Arita Castle 1517 - Phase 2 Matauchi River

Takeda Mutushige, learning of the fate of Motonao, marched to the Matauchi River and found Motonari and his allies on the opposite bank. Although outnumbered, Motonari decided to attack and sent half his men across the river while a small …

1517-10-16

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Takeda Mutushige, learning of the fate of Motonao, marched to the Matauchi River and found Motonari and his allies on the opposite bank. Although outnumbered, Motonari decided to attack and sent half his men across the river while a small force moved to outflank the Takeda position. The Takeda army quickly pushed the soldiers of Mori back to the river. Motoshige, seeing the Mori army retreating, wishing to make his victory complete, rode forward to the river, but was struck by an arrow and killed. The Tekeda army broke, leaving Motonari the victor and paving the way for the rise of the Mori clan.

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