida Kanesuke was taken on by Date Masamune in the area of Emperor Ōjin's Tomb and Konda Hachiman Shrine. This fight took place at around 12:00 and by 5:00 PM Sanada Yukimura made the decision to begin a retreat towards Osaka Castle having already lost two powerful commanders. Tokugawa Tadateru, the sixth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu was given the order to pursue Sanada's force, but he refused. His refusal later led to his exile at Kōya-san.
Sanada Yukimura and his army successfully disengaged in retreat from the Eastern Army.
Geographical Notes
This region has been renamed Tamate-yama, but the geographic features of this battle are still referred to as part of Komatsu-yama. The pass through the range, the rivers, and tombs remain, giving any interested party the chance to visit and visualize this battle.
References
^"Battle of Dōmyōji「道明寺の戦い」 | Sengoku Jidai". sengokujidai.org. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
March 04, 2023
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Battle of Dōmyōji news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message On June 5 1615 the Eastern Army of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Osaka Army of Toyotomi Hideyori clashed in battle at Dōmyōji 道明寺の戦い Dōmyōji no tatakai Osaka 1 This battle was one of Japan s major historical battles between samurai forces This battle was one of a number of battles that took place during the Summer Campaign of the Siege of Osaka that led up to the fall of Osaka to the forces of Tokugawa and the death of Toyotomi Hideyori Battle of DōmyōjiPart of the Siege of OsakaGotō Mototsugu and Sanada Yukimura during the battle by Utagawa ToyonobuDateJune 5 1615LocationDōmyōji near Tamateyama Osaka Prefecture Japan34 34 3 4 N 135 37 12 2 E 34 567611 N 135 620056 E 34 567611 135 620056 Coordinates 34 34 3 4 N 135 37 12 2 E 34 567611 N 135 620056 E 34 567611 135 620056ResultTokugawa shogunate victoryBelligerentsTokugawa shogunateToyotomi clanCommanders and leadersMizuno KatsushigeHonda TadamasaMatsudaira TadaakiDate MasamuneMurakami Yoshiaki Tokugawa TadateruMizoguchi NobukatsuGotō Mototsugu Susukida Kanesuke Yamamoto KimioInoue TokotoshiMakishima ShigetoshiSanada YukimuraKitagawai NobukatsuYamagawa KatanobuAkashi MorishigeFukushima MasamoriWatanabe TadasuOgura YukiharuOtani YoshihisaNagaoka MasachikaIgi TokatsuMiyata TokisadaMori KatsunagaStrength34 30018 400class notpageimage Location within Japan A vanguard force ahead of the Osaka Army was commanded by Gotō Mototsugu He had with him a force of 2 800 samurai and his mission was to guard against the arrival of elements of The Eastern Army The eastern border of Osaka is protected by a natural border known as the Ikoma Mountain Range Gotō was given the task of guarding the area near Komatsu yama a hilly area located near one of very few mountain passes This pass in the range is created by the Yamato River which runs just north of Komatsu yama He had planned to occupy the high ground provided by the slopes of Komatsuyama and prevent the enemy from freely entering the flat plains of Osaka that exist once past Komatsu yama The Battle EditOn 5 June Gotō Mototsugu and his forces were at Dōmyōji a low lying section of land north of Komatsu yama on the opposite side of the Ishikawa river which is a tributary of the Yamato gawa river In order to take their positions on Komatsu yama they would have to ford the Ishikawa river As they were doing so scouts reported that the Eastern Army had exited the pass through the range and were moving up the southern slopes of Komatsu yama At 4 00 AM Gotō Mototsugu and his samurai made a dash to Komatsu yama in order to push the Tokugawa forces back By 5 00 AM Gotō Mototsugu was forced back to the summit of Komatsu yama by a strong attack by the enemy All this time Gotō Mototsugu was awaiting the planned arrival of reinforcements which had been delayed by thick fog At 10 00 AM Gotō Mototsugu was shot and committed ritual suicide With his death his remaining samurai forces lost control of Komatsuyama and were forced to fight as they were pushed down the southern slope of Komatsu yama and across the Ishikawa river As the fog cleared the Osaka Army forces on the southern side of the Ishikawa river had been revealed Susukida Kanesuke led the left flank of the Osaka Army After advancing the Eastern Army cleared the Ishikawa and made their way up the gentle slope of Dōmyōji Susukida Kanesuke and his samurai fought them fiercely in an area next to Emperor Ingyo s massive tomb Susukida Kanesuke who was in disgrace at the time fought valiantly although dying in battle and in doing so he redeemed his honor Sanada Yukimura in command of the Osaka Army on the right of Susukida Kanesuke was taken on by Date Masamune in the area of Emperor Ōjin s Tomb and Konda Hachiman Shrine This fight took place at around 12 00 and by 5 00 PM Sanada Yukimura made the decision to begin a retreat towards Osaka Castle having already lost two powerful commanders Tokugawa Tadateru the sixth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu was given the order to pursue Sanada s force but he refused His refusal later led to his exile at Kōya san Sanada Yukimura and his army successfully disengaged in retreat from the Eastern Army Geographical Notes EditThis region has been renamed Tamate yama but the geographic features of this battle are still referred to as part of Komatsu yama The pass through the range the rivers and tombs remain giving any interested party the chance to visit and visualize this battle References Edit Battle of Dōmyōji 道明寺の戦い Sengoku Jidai sengokujidai org Retrieved 2021 06 18 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Dōmyōji amp oldid 1069958411, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
