Battle of Ukino
Battle of Ukino (July 12, 1558) was the final victory of Oda Nobunaga in his struggle to unite the province of Owari against his cousin, Oda Nobukata, deputy governor of northern Owari.[1][2]
| Battle of Ukino | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Sengoku period | |||||||||
 Reconstructed keep of Kiyosu Castle | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Oda clan of Shibata Castle |
Oda clan of Iwakura Castle | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Oda Nobunaga Oda Nobuyuki | Oda Nobukata | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 3,000 | 3,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| light | 1,250 samurai | ||||||||
  Location within Aichi Prefecture  Battle of Ukino (Japan) | |||||||||
Background
After defeating Imigawa clan of Suruga in the battle of Muraki and capturing southern provincial capital of Kiyosu (both in 1554), Oda Nobunaga united the Southern Owari under his rule. After resolving internal struggle and rebellion in his own family, defeating his younger brother Oda Nobuyuki in the battle of Ino (in 1556), Nobunaga was firmly established as the ruler of the southern Owari, while the northern part of the province was still the domain of his cousin, Oda Nobukata of Iwakura castle, deputy governor of the northern Owari. In 1555, Saitō Dōsan, Nobunaga's father in law and ally, retired as the lord of Mino Province (north of Owari) for his eldest son, Saitō Yoshitatsu. However, on January 4, 1556. Yoshitatsu killed his two brothers, leading to a military conflict with his father. Nobunaga supported Dōsan, but Yoshitatsu defeated and killed him in battle in April 1556.[1][2]
Battle
Seeing the fall of Nobunaga's father in law as an opportunity, Oda Nobukata of Iwakura Castle concluded a pact with Yoshitatsu and opened hostilities against Nobunaga. But Nobunaga defeated the forces of the Oda of Iwakura at Ukino in Owari on August 24, 1558 (Japanese calendar date: Eiroku era: 1st year, 7th month, 12th day).[1][2][3]
Aftermath
With this victory, most of the province of Owari was united by Nobunaga. However, his younger brother Oda Nobuyuki started plotting again, but was denounced by one of his retainers and killed on November 2, 1558. In 1559. Nobunaga besieged, captured, and razed Iwakura Castle to the ground, ending the Iwakura branch of the Oda family and finally uniting the whole province of Owari under his rule. Later that year Nobunaga visited Kyoto and was received by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, gaining the formal appointment of deputy governor (shugodai) of Owari.[1][2]
References
- Chaplin, Danny (2018). Sengoku Jidai. Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu : three unifiers of Japan. [United States?]. pp. 55–63. ISBN 978-1-9834-5020-4. OCLC 1111714915.
- Ōta, Gyūichi (2011). The chronicle of Lord Nobunaga. J. S. A. Elisonas, Jeroen Pieter Lamers. Leiden: Brill. p. 3. ISBN 978-90-04-20456-0. OCLC 743693801.
- Date converted from Japanese calendar to Gregorian calendar with online Kanreki Calendar Converter.
Literature
- Chaplin, Danny (2018). Sengoku Jidai. Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu : three unifiers of Japan. pp. 55–63. ISBN 978-1-9834-5020-4. OCLC 1111714915.
- Ōta, Gyūichi (2011). The chronicle of Lord Nobunaga. J. S. A. Elisonas, Jeroen Pieter Lamers. Leiden: Brill. p. 3. ISBN 978-90-04-20456-0. OCLC 743693801.
- Turnbull, Stephen R. (2005). Samurai commanders. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. p. 6. ISBN 1-84176-743-3. OCLC 60834971.
- Turnbull, Stephen R. (2002). War in Japan 1467-1615. Oxford: Osprey. p. 18. ISBN 1-84176-480-9. OCLC 50564411.