Battle of Tedorigawa

Battle of Tedorigawa
Part of the Sengoku period
Date 1577 Location Tedori River, Kaga province Result Uesugi victory
Belligerents
Forces of Uesugi Kenshin	Forces of Oda Nobunaga
Commanders and leaders
Uesugi Kenshin	Shibata Katsuie Maeda Toshiie Chō Shigetsura
Strength
about 30,000	about 40,000

The Battle of Tedorigawa (手取川の戦い, Tedorigawa no Tatakai) took place near the Tedori River in Japan's Kaga Province in 1577. The battle site is in the modern-day Ishikawa Prefecture.

Background

The Tedorigawa Campaign was precipitated by Uesugi intervention inside the domain of the Hatakeyama clan, an Oda Client state. This event provoked the Uesugi incursion was a Coup d'état led by the pro Oda General Chō Shigetsura, that killed Hatakeyama Yoshinori the lord of Noto and replaced him with Hatakeyama Yoshitaka as a puppet ruler. As a result Uesugi Kenshin, the head of the Uesegi clan mobilized an army to lead into Noto against Shigetsura. Consequently Nobunaga sent an army led by Shibata Katsuie; one of his most experienced generals to reinforce their allies.

Battle

Kenshin, taking the initiative moved to encircle Shigetsura’s forces preventing them from linking with the Oda army, and trapping Shigetsura in Anamizu Castle (the main Hatakeyama stronghold) the subsequent Breakthrough killed Shigetsura and resulted in the Hatakeyama switching allegiance to the Uesugi.

Due to the fall of Anamizu Castle the Oda army (now joined by Nobunaga himself) halted their march into Noto near the Tedori River and prepared to use cannons for stand-off tactics against the Uesugi. However a skillful nighttime feint by Kenshin (suggesting he had divided his forces) led to Nobunaga ordering Katsuie to charge against the Uesugi lines. Kenshin ordered the river’s floodgates to be opened. The strong current from the river prevented the Oda clan from effectively using its Arquebus and cannons. The Oda charge itself was repulsed due to the current and inferior close quarter ability of the ashigaru making up the bulk of the Oda army. Having suffered heavy casualties, Nobunaga ordered a retreat into Ōmi Province.

Aftermath

The Uesugi scored a significant victory at Tedorigawa. As a result the distribution of power in the north shifted towards Kenshin and the Uesugi were temporarily able to extend their influence as far as the Kaga Province. Nobunaga was devastated with this defeat, so much so in fact that according to one account, he prepared to surrender if Kenshin began to march towards Kyoto. Kenshin however, died before that plan was initiated. Subsequently the Uesugi fell into a civil war and as a result by 1582 the Oda forces had managed to push the Uesugi clan all the way back to the Echigo Province.

References

This article incorporates text from OpenHistory.