Siege of Ōtsu

Siege of Ōtsu
Part of the Sengoku period
Date 1600 Location Ōtsu, near Kyoto Result Siege succeeds
Belligerents
forces of Mōri Motoyasu	castle garrison loyal to Tokugawa Ieyasu
Commanders and leaders
Kobayakawa Hidekane, Tachibana Muneshige, Tsukushi Hirokado	Kyōgoku Takatsugu

The siege of Ōtsu (大津城の戦い, Ōtsu-jō no tatakai) took place in 1600, occurring concurrently with the battle of Sekigahara. Kyōgoku Takatsugu held Ōtsu castle for the Tokugawa, and commanded the garrison. Mōri Motoyasu and Tachibana Muneshige laid siege. The sides negotiated and Takatsugu surrendered. However, in the meantime Tokugawa Ieyasu had won the battle of Sekigahara, assuring his control of all Japan, and so the loss of Ōtsu was ultimately insignificant.

Some records of the time indicate that the local inhabitants brought picnic boxes and gathered at Mii-dera on Mount Hiei to observe the battle.

References

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