Siege of Hasedō

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Siege of Hasedō
Part of the Sengoku period
Date1600
Location
Hasedō castle, near Yamagata
Result

Easterm Army victory,

Siege fails
Belligerents
Eastern Forces loyal to Tokugawa Ieyasu:
Forces of Mogami Yoshiaki
and Date Masamune
Western Forces loyal to Ishida Mitsunari:
Forces of Uesugi Kagekatsu
Commanders and leaders
Mogami Yoshiaki
Date Masamune
Rusu Masakage
Magoichi Saika
Uesugi Kagekatsu
Naoe Kanetsugu
Maeda Toshimasu
Honjō Shigenaga

Amakasu Kagetsugu

Strength
Mogami: 7,000
Date: 3,000
25,000-30,000
Casualties and losses
623 killed 1580 killed

The Siege of Hasedō (長谷堂城の戦い) was one of a series of battles fought in the far north of Japan's main island of Honshū (the Tōhoku region) contemporaneous with the famous and decisive campaigns between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari further south.

Background[]

Over the course of the year 1600, Naoe Kanetsugu, a general loyal to Ishida Mitsunari, would lead a campaign in Tōhoku, which included the siege of Hasedō castle, near Yamagata, which was his ultimate goal. Hasedō was held by Mogami Yoshiaki and the castle garrison led by and backed by a Tokugawa-loyal army of the Date clan.

Battle[]

Thirty thousand of Uesugi's men moved towards Yamagata from the north while Naoe Kanetsugu began his siege on Hasedō. Having received reinforcements of 100 horsemen and 200 arquebusiers, he laid siege to Hasedō for fourteen days before an army under Date Masamune and Rusu Masakage arrived to relieve the castle.

Date Masamune broke through "Keiji" Maeda Toshimasu's siege forces at the central garrison, but more Uesugi reinforcements arrived to continue the siege of the castle.

Naoe Kanetsugu decided to head for the front lines, leaving the defense of the Uesugi north garrison to Kagekatsu;

Date's general Magoichi Saika decided to head for the Kagekatsu's north garrison as Masamune relieved his uncle in Hasedo Castle.

Rusu Masakage led the relief force to the castle and defeated Uesugi's force led by and as they attempted to penetrate the castle's defenses.

The castle was finally relieved by Date forces, causing Naoe Kanetsugu to declare an all-out attack on Hasedō. was the vanguard, and charged the castle, but was forced to retreat due to heavy arquebus fire. An army from the castle charged north and then began attacking the retreating Uesugi's forces.

A small besieging force remained, and fighting continued, in which Naoe's general was killed.

Later, Masamune pushed on towards the Uesugi main camp, the Uesugi army was forced to withdraw, and Kanetsugu made preparations to withdraw to the southwest. Keiji Maeda reappeared in an attempt to guard Kanetsugu's retreat, but Masamune reached both of them at the main camp. He first defeated Keiji, and he then proceeded to defeat Kanetsugu before he could escape.

However in November 5, news arrived of Tokugawa Ieyasu's victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, and so Naoe called a full withdrawal of all his forces back to Yonezawa, putting an end to Uesugi's campaigns in the north.

References[]

  • Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & Co.


Coordinates: 38°12′45.6″N 140°16′20.76″E / 38.212667°N 140.2724333°E / 38.212667; 140.2724333

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