The Battle of Nagashino was the last battle of the Takeda clan and one of the greatest of Nobunaga Oda's victories, with his riflemen destroying the infamous Takeda Army Cavalry. Katsuyori Takeda, the daimyo of the Takeda clan after the death of his father Shingen Takeda, was killed along with the rest of his generals, and his clan was off to the pages of history.
Background[]
Shingen Takeda was one of the most feared warlords in all of Japan. He had all but crushed the Uesugi clan, he had defeated the Hojo, and he destroyed a superior Tokugawa army at Mikatagahara with his fast-moving cavalry. However, in 1573, the same year as his greatest triumph (Mikatagahara), he fell ill and died en route to Kyoto. His son Katsuyori Takeda became the warlord ruling over the Takeda clan, which was at its extent. The Oda clan had been at war with the Takeda in favor of their Tokugawa vassals, and they deployed a large force against Katsuyori in Mikawa Province, hoping to save the Tokugawa from destruction.
Battle[]
The Oda deployed in front of Nagashino Castle, while the Takeda deployed on the opposite side of the river. The Takeda were hoping to repeat their tactics used at Mikatagahara, using their superior horsemanship to carry the day. The Tokugawa, led by Ieyasu Tokugawa, deployed on the southern Oda flank. The Tokugawa and Oda riflemen, led by Kanbei Kuroda, unleashed a deadly hail of fire on the charging Takeda troops, inflicting heavy casualties. Yukimura Sanada and Masakage Yamagata, leading a Takeda cavalry charge, lost their units, Masakage losing his life. Nevertheless, Nobutoyo Takeda and Masatoyo Naito led another cavalry charge, hoping to go around the barricades. They succeeded, but those who made it past the riflemen were killed by spearmen. Meanwhile, many Takeda cavalry chiefs appeared to ambush Hanbei Takenaka, who was scouting the northern areas of the battlefield. The Oda troops sent Mitsuhide Akechi to his aid, and he killed the chieftains to save Hanbei.
At this point, the situation was bad for the Takeda. They sent Kunoichi, a ninja, to take out the rifle captains, but she was defeated as soon as she infiltrated. The Oda prepared to apply the finishing blows, advancing, while Katsuyori Takeda also ordered an advance, sending Yukimura Sanada to besiege Ieyasu's camp. However, the Oda advance routed all of the advance units, their commanders cut down. Katsuyori tried to retreat after all of his commanders were slain, but was encircled at Ueda Castle.
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