Mikata-Ga-Hara 1572

By 1572 Takeda Shingen was at the height of his power largely due to his superb Samurai cavalry. Although Tokugawa Ieysu was not his greatest threat, Ieysu would not grant the Takeda army right of passage to attack elsewhere. Shingen …

1573-01-25

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By 1572 Takeda Shingen was at the height of his power largely due to his superb Samurai cavalry. Although Tokugawa Ieysu was not his greatest threat, Ieysu would not grant the Takeda army right of passage to attack elsewhere. Shingen marched to the high ground at Mikatagahara and deployed his army in the classic fish-scale formation, which supposedly would entice Ieysu to attack. Outnumbered, Ieysu gambled that a quick strike might catch the Takeda army by surprise, but the Takeda soldiers held firm and counterattacked violently. The Takeda cavalry rode down the Tokugawa Teppo and Ashigaru in the open. Ieysu's escape was made good only by the sacrifice of a number of brave generals.

Mikatagahara, Tōtōmi Province, Japan

The Battle of Mikatagahara was a battle of the Sengoku period of Japan fought between Takeda Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu in Mikatagahara, Tōtōmi Province on 25 January 1573. Shingen attacked Ieyasu at the plain of Mikatagahara north of Hamamatsu during his campaign against Oda Nobunaga while seeking a route from Kōfu to Kyoto. The Tokugawa-Oda force was almost totally annihilated by the Takeda after being encircled and many of Ieyasu's retainers were killed in the battle. Ieyasu and his surviving men were forced to retreat before launching a minor counterattack to delay Shingen's march towards Kyoto.

Wikipedia: Battle of Mikatagahara

Tokugawa

Takeda