Arita Castle 1517 - Phase 1 Takeda Vanguard

When the head of the Mori Clan died suddenly, Takeda Motoshige saw the opportunity to advance into Mori territory and capture Arita Castle. Provoked into action, Motonari, just a young man of 20 years, mobilized the Mori clan and set …

1517-10-15

2

When the head of the Mori Clan died suddenly, Takeda Motoshige saw the opportunity to advance into Mori territory and capture Arita Castle. Provoked into action, Motonari, just a young man of 20 years, mobilized the Mori clan and set off towards Arita Castle. On the way, he and his personal retinue of mounted Samurai encountered the Takeda Vanguard commanded hy Kumagai Motonao. The two forces instead, of closing, stood firm and engaged in a heated archery exchange. While encouraging his men Motonao was struck down and the Takeda vanguard seeing their leader fall retired back to the castle.

Aki Province, Japan

In the early 16th century Takeda Motoshige (also known as Motoshigeru), a local lord of Aki Province, accompanied the daimyō Ōuchi Yoshioki, his liege lord, to restore Ashikaga Yoshitane to the shogunate in Kyoto. At some point around 1515 Motoshige returned to Aki and broke off from the Ōuchi, changing his allegiance to the Amago. At this time the Mōri clan (a vassal of the Ōuchi), were neighbors of the Takeda in Aki. When Mōri Okimoto died in 1516, and was succeeded by his young son Komatsumaru, Takeda Motoshige took advantage of this and, in the following year, gathered an army of 5,000 and in October advanced into the territory of the Mōri's Yoshikawa allies and surrounded Arita Castle. A few weeks later, Motoshige dispatched a raid into the Mōri clan's territory and set fire to houses in Tajihi. The Mōri clan's response was led by Mōri Motonari, younger brother to Okimoto and guardian of Komatsumaru.

Wikipedia: Battle of Arita-Nakaide

Mori

Takeda